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Via Will Join The 64-Bit Fray
ancice with news that Via plans to introduce 64-bit chip codenamed 'CN.' "It was revealed at the Fall Processor Forum. The chip 'will have much better performance, particularly when handling video and audio information ... However, it won't depart from Via's emphasis on low cost, small size and modest power consumption.' Features include 'high-speed Front Side Bus, ... Floating Point Unit that can achieve floating-point additions and multiplies using only two clock cycles, an increased cache size, high-speed data movement, and out-of order, superscalar execution that allows the processor to achieve high clock rates while executing multiple, simultaneous instructions for high definition digital entertainment.' The story was
reported by ZDNet. The offical release is
here. Expected release date is first half of 2006." Update: 10/06 13:10 GMT by T : Also at the Forum, VIA showed off a dual-processor Mini-ITX board, about which more below.
An anonymous reader submits "Via gave a sneak preview at the Fall Processor Forum of what is likely the world's first dual-processor mini-ITX mobo. The "four-wheel drive Hyundai" is expected to ship in "early 2005," according to the article at LinuxDevices. Looks like Via is cooking up some higher-end hardware in hopes the security processing features in its CPUs can carry it into higher-margin markets. I don't know, though; I think I'd rather have a PocketPC cluster ... "
Having a 64-bit chip doesnt mean its a great CPU. I've had a via, it was like having a moped. Sure it was fun to play around with and got you from point a to point b, But do you really want your friends to see you with one?
At this rate will INTEL ever release an x86 compatabile 64bit cpu? I think not I know flamebait kill me now.
CN?
The new VIA Cyanide chipset, the killer of all other chipsets!!!
Too bad only half of the population will notice their presence.
Get your Unix fortune now!
Codenamed.... CN for Code Name? Perhaps Container Name? Succeeded by DN.
With the statement that it can be used in a digital media stream for output to HDTV (and Linux-type media center), it sounds like this chip is intended for TiVO-like services.
If it is as low powered as touted, I would use it in embedded systems (like house/applicance control). And of course low power means good for laptops.
VIA you say? *shudder*
After my last horrific experience with their 4 in 1 driver set, I vowed to never touch another board with a VIA chipset again. That way lies maddness and death.
"I realise this is not a very popular opinion but it's the truth, and there for needs to be said" -Bill Hicks
As we recently heard about China'0s adopting their own chips and software, could it be the world version of the Chinese standard processor ?
Trolling using another account since 2005.
From the linked Press Release:
Yes I read the F**cking article.
Finicky? Me?
This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
Your mom agrees heartily
I think this topic about a new via chipset requires my favorite quote from Down Periscope.
After Turbo "fixes" the radio... again... "It's running like a Swiss... Car....."
Cliff Claven
K.E.G. Party Chairman
Founding Leader of: Koncerned for Egalitarin Governance
It's really funny VIA would name their chip CN considering that (in canada at least), the main passenger rail transportation company is called VIA rail and the main commercial rail transportation is CN.
We all know what AMD did to the processor market with the introduction of the K7. It never hurts for more healthy competition. Via la 64bit!
Now my toaster can have more then 4 GB of memory. mmmmm toast.
This is a fantastic post!
Incoherent enough to make no real sense while somehow subtley hinting at some generaly ideas. It manages to start a Mac on X86 flame war while leaving the reader uncertain if they have just read something that makes sense. A total waste of his life as much as this is a waste of mine.
Kudos you retarded Assferret.
CN -> .cn -> china -> via -> nuclear hampsters -> mad scientists
The chip will have 'will have much better performance Should have used the preview button!
./-ers might not like VIA, but you should really give them a chance. Their subsidiary Centaur is the group that designs their chips.
CEO Interview: Glenn Henry, founder of VIA processor subsidiary Centaur
So the SP uses the nanoBGA CPU and CN400 northbridge. Does this mean we will finally see the long awaited nano-ITX board VIA originally announced last year and still has yet to deliver, despite announcing availability months ago? Or are they giving up on the Nano-ITX and just giving us Yet Another Mini-ITX?
