Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 16th Jun 2008 21:51 UTC, submitted by irbis
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Member since:
2006-09-01
Selling x86 chip with passive cooling has been Via's strategy. Their processor have long been known to run very cool, but they are also known to be rather slow since they optimize for low power rather then fast processing. Via's processors have been a hit in the embedded space, but haven't really caught on in the mainstream.
The new Nano line from Via should level the playing field, somewhat, as it's a more modern processor design. It's an "out of order" processor rather then then in order design of the current C3, EDAN, ColdFusion, and C7. It's similar to stepping up to a Pentium 3 from a Pentium 2.
Anyway, AMD has the Geode line to fill the low power embeddable x86 processor niche, and they need to compete in the high end to bring margins up. Price parity with Intel was the original reason AMD took the risks they did with the K7 and K8 cores to begin with. The bulk of the PC market may be in the midrange, $100-$200, but having the benchmark crown gives a halo effect to the rest of the product lines and gives the company bragging rights.