NVIDIA Promises Powerful sub-$45 Processing Platform

[malware]

It all starts with NVIDIA CEO's Jen Hsun-Huang statement "We're going to open a can of whoop-ass" on Intel, which quickly became a synonym for the announcement of NVIDIA and VIA jointly developed low-cost processing platform. During NVIDIA's financial analyst meeting today, the company revealed plans for what it calls "The World's Most Affordable Vista Premium PC". The platform will use a VIA Isaiah C7-M processor coupled with an integrated NVIDIA IGP chipset. NVIDIA reckons that this combo will be good for a total of 36 GFLOPS in comparison to a mere 6.4 GFLOPS for a comparable Celeron-based system with an Intel 945 IGP/ICH4 chipset. NVIDIA also claims that its platform will be Windows Vista Premium capable, support Blu-ray HD and DirectX10, and cost less than $45.

http://www.techpowerup.com/img/08-04-11/7863_large_nvidia_thm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/img/08-04-11/7863_large_nvidia.jpg)

Source: DailyTech (http://www.dailytech.com/NVIDIA%20Promises%20Powerful%20Sub45%20Processing% 20Platform%20to%20Counter%20Intel/article11452.htm)

[a111087]

so, its a mini PC? nice

[DrPepper]

Thats cheaper than the OLPC :eek: might get one for schoolwork :)

[ShadowFold]

So we will be seeing Via CPU's with Nforce chips in the motherboard? I dont get it. Are the VIAs 775?

[substance90]

I think you misinterpret the news a little. Who said this is going to be a desktop PC? No need for s. 755. They might be talking about a UMPC or something of that sort. At least I hope so!

[malware]

So we will be seeing Via CPU's with Nforce chips in the motherboard? I dont get it. Are the VIAs 775?

VIA C7-M CPUs use NanoBGA2 package, they're integrated onto the PCB, just like the north and southbridge are soldered to the motherboards.

[DrPepper]

I wonder how much RAM it will use and if its shared between the gpu and cpu ?

[EastCoasthandle]

There is something about that word "capable" that is reminiscent of marketing. I await benchmark results.

[malware]

I wonder how much RAM it will use and if its shared between the gpu and cpu ?
It's SODIMM capable, so I guess up to 4GB of RAM on a single DIMM. How much of it will be shared for the GPU, is a mystery for now.

[DrPepper]

Oh ... :rolleyes: hadn't looked close enough :laugh:

[Sasqui]

How many GFLOPS is a dual core E6600 capable of?

Edit: Did a little searching, depends on the number of threads, but seeing results around 10 GFLOPS. If they are serious about 36 GFLOPS, that is something to take notice of.

[DrPepper]

I'd think maybe 256 would be shared if not 128

[Easy Rhino]

nvidia + via > ati + amd

[DrPepper]

nvidia + via > ati + amd

I was beginning to think nvidia was looking for a partner who made cpu's, thought it might have been IBM or maybe slightly intel never thought of via :eek:

[Easy Rhino]

I was beginning to think nvidia was looking for a partner who made cpu's, thought it might have been IBM or maybe slightly intel never thought of via :eek:

i know, but it makes sense. both ibm and intel are massive companies. via is, from what i understand, a smaller company that consistantly makes moderate profits.

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

lets see how this pans out .. if it result in cheap energy efficent power .. go nvidia ...

[MrW]

i know, but it makes sense. both ibm and intel are massive companies. via is, from what i understand, a smaller company that consistantly makes moderate profits.

Same here. Never saw it coming but it makes sense, it will let Nvida diversify like ATI without being taken over. Hopefully this will result in more competition in both the CPU and GPU sectors.:toast:

[WarEagleAU]

I Wouldnt go out on a limb and say nvidia/via is greater than ati/amd.

However, is this the whole platform, meaning mobo (with IGP and nb.sb and such) plus a proc for 45 bucks? IF so, that is a hell of a deal.

[newtekie1]

What is this 1+8 cores business? It is counting a bunch of co-processors in this number? If so, what are these co-processors capable of? Or is it counting the 8 Video Shaders as cores and counting that in the number? The Isaiah definitely isn't capable of 36GFLOPs.

Edit: After reading the article, it seems nVidia is counting the 8 IGP Shaders in that 36GFLOPS. While it might be a capable computer, their marketing is a little shady. Especially comparing their current top of the line IGP agains Intel's 945 IGP which has been obsolete for a long while.

[wazzledoozle]

I wouldnt call anything with a single core vista ready.

[Mussels]

Single cores run vista fine... as long as you have enough ram.

with 2GB of ram, i'm seeing a new wave of HTPC's....

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Ive ran Vista x64 just fine with a single core Athlon64 3200 with 1 and 2GB of RAM.

[Mussels]

Ive ran Vista x64 just fine with a single core Athlon64 3200 with 1 and 2GB of RAM.

throw onboard video with HDMI and the ability to decode DVD and bluray...

even if it used a 2.5" laptop drive (SDD! SSD!) you could imagine running a lot of media through a box like this over a wireless N network.

[beyond_amusia]

Via chips are nice... We often forget that AMD is not the minority in the x86 world... Via is, and Via is just kick ass all the way around... they make the world's smalled mobo... :)

[beyond_amusia]

I think Via will be launching mulicore CPUs in the near future btw...

