AMD to release C-60 netbook chip with Turbo Core?

AMD is already shipping four different C-Series (codenamed Ontario) and E-Series (codenamed Zacate) APUs as part of its Fusion lineup, which brings multiple x86 cores and discrete-level DirectX 11 graphics onto the same piece of silicon. The AMD C-30, C-50, E-240 and E-350 have been well received and made somewhat of a splash in the netbook and budget laptop market. Now, according to a report on Macles, a new AMD C-60 variant could be on the way.

The dual-core C-60 should bridge the gap between the C-50 and the more powerful E-240/350. It features mostly the same specs as the currently available C-50, with its two x86 Bobcat cores running at 1GHz and featuring 1MB of L2 cache all with a TDP of just 9W. But there are also two key differences: the AMD C-60 will have Radeon HD 6290 graphics instead of Radeon HD 6250 and adds support for Turbo Core technology. This means the chip's x86 cores can reach 1.33GHz during intensive tasks, while the Radeon HD 6290 graphics can go from the stock 276MHz to 400MHz in Turbo Mode.

For comparison, the E-350 runs at 1.6GHz and has a more powerful Radeon HD 6310 graphics core clocked at 492MHz. Keeping in mind that this is a slightly higher end part with a TDP of 18W, the C-60 isn't looking too bad on paper, and might enable very affordable netbook designs without sacrificing a lot of performance. AMD hasn't made any announcement regarding a new Ontario APU so for now this remains a rumor.