Two more Taiwanese companies will offer notebook computers containing Turion 64-bit mobile processors from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), making Asia the strongest base of support for the AMD chips.
Notebook computers have been hot sellers this year, making it important for AMD to get Turions on the market. Demand for laptops surged during the second quarter, helping overall PC shipments beat forecasts and grow 16.6 per cent.
The latest Turion-based laptop is a high-end system from Micro-Star International Co. Ltd, one of Taiwan's biggest computer component and systems makers. The company launched its Mega Book S270 last week, complete with a Turion 64-bit processor, integrated Wi-Fi networking, a DVD recorder and a 12.1-inch screen.
Another Taiwanese company, Asustek Computer Inc., is readying two new Turion notebooks, the A6K and the A6U.
The new additions mean there are now four companies in Asia offering Turion-based notebook computers. Acer Inc. introduced one in May, and Elitegroup Computer Systems Co. Ltd. in June. However, Fujitsu Siemens Computers (Holding) BV, a European company half-owned by Japan's Fujitsu Ltd., was among the first to launch a Turion laptop, in Germany in March.
Hewlett-Packard Co. is the only major U.S. vendor to have introduced a Turion-based laptop. Gateway Inc. has not, and Dell Inc. uses only Intel Corp. processors in its products. Lenovo Group Ltd., which took over IBM Corp.'s PC business in May, also does not offer a Turion-based laptop.
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