Lenovo unveils ThinkBook 14p and 16p business laptops with AMD processors

By the end of this quarter, Lenovo will start selling ThinkBook 14p and ThinkBook 16p laptops designed primarily for corporate users. The new products are being unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show CES 2021.

The notebooks are equipped with a display size of 14 and 16 inches diagonally, respectively. In the first case, the resolution can reach 2880 × 2160 pixels (2.8K), in the second & ; 2560 × 1600 pixels (2.5K).

The laptops are based on the AMD hardware platform: the maximum configuration includes the Ryzen 9 5000 processor. The ThinkBook 14p has an integrated Radeon graphics accelerator, while the ThinkBook 16p can be equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX discrete graphics card.

Allows up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and an M.2 PCIe SSD with up to 1TB capacity. Other features include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 wireless adapters, a fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C 3.2 and USB Type-A 3.2 ports.

The younger of the two new products measures 312 × 216 × 16.9mm and weighs & ;1.4kg. The older one measures 354.6 × 252 × 19.9 mm and weighs 2 kg. The operating system used is Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro. Price & ;starting from $849 and $1299 respectively;

AMD to release RDNA 2 mobile graphics cards this half year

During her speech at CES 2021 AMD CEO Lisa Su talked a lot about the high pace of expansion of notebooks based on the processors of the brand, but about the plans to update mobile graphics solutions she mentioned briefly. According to her, RDNA 2 generation discrete graphics will make its way into laptops as early as this half of the year, but that's where all the details ended.

Image source: AMD, YouTube

It is quite predictable that the public attention was more attracted by that part of the slide from AMD presentation, where they talked about RDNA 2 architecture range expansion and gave some sketches with outline of new graphics cards of Radeon RX 6000 family. The mobile portion of the range has been undeservedly forgotten as a result, but for the gaming industry it is no less significant, especially in light of the recent debut of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 30 series mobile graphics adapters. Now AMD's honor in the segment of mobile discrete graphics solutions family Radeon RX 5000M, which were presented the year before last but already offered the first generation RDNA architecture combined with GDDR6 memory size from 3 to 8 GB. In the first half of this year, as Liza Su made clear, discrete graphics solutions with RDNA 2 architecture will appear in the mobile segment, which will help to bridge the gap between AMD's mobile and desktop graphics segment in terms of adoption of advanced architectures. During the AMD CEO's presentation, one of the future mobile graphics solutions was demonstrated running the game Dirt 5 at 1440p resolution at ultra-high image quality settings. The scene refresh rate almost never dropped below 60fps. AMD partners are expected to unveil their respective notebooks by the end of this half-year.

Lenovo unveils Legion gaming notebooks with AMD processors and NVIDIA graphics starting at $770

Lenovo at CES 2021 unveiled a range of new laptops for gaming enthusiasts with the debut of Legion 5 models in two sizes, Legion 5 Pro and Legion 7.

The Legion 5 series includes variants with 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch displays. The former has a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, the latter & ; 144Hz. The resolution is the same & ;1920 × 1080 pixels, or Full HD.

The Legion 5 Pro, on the other hand, gets a 16-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 dots, 16:10 aspect ratio and 165Hz refresh rate. The same panel is used in Legion 7 notebook. In all cases, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX series graphics card is installed.

Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro laptops in maximum configuration carry the Ryzen 7 5000 processor family, the Legion 7 & ; Ryzen 9 5000. DDR4-3200 RAM is used, with capacities of up to 16GB or 32GB.

There's Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, Harman audio with dual 2W speakers, a 720p webcam, a backlit keyboard, USB Type-C 3.2 and USB Type-A 3.2. Storage is provided by a fast M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD with a capacity of up to 1TB or 2TB (depending on laptop model).

The Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro will go on sale in March, with prices starting at USD 770 and USD 1,000. The Legion 7 will be available in June for prices starting at $1,670;

AMD will continue to ramp up the number of cores of its processors

Modern AMD processors in server and desktop segments offer no more than 64 cores, and with the new generation EPYC the situation will not change. This does not stop the head of the company to say that AMD processors will have more than 64 cores in the future, although she is not in a hurry to be frank about specific plans in this area.

Image source: AMD, YouTube

Interview with Lisa Su published by Tom’s Hardware and AnandTech in varying degrees, allows to understand that AMD specialists focused on performance enhancement in single-threaded applications, delay reduction and overall system performance improvement during development of 7nm processor generations Zen 2 and Zen 3. The average performance increase was more than twenty percent, while maintaining the same number of cores. As the head of AMD explains, this does not mean that 64 cores is any limit to performance gains. According to her, AMD's processors will have more cores in the future, but the entire system has to scale proportionally so that performance increases evenly. During the interview, Lisa Su also touched on the just introduced Ryzen 5000 mobile processors with Zen 3 architecture. They can be seen combining an advanced compute core architecture with more mature Vega generation graphics. According to AMD's head, the graphics with RDNA architecture these hybrid processors didn't have time to try on due to a tight schedule in preparation for the announcement & ; the Cezanne family was due to debut in the first quarter. AMD's limited engineering resources have nothing to do with such a combination of functional units. We know from unofficial sources that AMD hybrid processors will get RDNA graphics later.

Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebooks available with AMD and Intel processors

Nitro 5 gaming laptops were unveiled by Acer at CES 2021, which is taking place online this year due to the pandemic. Buyers can choose between versions on different hardware platforms with different screen sizes.

In particular, laptops with eleventh-generation Intel Core processors and AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX have been announced. The DDR4 RAM capacity is up to 32GB in both cases. Two M.2 PCIe or SATA SSDs can be installed.

The screen size may be 15.6 or 17.3 inches diagonally. In the case of Intel versions, the refresh rate is 144Hz, response time & ; 3ms. Customers choosing AMD platform models will be offered with 165Hz QHD display (2560 × 1440 dots) and 360Hz Full HD display (1920 × 1080 pixels). The maximum configuration calls for an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics accelerator.

Two fans, Acer CoolBoost technology and four vents provide Nitro 5 with efficient cooling. The CoolBoost feature has the ability to ramp up fan speed for optimal system performance.

Other features include a Wi-Fi 6 wireless adapter, an RGB-backlit keyboard and a high-performance audio system. The AMD platform version includes Killer E2600 network adapter. The novelties will go on sale in Russia in the second quarter. So far the prices for AMD models & ; from 99 9990 roubles;

Acer Aspire 5 and Aspire 7 notebooks get AMD Ryzen 5000 processors

The Aspire 7 and Aspire 5 notebooks are the next generation of notebooks to be unveiled by Acer at CES 2021, with the announcement of the new generation of notebooks, designed for mainstream use.

The foundation of these laptops is the AMD Ryzen 5000 chip. Display with diagonal of 15.6 inches has a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, which corresponds to the format Full HD. The Aspire 5 notebook family can carry up to 24GB of RAM and the AMD Radeon RX 640 graphics accelerator handles the graphics. An M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD with up to 1TB capacity and/or a hard drive with up to 2TB capacity can be installed.

On the other hand, the Aspire 7 notebook PCs support up to 32GB of RAM. Graphics support includes an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. And there's fast SSD storage of up to 1TB.

All new models come with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and USB Type-C connectivity. The cooling system features multiple modes to ensure maximum performance in any environment with minimal noise.

The «Acer Aspire 5 and Aspire 7 & ; are powerful all-rounders in a sleek design. It's perfect for power users looking for performance, screen quality, low weight and long battery life," the developer said. The Aspire 7 Series notebooks will arrive in Russia in the second quarter of 2021 with prices starting at RUB 59,990. The Acer Aspire 5 laptops will be available after the third quarter, but pricing has not yet been disclosed;

AMD has released the Threadripper Pro a second time, but now for the common man

In the middle of last year, AMD announced Ryzen Threadripper Pro processors designed for high-performance workstations produced by the company's partners. It was announced today at the CES 2021 event that such processors will soon be available for purchase for casual enthusiasts.

Many were expecting from AMD's presentation today the announcement of Threadripper HEDT processors based on the new Zen 3 architecture, but that didn't happen. The situation with supply of Zen 3 semiconductor chips remains very tight, so for now AMD has refrained from releasing CPU models, which would consume a large number of CCD chips at once. Instead, the company has re-released the old Threadripper Pro 3000 processors on the Zen 2 architecture, which were actually introduced back in July last year. Threadripper Pro 3000 processors – are not the same Threadripper 3000 processors that have been available to enthusiasts for a long time. They exist within a different, more advanced sWRX8 platform, which features support for eight-channel DDR4 memory (both conventional UDIMMs as well as RDIMMs and LRDIMMs) and 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes instead of the four memory channels and 64 PCIe 4.0 lanes of conventional Threadrippers. The extended memory and PCIe 4.0 controller capabilities are due to the Threadripper Pro's use of the full featured I/O chiplet from the EPYC (Rome generation) processors. Meanwhile, we should realize that we are still talking about processors based on the old architecture, while the modern Zen 3 architecture with 8-core CCX and increased IPC rate is likely to be available to users of high-performance workstations for a long time to come. The Threadripper Pro lineup available to consumers will be slightly different in composition from the set of CPUs available to system manufacturers. AMD has decided to offer enthusiasts only three models with 16, 32 and 64 cores, denying them access to the 12-core.

ModelNumber of cores/threadsMax./Base frequency (GHz)L3-cache (Mbytes)TDP (W)

AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3995WX 64C/128T Up to 4.2 / 2.7GHz 256 280

AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX 32C/64T Up to 4.2 / 3.5GHz 128 280

AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX 16C/32T Up to 4.3 / 3.9GHz 64 280

Leading motherboard manufacturers will release special motherboards with sWRX8 CPU socket for Threadripper Pro processors, which will be based on WRX80 chipset. Images of such boards have already flashed on the web.

ASUS WS WRX80 SAGE motherboard. Source: videocardz

As promised by AMD, Threadripper PRO processors will now be available to consumers directly through retailers and online retailers. It is expected to go on sale by March 2021.

