Single-core Athlon II Neo Gets Some Love from Gateway
Gateway's latest netbook features both an AMD processor and integrated graphics. The rest of the specs appear to be standard fare for this class of computer.
Source: The Tech Report
You know that $550, AMD-powered Acer ultraportable we talked about last month? Acer subsidiary Gateway has now announced a similar-looking laptop that boasts a single-core Athlon II Neo processor and a lower price tag: just $450.
The Gateway LT32 trades its Acer cousin's dual-core Turion II Neo for a 1.7GHz Athlon II Neo K125, and it packs half the RAM (two gigs) and a little less storage capacity (250GB). Gateway still includes Radeon HD 4225 integrated graphics with an HDMI port, though, and Wi-Fi connectivity goes up to 802.11n speeds.
Those more spartan internals translate into 30 minutes of extra rated battery life and a lighter weight (2.76 lbs). If Gateway's 5.5-hour rating is any indication, however, the LT32 isn't even close to the same playing field as Intel-based ultraportables. Yes, we know we keep bringing up Acer's Aspire 1810TZ, but with a similar form factor and a dual-core Intel CPU, that system can stay up and running for eight hours—and Acer advertises it as such.
Nevertheless, the Gateway LT32 sounds like a nice little laptop for the money. $450 is within spitting distance of some of the higher-end netbooks out there, but those machines have smaller displays, slower processors, and much poorer graphics capability. (They might still offer better battery life, though.)
Source: The Tech Report