News Via introduces new ultra-cool processors

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/01/18/via_new_processors/

3.5W

 

That's incredibly impressive...I find the way Via innovates by cutting power and heat a much more exciting factor at times than trying to ram as many cores into one CPU as possible. Just goes to show how efficient computers could be.

<A88>

 

It's probably still slower per watt than Centrino. Take that 3.5W figure ==> x10 to Core Duo and Duo is probably more than 10x faster: PC Pro had a 1GHz EPIA system that was 0.2x the speed of a 2GHz P4.

ch424

 

exactly, they're incredibly low power but also incredible low performance

 

Performance is not an issue for these systems.

As they have hardware MPG4, MPEG2, etc. decoding, padlock security and produce next to no heat, they are the absolute leader in their target area. HTPC, POS and other embeded applications.

 

They're so slow that Windows has trouble running smoothly. In my book that is an issue.

ch424

 

Odd you should say that... The board in my car boots in well under 30 seconds and has no problems playing MP3's and doing the navigation. Windows runs very smoothly.

 

While I totally agree that the VIAs aren't the fastest CPUs on the planet they're fast enough. I for one am using a Epia M10k (1GHz) as my PVR. Recording is done via a Hauppauge PVR150 and takes virtually no CPU power (thanks to the card's built in hardware mpeg-2 encoder). Playback for the recording takes, with a suitable software decoder PowerDVD 6 in my case, around 50% CPU power, hardly ever spiking above 70%. AVIs and DVDs play at lower CPU load. Only time I see sluggishness is when GB-PVR's OSD is displayed. So I'd say they're very good CPUs for waht they were designed for and I'm really looking forward the the C7-series as it should be quite a bit more powerful than the current C3-generation.

Edit: Fixed typos

 

I already have about 5 uses for this product for Bit-tech related projects.

 

Enak and mikaelgu, I must have just had a bad experience: it was a 1GHz PD series board (the one with dual LAN). Really was slooow.

ch424

 

It could be driver related. Although I believe the drivers have been very good.

 

Why don't they just plonk six or eight onto a PCI express card for those who need render farms. It would be a render farm on a card. You could also make a physics processor out of those. That computer is definitely powerful enough for any average user that doesn't play 3d-games. I could see it making offices and schools much less cluttered with tiny computers made of those.

When are they releasing it? any price estimates?

 

what ever happened to nano itx?

 

Dude...that would be sooooooo nice...I do the occasional 3d landscape with Vue or WorldBuilder, and it takes FOREVER to get a decent render, even when I've got a nice AMD X-2 (both apps are multi-threaded).

Here here for render cows on a card!

 

Rubbish

I have use several via machines over the years all running windows with no problems.

Even the first via low speed one 500mhz ran xp ok.

 

just waiting for the price point to come down so i can slam one into me car... when i get a new car that is... hmm which one first?

 

Sorry to bring this up a month after it seemingly died - but an honest question mods!

Does anyone know of a release date? I've tried their site, google and mini-atx.com and nothing...

 

I've heard Q2 2006.
Don't remember where though.

 

Cheers! Love those little boxes