Dell launches first AMD-based notebook

Dell Inc. launched its first notebook PC powered by a processor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) instead of an Intel Corp. chip. With the Inspiron 1501, Dell offers users a choice between AMD's low-end Sempron, mobile Turion 64, and dual-core Turion 64 X2 chips. It is aiming the product at home entertainment and small business users, offering a baseline configuration of the Sempron chip, widescreen 15.4-inch display, 80G-byte hard drive and 512M bytes of memory for a starting price of US$549. Dell launched the product on Wednesday without fanfare, simply listing it on the company Web site without the usual flurry of press releases. The company did not return calls for comment.

Dell had announced in May that it would begin selling AMD-based servers, after remaining loyal to Intel processors for so long that it was the only major PC vendor not offering its customers a choice. By then, AMD had eaten significant chunks of Intel's enormous market share, riding the success of its efficient Opteron server chip to acclaim for its full range of chips. Indeed, by September Dell had also launched AMD-powered desktops.

Source