VIAs New Low-Power Architecture

VIAs New Low-Power Architecture
Isaiah revealed: VIA’s new low-power architecture January 23, 2008 - 11:01PM CT By Jon Stokes So much of the PC world’s coverage is focused on the horse race between Intel and its archrival AMD that we often forget about the other x86 processor company out there, the one that’s still well-known among the crowd of tweakers, hackers, and [...]

Isaiah revealed: VIA’s new low-power architecture
January 23, 2008 - 11:01PM CT
By Jon Stokes

So much of the PC world’s coverage is focused on the horse race between Intel and its archrival AMD that we often forget about the other x86 processor company out there, the one that’s still well-known among the crowd of tweakers, hackers, and enthusiasts who build their own home firewall boxes and in-car PCs.

I’m talking, of course, about VIA, maker of the low-power, low-cost, and also relatively low-performance x86 processors at the heart of many special-purpose DIY boxes. VIA’s processors, designed by the company’s Centaur subsidiary, focus on keeping costs and power down at the expense of performance.

VIA’s newly launched processor architecture, known for the last three years by its codename, “Isaiah,” will keep the company’s focus on cost and power intact while taking things in a substantially different direction. In short, this year will see something truly odd happen on the low end of the x86 market: VIA and Intel will, architecturally speaking, switch places.

Intel will take a giant step down the power/performance ladder with the debut of Silverthorne/Diamondville, its first in-order x86 processor design since the original Pentium, while VIA will attempt to move up into Intel’s territory with its first-ever out-of-order, fully buzzword-compliant processor, Isaiah.

Ars Technica
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