Today we launched the AMD Center, a portal on AnandTech that aggregates all of our AMD content in one place. Thanks to AMD's sponsorship you'll get a cleaner interface on all AMD articles, as well as reduced advertising on those pages. The portal will also serve as a way for AMD to reach out to you all directly as we're pulling in AMD tweets and have a feed of AMD's own blogs on the right hand side. AMD also wants to hear from you, and we've got some opporuntities to help with that going forward. Finally, the AMD Center serves as a destination for a bunch of pretty awesome AMD giveaways we've got planned. With AMD's support we've got better prizes and more of them to give away. We're kicking off the giveaways with three ultra thin 11.6-inch notebooks: Acer's V5.

The V5 features a touch enabled 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 IPS display, 4GB of DDR3L memory (2GB on board, 2GB in a single SO-DIMM slot, expandable to 6GB total) and normally ships with a standard SATA hard drive. I asked AMD if they would be willing to swap out the hard drives for SSDs and they agreed - so if you win, your V5 will ship with a 128GB Samsung SSD 840 drive (you can thank me later ;)). 

The 2.65 pound Acer V5 features AMD's quad-core A6-1450 APU. That's four Jaguar cores running at 1GHz (1.4GHz max turbo) with a Radeon HD 8250 GPU. It's a nice little system with a very power efficient APU.

Here's the deal. To enter, simply post a comment below (US residents only, please only make a single post, contest requirements below) explaining your current PC setup and why you want, or need to win a V5. What I'm looking for here is an understanding of what you currently own in terms of computing devices (PCs, notebooks, tablets, etc...), how you use them and how winning a V5 would change/improve your current setup. Make your entries good as they may come in handy for some other stuff we've got planned in the future.

If you win, AMD wants your feedback on the machine after you get it. You'll be asked to provide a short review (a paragraph or two) talking about your experience with the system. Do a good job and your feedback may even be featured on AnandTech.

Good luck!

Entries will be accepted from 6:30 PM ET on 9/5/2013 through 6:30 PM ET on 9/9/2013. We will draw 3 winner(s) who will be selected by 9/10/2013.

Official Rules and Regulations for AnandTech Sweepstakes
No Purchase Required to Enter or Win

Upon entering any contest, sweepstakes, or promotion (a “Promotion”) offered by anandtech.com (the “Site”), a website owned and operated by AnandTech, Inc. (“AnandTech”), you must agree to the following Official Rules and Regulations (the “Rules”) as well as any additional rules governing a specific Promotion that AnandTech publishes on the Site.

BEFORE ENTERING A PROMOTION, READ THESE RULES AND THE SITE’S TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY INFORMATION.   BY ENTERING THE PROMOTION, YOU AGREE TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES AND THE SITE’S TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY INFORMATION. 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING.

  1. Eligibility.  Promotions are open to entrants who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry, and a legal resident of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico).  Entries are limited to individuals only who are not presently banned from AnandTech’s website or comments section; commercial enterprises and business entities are not eligible.  Directors, officers, employees, contractors, and agents of AnandTech (excluding volunteer AnandTech forum moderators) and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, and children) are not eligible.  Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  Void where prohibited.  Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and AnandTech’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters relating to a Promotion.
     
  2. Entry Period.  Each Promotion will contain a specific time period within which entries will be accepted (a “Promotion Period”).   The Promotion Period for this Promotion shall run from 6:30 PM ET on 9/5/2013 through 6:30 PM ET on 9/9/2013.  Only entries received during the Promotion Period will be accepted. 
     
  3. How to Enter.  Each Promotion will describe an entry procedure.  AnandTech is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic.  Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by AnandTech.  All entries must be in English. Individuals are automatically entered in this Promotion by signing up for AnandTech’s Comments at http://anandtech.com/Account/Register and posting a reply to this post. If randomly selected as a winner individuals must provide full name, complete mailing address, telephone number, AnandTech user name and birth date within 3 days of being contacted.
     
  4. Limits on Entry.  An individual may enter a Promotion once only.  The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other means that permits an entrant to automatically enter repeatedly or in excess of the entry limitations is prohibited. 
     
