HP Announces New Laptops with AMD "A-Series" Processors

Although there is plenty of new technology under the hoods of these new laptops, the laptops themselves should look familiar to anyone acquainted with HP's current notebooks. In fact, these new AMD-powered PCs have the same chassis designs as the Intel-equipped versions on the HP Pavilion and HP ProBook lines.

The HP Pavilion dv-series laptops (Pavilion dv4, Pavilion dv6 and Pavilion dv7) are "entertainment notebooks" designed to deliver better-than-average performance for general-use computing and multimedia activities. Like the Intel versions, the new AMD-equipped dv4, dv6 and dv7 include features such as "HP CoolSense" to decrease the external temperature of the notebook when you're using it as a "laptop." The Pavilion notebooks are also equipped with "HP True Vision" HD webcams and the dv6 and dv7 will offer HP Beats Audio as well.

The HP Pavilion g-series notebooks (Pavilion g4, Pavilion g6 and Pavilion g7) are the least expensive members of HP's Pavilion notebook family and balance basic productivity needs with performance. Thanks to the powerful graphics built into the A-series APUs these notebooks will deliver a faster web browsing experience with modern web browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 which take advantage of graphics to increase browser performance.

The HP ProBook b-series (ProBook 6465b and ProBook 6565b) features the same bead-blasted aluminum display enclosure and smudge- and wear-resistant HP DuraFinish as the other ProBooks but these new models also include AMD VISION Pro technology. The 14-inch ProBook 6465b and 15-inch ProBook 6565b are both available with the same 3-cell, 6-cell and 9-cell battery options as the Intel-equipped systems but HP reps claim these new AMD-equipped notebooks deliver battery life "as good or better than" Intel configurations with similar performance.

The HP ProBook s-series (ProBook 4535s, ProBook 4435s and ProBook 4436s) combines a durable brushed-aluminum finish in a metallic gray color with either 14-inch or 15-inch HD displays. These notebooks come loaded with the new ArcSoft TotalMedia Suite that allows you to play, edit and create video and audio files. The notebooks are also equipped with HDMI ports for connecting to modern external displays or HDTVs.

Why Do You Want AMD Inside?
As mentioned previously, the new notebooks offer AMD A-series APUs, designed to deliver increased processing speed and substantially improved visual performance with longer battery life. For families and students, the HP Pavilion dv- and g-series notebooks offer optional dual graphics (APU graphics plus a discrete/dedicated graphics card) with automatic switching that balances performance with power needs by switching between single- and dual-graphics modes.

On the business side, the AMD-equipped ProBooks offer AMD VISION Pro Technology and AMD Radeon Dual Graphics on the ProBook s-series and APU/UMA graphics on the ProBook b-series. Both solutions will enable multitasking for videoconferencing and web browsing while the dual graphics configurations provide the performance you need for graphics-intensive applications.

Pricing and availability will vary by region and not all models are available in all regions.

• The HP Pavilion dv6 with AMD Llano APUs starts at $599.99 and the Pavilion dv7 starts at $699.99. The Pavilion dv6 and dv7 are expected to be available in July.
• The HP Pavilion g4 with AMD Llano APUs starts at $449.99, the Pavilion g6 starts at $498 and the Pavilion g7 starts at $499. The HP Pavilion g-series is expected to be available in July.
• The HP ProBook b-series starts at $679 and is expected to be available on June 27.
• The HP ProBook s-series starts at $519 and is expected to be available on June 27.

