VIA at it agian!

[Evilsizer]

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/24/Via-bets-future-on-upcoming-Isaiah-processor_1.html
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=511
if you thought PICO-ITX was small wait till you see mobile-ITX...

i find my self more heading down lower power cpus for my computing needs. as my new job doesnt leave me with much time any more for gaming when i get home. as you can see by my sig i have a matx with mobile cpu T1300E which is about to get changed out. now the interesting part from that article to me is that if VIA can boost the numbers like the claim. could they actually produce are more powerfull and energy friendly cpu? then a intel LV/ULV part? as i wait to see what the prices are like for this new cpu still in testing. it would be nice to get one to play with.... i am wondering though why VIA thinks the market wouldnt like a nice low power dual core that MIGHT rival intel or amd in this segment. many things are not said like the type of ram this box will use. i will be nice to see what it does use, im kinda hopeing for ddr3. Given the less heat it gives off vs ddr2. with a SSD drive on onboard NAND memory for the HD. that would make one powerfull little carputer or sub mini-mac pc.

background reading for those interested.
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ1MCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==
here is something i found that was interesting..
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsall

Without a doubt, what was most impressive was seeing a 1.8GHz CN processor running Crysis. While I am not going to go out of on a limb and say it was the best Crysis experience you might have, there is no doubt that this low power “UMPC” processor was more than up to the task that I would never ever guessed possible on a VIA/Centaur CPU. Certainly, CN is not aimed at powering the most demanding 3D shooter game in the world, and after seeing it run Crysis successfully it is certainly that the CN/Isaiah processor is more than up to the tasks that might be thrown its way in the UMPC segment.

 

[aja]

Thats awesome, thanks for the links!

Wouldn't it use DDR2/3-sodimm?

I hope they start to do better, they really are such an innovative company...

 

[Evilsizer]

well with no jdec standard for ddr3 yet, i think its highly unlikly that a so-dimm would be used in ddr3 form. it would be more likly for ddr2 so-dimm or a standard ddr3 dimm. with the cpu still in testing there is no telling what they will do or not do.. it would be nice to be able to choose.

what if you could buy a supped-up pocketPC with a via in it? that would be well rather interesting...

 

[JigPu]

Thanks for the link!

The C7 wasn't exactly a dragster, but considering that it was in-order and scalar, it's not surprising. VIA's move to a more performance-oriented out-of-order superscalar design should help considerably. A 1MB L2 seems a little overboard to me, but perhaps its to reduce power consumption (since you can power down the memory interface for longer)?.

I doubt Isaiah will come close to threatening Intel or AMD for performance, but it'll be nice to have the additional horsepower in the small power-conscious computers VIA's chips inhabit.

EDIT: Extremetech has an article up as well, though it reads more like a product brief from VIA. Lots of information (e.g., how the execution cycle goes, design of the branch predictors, etc), but you can just hear VIA's marketing department in the background

Additionally, the VIA Isaiah Architecture implements an Adaptive Thermal Limit mechanism. Software system can say, for example, that it wants the die maintained no hotter than 80 degrees (that may be all the heat the system can remove). Using this unique mechanism, the processor will automatically and dynamically adjust P-states such that the target die temperature is not exceeded.

Definitely useful for cramped cases

JigPu

 

[JamesXP]

I've never liked VIA for any type of performance, But DAMN that is smallll.

 

[Evilsizer]

well with VIA buying Cyrix back in the day, Cyrix never was performnce.. it did a good job at computing for basic computing needs...

 

[Automata]

The link doesn't work

 

[Evilsizer]

which one Thideras? i checked them, they are working for me...

 

[Evilsizer]

adding another link to the post..

 

[trickson]

GREEN vs Power ? HMMM Give me POWER !

 

[Shiggity]

New architecture and competition ftw.

 

[Gautam]

It looks promising, but note that the ULV Yonahs and Meroms consume even less power and will almost certainly outperform the Isaiah. (The latter is exactly the same thing as having a single core Allendale) Time will tell though...