  5. Prizes.  Winning a gift, prize, or other promotional item (a “Prize”) in a Promotion is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements in these Rules.  Winners will be selected in a random drawing of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.  AnandTech will notify Prize winners using the contact information provided in the winning entry.  Failure to claim a Prize by the time or in the manner specified in the particular Promotion will invalidate any claim to the Prize.  Prizes are not transferable.  The odds of winning a Prize or the Grand Prize depend on the number of entries received by AnandTech.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ARE NOT EXCHANGEABLE FOR FAIR MARKET VALUE.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANANDTECH DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. For this Promotion, 3 winner(s) will be selected by 9/10/2013 and will each receive a Acer V5 Notebooks described above (“Grand Prize”).  The Total U.S. Retail Value of the Grand Prize is $450.  The Grand Prize may not be substituted for cash.  The Grand Prize winner will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges associated with receipt and/or use of the Grand Prize.  After the Grand Prize winner has been notified and has complied with all applicable Rules, AnandTech will post the Grand Prize winner’s name on this website.
     
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  7. Governing Law.  These Rules and all Promotions are governed by and controlled by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without reference to the applicable choice of law provisions. All actions, proceedings or litigation relating hereto will be instituted and prosecuted solely within Wake County, North Carolina. By entering a Promotion, entrants consent to the jurisdiction of the state courts of North Carolina and the federal courts located within North Carolina with respect to any action, dispute or other matter pertaining to or arising out of that Promotion.
     
  8. General Terms.  Any failure by an entrant, including any prize winner, to comply with any of the Rules or the Site’s Terms, Conditions and Privacy Information may result in disqualification from the Promotion.  All entries, whether they are eligible entries or ineligible entries, are the exclusive property of AnandTech.  AnandTech is not responsible for any typographical errors in the Rules or in any other communication surrounding a Promotion or for any technical malfunction or error relating to the Promotion.  AnandTech reserves the right to amend or interpret the Rules at any time, upon published notice to participants on its website.  Promotion participants agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless AnandTech and its directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability regarding the Promotion, including any injuries, losses, or damages (compensatory, direct, incidental, consequential, or otherwise) regarding the use or misuse of any Prize, any event beyond AnandTech’s control resulting in the disruption, cancellation, or postponement of the receipt of the Prize, or any typographical errors or technical malfunctions associated with the Promotion.  AnandTech reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it, in its sole discretion, determines (i) to be in violation of the Rules, (ii) submitted by fraud or by tampering with the entry process, or (iii) contains inaccurate or fraudulent information.  ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROMOTION IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS.  IN THE EVENT SUCH AN ATTEMPT OCCURS, ANANDTECH RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

 

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  • Devfarce - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    Pressed the wrong button... real entry below...

    I am in the market for a new laptop and need an ultra-portable to carry with me. I am just starting a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering after a few years working as a research engineer and need to replace my current system which is a 2007 Fujitsu notebook with a 1.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo, a 1024x768 display and feels like a brick in my backpack. The computer has been upgraded in most ways possible to keep it usable; the 80 GB HDD gave way to a 500GB, RAM was increased to 3GB of DDR2 however even with frequent clean installs of Windows 7 it is really showing its age in usability and physical appearance. The laptop also has Intel's GMA X3100 IGPU which isn't able to smoothly play back HD video. I use a 3rd gen iPad for general browsing and day to day media consumption since my laptop is so ill suited to the task.

    My course of study will involve heavy use/coding in Matlab, Python and C as well as the usual papers, presentations and research for a technical student. I don't need a lot of compute power but having 4 cores (even if they are small cores) and a GPU with GCN architecture are definitely a plus. Also the presence of a modern GPU for some additional GPGPU coding will be quite useful. I really need a computer that will be reliable enough for me to store my thesis work on it while being flexible enough that I can write a paper and model a turbine in Matlab in the same sitting. (You'd be surprised how little CPU that requires with good code!)

    I think I have an interesting usage model and would love to provide valuable feedback to AMD and AnandTech on this device. Hopefully the good Dr. Cutress can back me up on this… (School is real work!)
  • MrCommunistGen - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    In terms of compute devices, I have a gaming desktop, a 15" HP dv6 from a couple years ago that I barely use, and an android smartphone. Until recently I had a Galaxy Note 2, but I accidentally broke it and now I'm back to my half brain dead Galaxy S (Captivate). Since breaking the Note 2 I've started using my laptop again but have found that it really is big and bulky but doesn't have great battery life. Its fast, but most of the time I'm just using it for light web surfing so I don't need the speed.