Detailed HP ProBook Specs and Configuration Options

HP ProBook 4435s, 4436s and 4535s Specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Starter, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, FreeDOS (Windows XP Professional supported)
• Accelerated Processing Unit: AMD Quad-Core A6-3400MX APU with Radeon HD 6520G Graphics (2.3GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 cache), AMD Dual-Core A4-3300MX APU with Radeon HD 6480G Graphics (2.5GHz/1.9GHz, 2MB L2 cache), AMD Quad-Core A6-3400MX APU with Radeon HD 6540G Dual Graphics (2.3GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 cache), AMD Dual-Core A4-3300MX APU with Radeon HD 6510G Dual Graphics (2.5GHz/1.9GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
• Memory: 1/2/4 GB SODIMMS (up to 8GB total) DDR3 1333MHz
• Storage: 250/320/500/750 GB 7200rpm SATA II HDD or 320/640 GB 5400rpm SATA II HDD
• Optical drive: Blu-ray ROM DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive, DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive, DVD-ROM Drive, or weight saver
• Display: 14.0-inch (1366x768) HD anti-glare or BrightView (4435s and 4436s) or 15.6-inch (1366x768) HD anti-glare or Brightview (4535s)
• Wireless: Optional WWAN (available only on HP ProBook 4535s with integrated graphics), WLAN (available on all models) 802.11b/g/n or 802.11b/g/n with Bluetooth combo card.
• Ports: Three USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, VGA, HDMI, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, power connector, RJ-11/modem (optional), RJ-45/ethernet, ExpressCard/34 slot and 6-in-1 card reader.
• ProBook 4435s and 4436s Dimensions: 1.1 x 13.35 x 9.27 inches 
• ProBook 4535s Dimensions: 1.13 x 14.76 x 10.09 inches
• ProBook 4435s and 4436s Weight: Starting at 4.57 lb without optical drive; 4.85 lb with optical drive
• ProBook 4535s Weight: Starting at 5.14 lb without optical drive; 5.45 lb with optical drive

HP ProBook 6465b Specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Basic (select countries), SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, FreeDOS (Windows XP Professional supported)
• Accelerated Processing Unit: AMD Quad-Core A8-3510MX APU with Radeon HD 6620G Graphics (2.5GHz/1.8GHz, 4MB L2 cache), AMD Quad-Core A6-3410MX APU with Radeon HD 6520G Graphics (2.3GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 cache), AMD Dual-Core A4-3310MX APU with Radeon HD 6480G Graphics (2.5GHz/2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
• Memory: 2/4/8 GB SODIMMS (up to 16GB total) DDR3 1333MHz
• Storage: 250/320/500/750 GB 7200rpm SATA II HDD, 320 GB 7200rpm SED (Self Encrypting Drive) or 128GB SSD
• Optical drive: Blu-ray ROM DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive, DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive, DVD-ROM Drive, 500GB 7200rpm secondary HDD or weight saver
• Display: 14.0-inch (1366x768) HD anti-glare or 14.0-inch (1600x900) HD+ anti-glare
• Wireless: Optional HP hs2340 HSPA+ Mobile Broadband or optional HP un2430 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband, Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n or 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Ports: Three USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port, VGA, DisplayPort, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, one 1394a, power connector, RJ-11/modem, RJ-45/ethernet, ExpressCard/54 slot and SD card reader.
• Dimensions: 1.34 x 13.31 x 9.11 inches
• Weight: Starting at 4.46 lb without optical drive; 4.85 lb with optical drive

HP ProBook 6565b Specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Basic (select countries), SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, FreeDOS (Windows XP Professional supported)
• Accelerated Processing Unit: AMD Quad-Core A8-3510MX APU with Radeon HD 6620G Graphics (2.5GHz/1.8GHz, 4MB L2 cache), AMD Quad-Core A6-3410MX APU with Radeon HD 6520G Graphics (2.3GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 cache), AMD Dual-Core A4-3310MX APU with Radeon HD 6480G Graphics (2.5GHz/2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
• Memory: 2/4/8 GB SODIMMS (up to 16GB total) DDR3 1333MHz
• Storage: 250/320/500/750 GB 7200rpm SATA II HDD, 320 GB 7200rpm SED (Self Encrypting Drive) or 128GB SSD
• Optical drive: Blu-ray ROM DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive, DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive, DVD-ROM Drive, 500GB 7200rpm secondary HDD or weight saver
• Display: 15.6-inch (1366x768) HD anti-glare or 15.6-inch (1600x900) HD+ anti-glare
• Wireless: Optional HP hs2340 HSPA+ Mobile Broadband or optional HP un2430 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband, Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n or 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Ports: Four USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port, VGA, DisplayPort, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, one 1394a, power connector, RJ-11/modem, RJ-45/ethernet, ExpressCard/54 slot and SD card reader.
• Dimensions: 1.35 x 14.72 x 9.86 inches
• Weight: Starting at 5.5 lb without optical drive; 5.76 lb with optical drive