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VIA also to acquire Centaur (IDT's x86 division)
VIA has announced that it will be acquiring Centaur, the designers of the WinChip. This follows its recent
agreement to buy
Cyrix's high end processor business from National which retains the low-end MediaGX family. Why buy two x86 design houses? Perhaps to address two markets: the information appliance market with IDT's x86 which is slower but remarkably small, and the PC market with Cyrix's Socket 370 designs.
>> I've never had any problems with VIA based motherboards. I ran into more problems with VX and TX based Intel Socket5/7 chipset motherboards than anything else. Right - A cheap motherboard is a cheap motherboard, whether its made with a Via chipset or an Intel chipset. Remember that it's only Via and SiS (maybe Acer) chipsets that will take advantage of whatever special capabilities that AMD and other non-Intel x86 CPUs have. Also, they're the only hope for a chipset that will allow SMP for non-Intel CPUs.
Now the all important question: Why?
If you're "getting out of the x86 market", what would you want with a company that produces x86 products? Interesting, if not puzzling.
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Is Via on an intentional downward spiral?
Im not the biggest fan of any of those companies...but at least now I can hate them all in one basket?
I guess VIA is raking in the cash if they can afford all these purchaes....
Considering that they are the "alternative" board maker for the "alternative" chip (super 7 for the AMD) it seems they are doing pretty good fopr themselves.
then again, all my CPU's are AMDs and all my boards are Super 7's
:-)
-geekd
Well seeing that they have IDT now, which was working on a new architecture in their upcomming chip.. Then they are trying to Cyrix, I feel with all the 3 combined we shall see something pretty impressive... Now if IDT were to buy out Rise Technologies, that should make for an interesting mix!
I ate my tag line.
I ate my tag line.
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Think about it for a minute.....
Right now, Intel does *not* have a current generation chipset product in the market (810 and 820 are being 'reengineered' to support SDRAM instead of RDRAM)
Plus, they're behind with Coppermine.
AMD is losing money like crazy, and everyone seems to think they aren't going to be able to meet market demand.
Now, in comes VIA. They buy Cyrix and IDT. Cyrix produces Super7/Socket7 CPU's, and so does IDT. Cyrix was also planning on (and NatSemi had the licenses, which VIA got through them) to produce Slot 1 and Socket370 chips. VIA has the chipset products for Socket/Super7, Slot1, and Socket370. Current generation chipsets (133 mhz FSB). So, VIA has the product lineup that no one else has, plus they can contract out their manufacturing.
Anybody see a winning combination maybe?
You complete morons, no one buys companies with CASH! get a brain looser you buy companies with spare stocks, before the stocks crash
Well?
Maybe, maybe not. VIA paid less then 1/3 the price NatSemi paid for Cyrix. That certainly makes things a lot better for them, but really, VIA can cut a deal with any Intel licensed Fab to get the work done.....
They actually didn't get the license from NS, since it isn't transferrable. Instead, they cut a deal for NS to manufacture them and put the NS name on them. That *should* cover things legally, but makes VIA totally dependent on NS--perhaps they're the real winner here?
Never forget the possibility that upper management has too much time (and cash) on their hands.
Mergers/buyouts/etc often have no apparent logical purpose, and quite often no one wins on them. But it makes the big guys feel bigger when they get to cut some deals.
Cyrix chips, contrary to popular insult, are NOT simply sould-be space heaters.
For example, I happen to own 24 of the little buggers. I painted twelve of them red and play checkers with my immaginary friend, Bill.
I almost feel bad calling my system low-end, but I suppose by todays standards (as opposed to 6 months ago), my system is low-end.
I've got the Via Fic-2003 and a Cyrix PR300 (233MHz clock) and I've thoroughly enjoyed using them. I see some of you shuddering at the thought of Cyrix. Well, can it.
Cyrix made some great CPU's once they got past their initial problems with the original 6x86 line.
I play Quake 2, Unreal (didn't manage to make my system look like a 486/100), Tribes, BG:TSC, Alpha Centauri and various other games of varying CPU requirements without any problems.
The only problem I had was the first M2-300 I bought. It was bad when I bought it, so I took it back to the business I bought it from and they replaced it without a problem. Funny thing is, I just saw the same thing happen to a friend of mine who bought an AMD, so it's not just a Cyrix thing. (Which is also why I only buy from local businesses at computer shows.)
And the prices for Cyrix's are un-fsck-ing believable. You get a CPU approximately (sometimes faster sometimes slower depending on whether or not Mindcraft wrote your benchmark software ) as fast as the low-end Pentium 2's for only $20-$30. Now if I could just use them in an SMP setup... Oh well, I'll just build a few systems and use Beowulf instead. (Like I have room for more than the 4 I've got now.)
So from personal experience, I can say that I like the idea of Via making Cyrix CPU's. I never was crazy about Winchips though. Too pricey for way too little speed.
Digital Wokan, Tribal mage of the electronics age
via is betting lots of money (as they have been doing for some time) that socket7 wont die just because intel says so.
think about it, now is the *perfect* time for via to expand. nat semiconductor told everyone that they lost their sorry ass making processors with cyrix, and were probably searching urgently for a way to dump cyrix and cut costs.
and idt, who probably also lost their ass, have also been looking to dump centaur- witness their statement about getting the fsck out of the x86 business.
in other words, via picked up two companies with tech it wants, for a bargain basement price. theyve probably been sitting on their cash, waiting for this kind of opportunity.
while amd is moving upscale to hit intel with k7 at the high-end market, who the fsck is left at the low end now?
the only company i see is...via?!
seems pretty smart to me...
unc_
I for one see this as good news..... Lets face it... Theres alot of room for optimization if you make the Mobo(chipset anyway) and the CPU. I for one would love to see someone give Intel some *REAL* competition.
Ya know, Cyrix's do work a lot better when you remember to put the fan and heat sink on them.
As for space heating... hey! Why's there smoke pouring out of your ear?!
Digital Wokan, Tribal mage of the electronics age
The fact that Via has bought up two of the low end x86 manufacturers IMHO indicates Via is looking to run a new market for value chips. It is very similar to what they have done in the MB chipset market; they play the low cost game very well.
Now that they have 133Mhz FSB they can force the low end to use it, meaning more bang for the buck than anyone else.
Prediction: Look for very low-cost integrated motherboards with CPU's integrated and optimized. Any comments?
The real question is WHY would anyone want to purchase a cyrix manufacturing plant, unless they were in the market for SPACE HEATERS or somthing
IDT was Centaur's parent company. Centaur is where all the design takes place. IDT just put up the cash.
I for one am glad that the Cyrix and IDT designs won't disappear; the more competing x86 designs the better. Competition is good for the consumer. If not for AMD and Cyrix we would still be paying $1000 for a Pentium 166.
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god, it's pretty clear whats going on. VIA baught Cyrix's high end divison, and now there buying the part of IDT that made x86. stop with the As and Bs for god sakes
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sorry, but it dosnt' matter *how* these companys are purchaced. if the company can gobble up these guys they must have a lot of capital laying around
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