Today is the opening of CES 2021. Don't forget the broadcasts from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and other gaming hardware manufacturers!

Last year almost 175,000 people attended CES to see the latest and greatest gadgets. Apparently, that's not going to happen now. CES has become a virtual exhibition in 2021, but we are sure to see plenty of new gaming hardware announcements from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, HP, Dell, ASUS, MSI and other manufacturers from January 11 to 14. So what's the schedule for the broadcasts?

Intel On January 12, Gregory Bryant, Intel's Head of Client Solutions Group, will present a talk entitled «Do more with the power of computers» at 0:00, Moscow time. The broadcast will be available on the Intel news page. Given the title, we can expect to see details about Evo's high-end notebook programme and perhaps see the 11th generation Tiger Lake 8-core processor promised back last fall (today, mobile Tiger Lake only includes four cores). The company should also update Intel's H-series gaming notebook solutions (10th generation Comet Lake H processors were released last April) & ; we'll probably hear details on that.

The most anticipated announcement & ; the new 14nm 11th generation Intel Core desktop processors, codenamed Rocket Lake. Intel has already said these processors will launch in the first quarter and will offer a double-digit increase in instructions executed per clock, PCIe 4.0 support, new Cypress Cove core architecture, and Intel Xe graphics. The processors themselves are expected to hit the market in March, but Z590-based boards will be unveiled at CES. AMD AMD has regained its crown as the leader in the desktop sector with the release of the excellent Ryzen 5000 desktop processors. They were released in the fall, and now at CES 2021 is expected to announce notebook solutions based on the same 7nm Zen 3 architecture & ; they will be the successor to the highly successful mobile Ryzen 4000 series. The Ryzen 5000 family is rumored to include the latest Cezanne hybrid CPUs with Zen 3 cores as well as the older Zen 2 based Lucienne CPUs. All will be complemented by Navi graphics. AMD CEO Lisa Su will give a presentation on January 12 at 19:00 (MSC). It will be available on the AMD website.

Let's also hope that AMD will unveil new graphics card products as well. The company recently launched its flagship Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon RX 6900 series. Perhaps we'll hear about more affordable or mobile RDNA 2-based graphics cards, although the current shortage makes an announcement unlikely. But maybe we'll hear some details about new graphics technologies like FidelityFX Super Resolution & ; AMD's own open source counterpart to NVIDIA's DLSS. NVIDIA NVIDIA will hold its own event in conjunction with CES called GeForce RTX: Game On. It will be broadcast on January 12 at 8 p.m. (MSC), immediately following AMD's event. Based on the name and the teaser, expect to see RTX 30 mobile graphics, GeForce RTX 3060, GeForce technologies for the Outriders shooter, and Resizable BAR (Base Address Registers) resizing technology that has been in the PCI Express interface specification since v2.0. This technology is at the core of AMD Smart Access Memory (SAM). NVIDIA's presentation will be broadcast on the official website.

������ pic.twitter.com/AHn0BWTYBh & ; NVIDIA GeForce (@NVIDIAGeForce) January 9, 2021

Laptops, Desktops Components Of course, all of these new chips will be used in a slew of new notebooks and desktops, as well as versions of new graphics cards and motherboards from third-party manufacturers.

Acer's recently announced Predator XB273U NX monitor combines 1440p resolution with the highest 265Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA Reflex latency minimisation technology. We've already seen a few announcements ahead of the show this week. The same Acer announced three gaming monitors; introduced new Chromebooks; and laptops. Other announcements are expected at the Acer event «Technologies that connect» along with a virtual showroom of new products that anyone can visit. ASUS promises a broadcast «For Those Who Dare» with demonstrations of new ROG series products for enthusiasts at 9pm on January 12; and a more general event «To Be Ahead» will take place at 8pm on January 13.

The company has even created a ROG Citadel XV app on Steam, which will launch at the same time as the second broadcast. It will be a laquo;completely new interactive experience that will allow everyone to get a closer look at the latest productsraquo;.

Razer Store Live will be broadcast at 9pm on January 12 ; it will be a live broadcast with product announcements, prizes and promotions. MSI plans to premiere laquo;Future Technologyraquo; at 10 p.m. on Jan. 13, and shortly before that, a laptop-focused event called MSIology: The Ultimate Shockwave will take place at 7 p.m. the same day. The Consumer Technology Association has announced the award winners for innovation even before the show begins. Among them ; hardware from HP, Dell and Lenovo, so announcements from these companies are expected during the show as well. We also expect to see new products with new CPUs, video chips chipsets from Alienware, LG, Gigabyte, EVGA, Samsung, and possibly system integrators like Falcon Northwest and Origin PC. In addition to updated computers and fresh computer components, we should also expect new peripherals. CES 2021 usually showcases new monitors, routers, and the Wi-Fi Alliance began certifying Wi-Fi 6E devices yesterday. So at CES 2021 we may well see announcements of the first Wi-Fi 6E routers. Many of the announcements will be about smart home technology. And we will definitely see Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S21 handsets.