MSI Megabook S271- a firstling on AMD Turion 64 X2

Our today's material is some sort of a unique investigation for two reasons at a time. First, this is a report on reviewing a new generation of MSI notebooks of the Ultra Portable series which includes the 12.1 inch Megabook S271 currently being prepared for release.

Secondly, this is the first device in our test lab which is equipped with a mobile dual-core new-generation processor built on the AMD Turion 64 platform - AMD Turion 64 X2 ML-50 which in turn offers an integrated DDR-2 memory controller and support for a number of new technologies.

In fact, the Turion 64 X2 platform can be surely positioned as a logical counterbalance to the line of notebooks built on the Intel Centrino Duo technology, in particular, 2-core Core Duo processors. It's just this perspective we are going to review all the pros and cons of Turion 64 X2 from in today's article. In this material, we are also running a comparison of the mobile computer based on AMD X2 64 ML-50 versus competitor models from the same price category.

Since the notebook that arrived at our test lab is a pre-sales (engineering) specimen, in this material you won't find the traditional description of the device usability and the retail package bundle. You can get a rough idea of the usability aspects of Megabook S271 through reading our article on its predecessor Megabook S270. Here we are dwelling on the architecture of the new AMD platform.

But first there goes the traditional table of characteristic declared by the manufacturer.

Architecture overview of AMD Turion 64 X2

The idea of 2- (and more) core processors is not new - desktop analogs by both giants of "processor-building" arrived at the retail long time ago and are of some success on the market. The success is justified at least due to the possibility of simultaneous execution of a number of threads, which attracts many users of both workstations and home-based computers. But is is really worth resorting to such method of boosting performance in mobile computers?

Let's review a number of possible options.

• Hi-End systems as a "replacement to desktop PC" which are sizeable and offer short time of standalone operation but are in fact full-featured and fully functional workstations.
• Mid-end notebooks (which are in majority) – moderately mobile, powerful and functional. The purchase of a notebook with 2-core processor is highly questionable1. For instance, use of multiple cores in modern gaming applications gives a poor performance boost (there is support for dual-core processing implemented in ID Software's DooM III and games based on its engine) and in regular work with office applications – even if the two cores give a boost, it is minor.
• Portable notebooks among which is our today's test specimen. In my view, their use as full-featured workstations is highly disputable - it is up to the amateurs. Such computers are an ideal match for a "permanent companion" rather than a replacement for the desktop PC. Therefore, the chances of high demand for multitasking in these systems tend to zero. There are exceptions to this rule... albeit rare.

This is the situation for today, and in the nearest future it will change. Improved tools for developers are emerging, and hopefully Windows Vista will make use of improved algorithms for partitioning applications into threads etc., so the multicore processing simply won't remain just unclaimed exotics.

We start getting familiarized with the notebook through a review of the capabilities of the Turion 64 platform because the design and functional capabilities of the model were explored by my colleague in the material on MSI S270, and model S271 is made in an identical housing.

To explore the processor's capabilities, we used the CPU-Z.

The processor being tested was detected as a not yet officially announced AMD Turion 64 X2 ML-50 with Socket AM2. In fact, the socket for the new-generation mobile AMD platform will be dubbed Socket S1, which in the context of tests is not really important.

The dual-core architecture having the working name Taylor (Rev. F) on which the AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50 processor is built is manufactured following the 90-nm process technology, runs at the nominal clock speed 1.6 GHz, offers two L2 caches - 256 K per each core, supports memory up to DDR2-667.

Let me remind it that the AMD Turion 64 X2 family with the Taylor core will be made up of 4 chips for the first time. Besides the above mentioned Turion 64 X2 ML-50, the family includes TL-52 of clock speed 1.6 GHz, TL-56 of clock speed 1.8 GHz and TL-60. All the three chips offer 2 õ 512 K of L2 cache, that is, twice as more than in today's Turion 64 X2 ML-50 being tested, but all the four chips are normed for power consumption in the same way – with TDP about 35 W.

In future, these chips may be replaced by the 2-core mobile core Tyler (Rev. G) with 65-nm process technology, as well as for Socket S1 with 2 õ 512 K L2 cache, with support for DDR2-800, and TDP 35 W.

