AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 and BE-2300 "Brisbane" Processors
Market Position and DTX Form Factor
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While not targeted at enthusiast, AMD is taking aim at those interested in a low wattage system, whether we're talking about simple workstations or personal users looking for a small form factor low-power PC for desktop usage or HTPC applications. There are a lot of areas where the biggest, fastest, more power hungry CPUs are not needed and that's the market AMD is turning their attention to here. By making improvements to their fabrication process, AMD is able to churn out the new BE-23xx series processors at an attractive price point while anticipating no issues keeping up with demand. This seems like a solid strategy as Intel has been sitting pretty atop the high end CPU sector, and AMD continues their attempts to solidify their position in the mainstream markets, where the bulk of the volume resides.
With so much attention being focused on the environment and becoming more efficient in every way possible, the low power BE-23xx series processors aim to fill a specific need. Whether your motives are environmentally ethical or you simply want to save on electric costs, the BE-23xx series appears to be an attractive option. This is even more so with businesses of all sizes who stand to save a fair amount of money in operating costs, minimizing power consumption whether the system is idle, with Cool'n'Quiet, or under load, where AMD claims the BE-23xx will consume a minimum of 20 watts less than their non-low power counterparts.
AMD is also readying these chips to aid in the adoption of the DTX form factor. DTX aims to facilitate a broad range of small, low-power systems through the cooperation of OEMs from all sectors of manufacturing. DTX is focused around reducing the overall footprint of the PC while accommodating existing ATX and mini-ITX form factors. The new form factor will come in both DTX and mini-DTX flavors which aim to improve compatibility with existing hardware while reducing production costs for OEMs. Another benefit of DTX is its potential to help OEMs flex their creativity with SFF PCs by alleviating the need for a proprietary solution, which isn't uncommon. This may sway some potential consumers worried about the ability to upgrade in the future, which is valid. With DTX, a standardized format can help potential consumer gain confidence that they will be able to update their hardware as technology improves. For a more in-depth explanation of DTX, we suggest checking out www.dtxpc.org