-- OpenVerse Visual Chat: http://openverse.com
The Eden Chip is relatively slow compared to the latest Athlon and Pentium 4 flavors. The mini-itx market has filled it's niche of being lower powered, not high preformance demanding systems. It's done well there. Unfortunately, the eden chips will probably be too slow, even after working in unicen, to beat a high speed pentium 4 or athlon.
Maybe you simply lack some positive experience with Via hardware? The most stable x86 system I ever had, a 486, was Via chipset based. What I currently have uses Via KM266 chipset, performs solid and very stable. With non-Via chipsets, it's been a mixed bag for me.
I really like them advancing the art for power-efficient CPU's. For many applications, the underlying hardware is increasingly irrelevant, and other factors like power consumption become important. In the old days, computer hardware just couldn't be fast enough. Nowadays PC's are way faster than needed for almost any application. Next on the list is price, and as a result, ordinary PC hardware has become dirt cheap. What's next? Ergonomics, reliability, durability. Read: low power, small, low noise. Via CPU's fit in there nicely.
I think a big problem for Via CPU's market share in desktop systems is not their technical merits, but their availability. If you want to buy AMD or Intel, any computershop has something on offer. But if you want to buy Via C3, matching motherboard (socket 370), or Mini-ITX board, your choices in supplier are extremely limited (at least where I live, the Netherlands). If Via wants to sell more of this stuff, they should focus on making sure that you can actually get it somewhere.
"64-bit chip codenamed 'CN.'"
CN stands for.. CodeName!
Hey, a dual EPIA1000 is a great idea. I'm not so interested in the size as a cheap dual CPU system with low thermals.
Multi-processing is non-existant on a single, low power CPU system like the VIA M/E lines. But a low power dual system offers the kind lateral of processing power that a much more powerful single CPU platform can only offer.
Of course there's always the A64's great power characteristics, but if you're looking to live in the sticks off of solar power, you start dreaming of dual systems they'll run on 26Watts total.
Via bought Centaur ages ago. Via is based in Taiwan and carries all the associated baggage: Taiwanese transferring American technology to Beijing and the Chinese military . Hence, although Centaur is American, I will boycott this chip for ethical reasons: e.g. Tibet .
Here in Canada, VIA and CN are both strongly associated with trains:
Here in the states VIA chipsets are known as trainwrecks.
All this talk of the VIA boards reminds me that Intel was talking a lot about how picoBTX systems should be available sometime soon. I saw that Gateway is already shipping the first standard BTX systems, but I was wondering if anyone out there in /.land had some better dirt on when the picoBTX systems are supposed to be available.
Google seems to be filled with months-old news about picoBTX, so maybe someone here has the scoop?
That green slime had it coming.
Check out this custom motherboard by SONY, on their ultraslim VAIO X505 laptop.
Its a 512MB 1GHz Pentium M system too!!!!
This is a small mobo!
I think AMD chips make for much better toasters. (-:
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
The X505 1GHz PentiumM motherboard the Japanese vaio site
Yep, thats a minidisc!
The boards for the AMD64 have a lot of features a compute node would not need. A compute node needs a network connection, processor, memory and one hard-drive...I don't need 5 PCI slots etc.
This interesting solution offers:
Modest Power Consumption
Small form factor
Modest Price
Dual processor
This is worth a look at the detail specs.
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
What advantage will this have (besides perhaps higher raw clockspeed) over other embeddable 64 bit cpus? MIPS chips have been 64 bit and low power for over a decade.
------ Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government.
The "generaly ideas" you seem to be unable to comprehend may just be the fact that you CAN modify the hardware of your computer. Maybe this is "incoherent" for stupid mac users. The "reader" is pretty certain of what's been mentioned, unless of course he's a Mac users, in which case, he is "uncertain if they read something that makes sense". As uncertain as they are for "why did they buy this Macintosh crap in the first place".
From the article:
The DP prototype board eschews the DB-15 VGA port traditionally found on Via's motherboards in favor of a DVI port for use with flat-panel displays. However, DVI is backward-compatible with AGP, so perhaps a VGA port will be snuck in under the wire before the final version of the board reaches production "early next year."
What does that mean? DVI is backward-compatible with AGP?? Sounds like somebody doesn't know what they're talking about!
I don't expect the old VGA port to reappear, as you only need to stick an adaptor in the DVI port.