As regards the chip Turion 64 X2 ML-50 that offers 1.125 V operating voltage, we can say that transition to 2-core computing along with the 90-nm process technology and new revision of the core with an integrated DDR-II memory controller has not in fact affected the power consumption and heat emission. The new core fully supports AMD64, SSE3, and PowerNow!

The memory is made by Transcend Information. Inc.

The DDR-II memory operating frequency is 533 MHz, and the memory runs in the dual-channel mode.

Impressions

The major advantage of MSI S271 is of course its mobility. Almost three and a half hours of normal operation, impressive viewing angles horizontally and vertically, minimum heating of the housing, low noise level...

Among the shortcomings is not quite convenient touchpad of some degraded sensitivity. The keyboard has neither special features nor issues. The tested pre-sales specimen has no Cyrillic characters engraved on the keys, but in any case this model will be shipped to the Russian market as a "localized" version.

The model is equipped with three USB ports, which is quite enough for a device of this class, but the relative distance between them is not enough – once a massive USB device (e.g. a flash disk, a player...) is plugged in, access to the other port is hindered. Interfaces of the audio adapter are brought over to the front panel of the notebook, which is convenient enough if head-phones with a limited cable length are plugged in.

Benchmarking

Performance of the combination "AMD X2 ML-50 + 1 GB RAM + Radeon Express 200M" is impressive. Needless to say, it makes no sense to expect peak results from the graphics integrated into the chipset at demanding 3D applications, which was confirmed in 3DS Max 7 – while displaying a scene more or less filled with polygons, the FPS dropped below the comfortable level. At other application suites, the operation of the notebook had nothing to complain about.

Let's look at the results of tests run in SiSoftware Sandra 2005 SP3. We'll be comparing it versus the kindred model MSI S270 which is based on the combination Mobile AMD Sempron 3000+ (1.8 GHz) and the chipset ATi RS480M + ATi SB400.

Evidently, that at synthetic applications Athlon 64 X2 Mobile Technology ML-50 is pre-eminent over the younger brother Sempron. At the memory bandwidth tests, it is the undisputable advantage of DDR-II and integrated dual-channel memory controller which make themselves felt.

Let's move on to Futuremark PCMark benchmarking suites. This time, we'll be comparing it versus the no less interesting model – Acer Aspire 5670 based on the Intel Centrino Duo platform (core clock speed – 1.66 GHz, L2 cache – 2 MB, the system bus speed – 667 MHz, RAM – 1 GB). Remember that the cores of Athlon 64 X2 ML-50 run at 1.6 GHz clock speed.

While in PCMark 2004 Athlon 64 X2 ML-50 just a little bit lags behind its immediate competitor, in PCMark 2005 the difference becomes more pronounced. Evidently, it is the architecture and the L2 cache size which affect that.

3D synthetics - Futuremark 3DMark'03 and '05. Again we are comparing it versus Acer Aspire 5670, but for better "obviousness we don't expect something special from Radeon X200M, especially if compared versus the modern discrete mobile graphics of ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 installed in Acer Aspire 5670.

The superiority of ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 in Acer Aspire 5670 is evident. Well, MSI Megabook S271 is not a high-end gaming platform, but nobody expected that from a model with integrated graphics.

We are finishing the tests with the traditional Battery Eater 2005. The time of standalone operation amounted to 188 minutes (3 hrs 8 min), which is a very good result for such a compact mobile system equipped with a 2200 mA*hr battery.

Final Words

The conclusions we are making are made up of two parts - one related to the new line of AMD processors and the other regarding the notebook which has been to our test lab.

We start with the line of 2-core AMD processors built on the Taylor core. Of course, it has proved a success for AMD – there has been achieved a new frontier of power consumption and heat emission, and the superbly operating power management system PowerNow! has been implemented at an outstanding level. Take for instance the 3 hours of uninterrupted operation with a 2200 mA*hr battery. The performance is a little bit behind Intel Centrino Duo, but let's not make hasty judgments – that was just a single model on this platform. It seems like the Napa platform will soon see a matching rival.

Regarding the second part, we note that a notebook by MSI is almost an ideal of modern mobile computer regardless of the modest capabilities at 3D operation.

Pros:

• Good design
• Superb quality of the TFT matrix
• High performance outside 3D
• Long battery operation time
• Almost no noise and heating of the housing

Cons:

• Not the most convenient layout of USB ports