    If I won the Acer I'd likely gift my HP to a family member and take the Acer everywhere.
  • Vincent - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    I currently have a 15" Retina MacBook, home-built i7-3770-based system, and a Nook HD+. I also have a few HTPCs and a file server. I find that none of these machines combine portability, fast start-up times, and ease of use. The laptop is a bit large, the Nook has no keyboard. So a small, light laptop would be a great addition.
  • jaysns - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    I currently have an gaming rig consisting of a Q9450 overclocked to 3.2 Ghz, 4 Gb of ram, 256Gb Samsung 830 drive with a couple of extra hard drives for expansion and an EVGA 670 FTW. My laptop is a core i3 Toshiba laptop. Problem with the laptop is that it is unbearably slow and horrible for anything dealing with presentations. It lags and is frustrating to embarrassing when trying to get things done and especially when showing off work. Even powerpoint seems to stutter and look choppy with it.
  • AuraofVengeance - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    I currently own a decently powered desktop computer that I built myself powered with an AMD FX 8120 Processor and a 6950 2GB Graphics card running windows 8 that I love to use for gaming and all sorts of activities. I love the idea of eventually owning a nice laptop to easily move to another room in the house to use quietly at odd hours of the evening. I also own a decent camera and cellphone, but I don't have a tablet or a laptop to use on a very low budget trip outside of the US later this year in December.I would absolutely love the chance to win this compact but still very capable laptop to use for editing and documenting all of the pictures and videos that I hope to take on my trip. Thanks!
  • mnelsonx - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    I currently own a gaming desktop and a work laptop; but my wife's laptop died a few weeks ago. I thought a Surface RT might be a decent replacement for what she used the laptop for. That has not been the case, she's very unhappy with the Surface. This laptop would be the ideal replacement for her old PC, improve on all the things she liked about a small laptop, and also overcome the many shortcomings of the Surface RT.
  • c4v3man - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    As the owner of a thin and light Core2Duo laptop from about 4 years ago, I know the value of small and efficient computers. While my computing needs are not great, I need a little more GPU horsepower than Intel can provide, when designing objects for our 3d printer. My Radeon 6850 equipped desktop at the office works fine designing objects across 3 monitors, but my laptop's wimpy integrated graphics are just not up to snuff. Having a thin and light laptop for creative design whenever inspiration strikes would be amazing!
  • Subucula.Tertia - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    My current setup consists of a desktop (i5 Sandy Bridge, AMD 6850) for gaming, a Nexus 7 (the old one) for reading, Youtube, etc., and a Toshiba NB505 netbook, for writing, taking notes, reading, etc.

    I got the netbook when my old Macbook died, because I need something to write and read on for grad school, in class and on the road, and I find it very hard to write on the Nexus 7. It gets especially difficult when I want to read and write at the same time, something that (non-Samsung) Android tablets are not the best at. While the netbook does this better than the tablet, and weighs less than the Macbook, it's barely passable for writing. Wordprocessors, PDF-readers, and browsers take ages to start, the system slows to a crawl if I try to do to many things at once (and often even when I don't).

    As I have to travel a lot for school, I end up using my netbook for a lot of things that I would otherwise use my desktop for, and the netbook's weakness really shows on the road. Unplugged, having even two tabs open slows any browser to a crawl, making looking for journal articles, reviewing and editing papers, managing my online banking, or using any Flash-powered website almost impossible.

    An AMD APU-powered ultra-thin to replace my netbook would really help me out with being able to be productive on the go, and not have to wait with all but the simplest tasks until Im plugged in.
  • big_anemone - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    I currently own a retina macbook pro and an iPad; at work, I use a workstation-class windows laptop (a terrible one). As a web developer by day, I'd like to better understand how touch on windows matters. Having been recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I'd also like to see if a touch screen makes a computer any easier for me to manage. Finally, I've got a 10 yr old who could use exposure to a wider variety of machines.
  • drexnx - Thursday, September 5, 2013 - link

    Self built desktop with an I5 2500K and two 560Ti's in SLI. Dell XPS15 L501x with an i7-740QM + GT435M that runs hot, gets awful battery life, and has disappointing build quality.

    I want an AMD laptop that runs cool and gets excellent battery life, something that hearkens back to the glory days of AXPs and A64s, when AMD was dominant in both absolute and per watt performance terms.

    I also just want to see more Temash/Kabini product in the channel overall, they're exciting and you can't find too many products using them and that's unfortunate.

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