-- Steve
According to this ExtremeTech article, which seems to be a bit better than the ZDnet story. It's based on interviews with Glenn Henry, the founder of Via's Centaur division.
I'd love one, but atm I'm skint and I can't really justify the cost of getting another system :-D
regards, the_leander
This new processor most likey not be able to go fanless. This new via c3 core has higher heat than the Nehemiah cores. 20 watts to 15 watts I believe. I have one of the first 1 gig Nehemiah cores and it is on the brink of the max temp without no fan.
Kinda makes you go hmmm...
> I really like them advancing the art for power-efficient CPU's.
I'm not sure they're "advancing the art" as you said, just making a smart commercial move: Intel with its PentiumM could also sell high performance low power CPU: I've seen a SpecInt bencmark where a PentiumM consuming 20W had the same result as a P4 consuming 80W!
But as Intel or AMD sells their low power CPU more expensive than their 'normal' CPU, very few people buy one (and for PentiumM I don't think that desktop motherboards exist) and they don't have incentive to introduce cheap low power CPU..
This is market differentiation.. not necessarily related to tech capabilities of the vendor.
I think a big problem for Via CPU's market share in desktop systems is not their technical merits, but their availability. If you want to buy AMD or Intel, any computershop has something on offer. But if you want to buy Via C3, matching motherboard (socket 370), or Mini-ITX board, your choices in supplier are extremely limited (at least where I live, the Netherlands)./i.
Then you did not look very well. I had no problem finding an epia mainboard in the netherlands.
I have a epia M10000 running as a network server (fedora core 2)
... on The Register .... yesterday ..... or was it the day before?
That is what drives me up the damn wall if im going to be using a socket 370 platform id much rather use an older celeron or pentium III which do way more powerwise and really do not cost that much or Consume a whole hell of alot of power either, no passive cooling is out of the question but still it doesnt require a 7000 rpm finger remover like modern cpus do.
The K6 233 was the fastest processor on the block for a 3 months or so in 1997, before the Pentium II was released. It even beat the Pentium Pro 233 at the time. 2 years later, they had the Athlon.
I don't read or respond to AC posts
This means there are countless more compatible apps. I would have thought that was obvious.
Another benefit of a VIA processor is that they keep up with the instruction set advancements of Intel and AMD.
There: Something at a specific location.
Their: Owned by someone.
Please make sure your english compiles.
This universe is made of pure Energy. All Matter is merely an illusion created by this Energy.
Within this medium, Consciousness can also be defined by the movement and patterns within that Energy, and thus Consciousness becomes an expression of Energy. Just as Matter is also an expression of Energy. Is there a difference between the two?
--Now, of course, I don't know the maths behind how it all works, (though I am certain it can all be described through maths), but there do seem to be direct relationships between Matter and Consciousness, and indeed, the line appears to be very blurred. For instance. .
Take the name of the street you live on and a nice thick dictionary. Find where your street name appears in that dictionary. If the street name does not appear directly, if it is a person's name, then take the root of that name, or if it is a compound word, look up both of those words and perform the following. .
Read the definition you find, plus all of the definitions of the twenty or so words which appear before the name of your street and the twenty words which appear after the name of your street.
Then consider that the street is the place you live. It is the physical base upon which you are exploring and growing your own Consciousness and your interaction with the world around you.
'CN' and 'VIA', both being Canadian rail companies, call up many things. What does Canada represent in the world? Does the fact that the Progressive Conservative party, (the 'PC' party???) sold off the national train system to a private corporation figure into the equation?
Exploring names can reveal many base aspects of reality, make us aware on other levels.
-FL
I work at a computer store, and I had my company purchaser check into the VIA hardware. Unfortunately, it is sufficiently obscure that none of our regular suppliers carry any of it. I don't know that he ever tracked down a source, other than ordering it retail from England, or something rediculous. So, the problem of availability isn't limited only to the Small Shop not ordering it. VIA needs a massive PR campaign, to get more local shops to start asking about it, so more suppliers start carrying it.
I really wish our normal suppliers carried the stuff -- I Want It. I have dozens of ideas that could be well suited to a small, low power computer. I just can't get it local. Grrr... It's even hard as hell to find online to special order!