Although it wasn't officially launched yet, MSI's AMD-based X-Slim X610 found its way to a couple of Russian hacks who put it through its paces. Back in May we said MSI would start using AMD Neo chips in some X-Slim series models in Q3. New will most likely be restricted to larger X-Slim models, the 14-inch X410 and the 15.6-inch X600.

The X610 is pretty closely matched to the CULV-based X600. They share the same chassis, and most of the specs have remained unchanged, 4GB of memory, 250GB of storage and Radeon HD 4330 discrete graphics with 512MB of memory. The X610 uses AMD's Athlon MV-40 at 1.6GHz, and in most benchmarks it ends up somewhat slower than the Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500. The differences aren't that big, however, and you're not likely to see much of a difference in everyday use.

Sadly, the reviewers report that battery life is not as good as with the SU3500, and you're looking at less than two hours under full load, around 20 percent less than with the SU3500.

It all comes down to the price. If the X610 ends up significantly cheaper than the €699 Intel version, it could become an interesting alternative. Otherwise, stick to the X600.

You can find a full review here. (In Russian)