HP starts selling budget laptops with AMD Mendocino processors

More and more laptop OEMs are quietly introducing AMD Mendocino-based notebooks with price points aimed at budget users. HP is now jumping on the bandwagon with three new models featuring 17.3, 15.6 and 14-inch screens, as well as processor options up to a Ryzen 5 7520U with Zen2+ cores and RDNA 2 iGPUs.

Contrary to expectations, the 17-inch model does not feature the most powerful processor options. There is a choice between the dual-core/quad-thread Athlon Gold 7220U and the quad-core/octa-thread Ryzen 3 7320U, both integrating the modest Radeon 610M GPU with two cores. The base 17-inch configuration with the Athlon APU currently discounted at US$329.99 offers a 1600 x 900 display, 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage and wireless connectivity through a Wi-Fi 5 + BT 4.2 card.

Users may opt to upgrade specs to a Ryzen 3 APU, 1080p display, 256 GB storage and Wi-Fi 6 + BT 5.2 for an additional US$200. Storage can even be further upgraded up to 1 TB. Regardless of price, this model includes a port selection with 1x USB-C 5 Gbps, 2x USB-A 5 Gbps, audio jack and HDMI 1.4b video out, plus a 41 Wh battery and a 720p webcam. The system weighs 4.58 lbs with a fairly thin profile.

The 15-inch model is the only one that can be equipped with the Ryzen 7 7520U processor, yet this option alone costs US$240. A base configuration with Athlon Silver 7120U, 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 display, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB NVMe SSD, and Wi-Fi 6 + BT 5.3 connectivity is currently priced at US$459.99. Ports and storage / display options are the same from the 17-inch, but the chassis weighs only 3.52 lbs.

For the 14-inch model, HP is offering a single configuration that includes the AMD Athlon Gold 7220U processor, a 1366 x 768 screen, 8 GB LPDDR5-500, 128 GB NVMe SSD, and Wi-Fi 6 + BT 5.2. Other specs are the same from the bigger models, except the system weighs 3.1 lbs. The HP store is selling this model for US$429.99.

Buy theHP 15-fc0047nr laptop with AMD Mendocino APUs directly from the HP Store