VIA Launching Tiny QuadCore CPU @ 1.2GHz
VIA new quad-core QuadCore processor will have a TDP of only 27.5 watts.
Thursday VIA Technologies revealed the new VIA QuadCore processor, a power efficient, quad-core x86 CPU best suited for desktops, notebooks, small form factor PCs, AIOs, and even mini-servers. The chip features a thermal design power (TDP) of only 27.5 watts, and will initially ship clocked at 1.2+ GHz later this year.
"As a result of the rapid proliferation of high definition multimedia content and increasingly demanding multi-threaded applications, a four core processor is the new baseline for today’s mainstream PC user," said Epan Wu, Head of Processor Platforms, VIA Technologies, Inc. "The VIA QuadCore processor meets that need with the industry’s most power efficient architecture."
Manufactured using 40-nm processing, the VIA QuadCore consists of four "Isaiah" cores mounted on two dies. The chip is natively 64-bit compatible and comes packed with additional performance enhancers like Adaptive Overclocking, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a 1333 MHz V4 Bus. And as previously mentioned, the CPU has an extremely low TDP of only 27.5 watts.
"Yhe VIA QuadCore processor delivers awesome multi-threaded performance across the board for multi-tasking, multimedia playback, productivity and internet browsing in a low power envelope," VIA said Thursday. "The distributed performance of the VIA QuadCore also makes it ideal for making the most of multi-display environments."
Other notable features include a VIA NanoBGA2 package of 21-mm x 21-mm with a die size of 11-mm x 6-mm, VIA VT virtualization, VIA PadLock with the Advanced Cryptography Engine, and full pin-to-pin compatibility with VIA Eden, VIA C7 and VIA Nano E-Series, and VIA Eden X2 processors.
Shipments of the VIA QuadCore processor will begin in Q3 2011. VIA also plans to showcase the new processor in a few weeks at Computex (Taipei International Convention Center, Room 201D) from May 31st to June 4th.


My only concern is this: I thought we were past the days where we were slapping two dual-core CPU's together and calling it a quad. This design will not perform as well as if they'd built a native quad. Maybe they're recycling an older architecture that's just too old to make the complexity jump to being a native quad?
Newegg has some VIA products:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=446&Description=&Type=&N=100007623&IsNodeId=1&srchInDesc=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&PropertyCodeValue=3700%3A46186&PropertyCodeValue=3700%3A80946&PropertyCodeValue=3700%3A25791
Just generic low-power desktop usage. I know, at least a few years ago, they were being used a lot in the car PC market.
you can find a little more details here.
Not any more. Now they want to go play with ARM (Project Denver, I think its called)
They probably won't be able to keep the x86 license if bought out by another company (especially nVidia).
But it's a quad core!
In all fairness though, the mobo chipset should also be quite low. Intel ones can be relatively high.
You're comparing a quad-core processor, to a dual-core PGA478 mobile processor... If you added 2 more cores to that P9600....you'd probably end up somewhere around 45-50watts...
This processor isn't intended strictly for the desktop market, if you actually read the article. VIA doesn't target any 1 specific market with any single product. This processor will be marketed for desktop, notebook, netbook, server, embedded and PoS(Point of Sale aka Cash Registers) systems.
Seems not so interesting to me, unless if it's ARM technology, in which case the 27W will be achieved very seldomly!
Oh, and it's interesting to see people already know the performance although no benchmark has been released yet. I guess you guys already have the processor, eh? /s