[patton45]

the cpu they mention using is a via multi core pc it is an octa core cpu not sure if its x86 but via makes rock solid chipsets and mobos good to see them trying to get their products more main stream

[WarEagleAU]

VIA chipsets had their good share of problems. So I dont think they make good stuff all the time. They do make some decent stuff, and their procs were decent in the day, though nothing to write home about.

[Solaris17]

the C7-M is octa? i thought at the most dual when i heard about it awhile aog...man i wish sun made procs that could do more than run nix and solaris.....their sunblade rigs rock 16 and 8core procs FTW!! and they have had them for years sun had multi core rigs much b4 amd was even x64 :( id love a gaming rig made with those

[JrRacinFan]

So, now we have nVidia pairing with VIA after AMD purchasing ATi, what's next? Intel teaming with S3?

[candle_86]

That wouldnt make any sense, Intel and S3 are about as talented as each other with a GPU. As for this its a good idea for the market its going for, low budget HTPC and laptops. Also remember the C7 is the only line of CPU that can run passive

[JrRacinFan]

IMO, I think it would make perfect sense. Then again, my opinion doesn't count for really much.

[GSG-9]

That wouldnt make any sense, Intel and S3 are about as talented as each other with a GPU. As for this its a good idea for the market its going for, low budget HTPC and laptops. Also remember the C7 is the only line of CPU that can run passive

Im pretty sure you can run a T7200 in passive but I never had a compatible motherboard to try it out.
Edit: Its also not a line of cpus I guess, just the slowest mobile Core 2 Duo.

[Solaris17]

IMO, I think it would make perfect sense. Then again, my opinion doesn't count for really much.

now i wouldnt go saying that.

[Esse]

Also remember the C7 is the only line of CPU that can run passive

Intel's D210GLY2 ITX systems can run passive and they are Core 2 Solo Celeron U2200's 1.2GHz and they are were also much faster then VIA's offerings :)

[ShadowFold]

My E2200 runs good with no fan running on my AC Freezer.

[Saakki]

wow at price ..gonna buy 2 of these if they ever land here :wtf: and singlecore runs vista just..

[AlCabone]

Also remember the C7 is the only line of CPU that can run passive

I'm running my A64 3000+ passive.... overclocked to 2.3Ghz... stock HSF

[Weer]

I wouldnt call anything with a single core vista ready.

That's ridiculous.

My Pentium 4 2.4Ghz runs Vista Ultimate perfectly.

[tkpenalty]

That's ridiculous.

My Pentium 4 2.4Ghz runs Vista Ultimate perfectly.

+1. Vista isn't CPU heavy, its heavy on memory usage.

Hmm.. if its so cheap I think this will make a great HTPC. Just need to make a good case for it though. I hope those boards have mounting holes for aftermarket NB coolers... or hooks. I suppose paired with a cheap HDD + cheap RAM this thing could be a powerhouse for its size. Just need to be able to find PSUs for these; note the 20 pin is NOT the standard 20 pin power header.

[Nitro-Max]

Id just like a can of whoop ass!!

[Dangle]

Just wait until they start making KICKASS cpus that WTFPWN Intel! WOOOT!

[pt]

5$ amd can put a cheapo sempron and a r600 all in one for cheap that pwn this :)

[Dangle]

I Hope NVIDIA and AMD push Intel out of the CPU game

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

I Hope NVIDIA and AMD push Intel out of the CPU game

thats impossible ... dont forget atom ...

what is atoms performance like?

[Dangle]

I hope they do. They should combine GPU and CPU into one piece with like 5000 cores. would be soOOOOOOO awesome woot!

[Morgoth]

5000cores overrated and you couldt even pay for it!
btw Intel is combining GPu and Cpu on 1 die for low end cpu's nehalem

[Solaris17]

5000cores overrated and you couldt even pay for it!
btw Intel is combining GPu and Cpu on 1 die for low end cpu's nehalem

ya the amount of cores is only usefull for what they are micricoded to do...i personally think 8 cores are pushing it now...after 8 core i wouldnt upgrade for like years because nothing software wise can use it......the only way a 5k core cpu is usefull is if its coded to process grafx physics and regular commands as well as jump out of the case get me a mountain dew and cover my GF in chocolate.

[Morgoth]

yep and i do like to see cores reaches 4-10ghz in future (stock)

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

get me a mountain dew and cover my GF in chocolate.

theres an idea, specially teh latter

[Solaris17]

_FBi;745939']theres an idea, specially teh latter

i thought it would be fun

[beyond_amusia]

Via made this CPU from scratch, and the MMX and SSE crap is actually bulit into the architecture, not just add-on instrutions like AMD and Intel have. It's also x86/x64, so it'll be future proofed. It was also desinged with multi-core in mind, so I assume it will debute as a single core or dual core and expand from there... I'm dying to see how this will perform again my machine... If it out does it, I found my new PC, lol.

[GSG-9]

ya the amount of cores is only usefull for what they are micricoded to do...i personally think 8 cores are pushing it now...after 8 core i wouldnt upgrade for like years because nothing software wise can use it......the only way a 5k core cpu is usefull is if its coded to process grafx physics and regular commands as well as jump out of the case get me a mountain dew and cover my GF in chocolate.

It has to go to the store to get the dew to. :toast:

[Solaris17]

Via made this CPU from scratch, and the MMX and SSE crap is actually bulit into the architecture, not just add-on instrutions like AMD and Intel have. It's also x86/x64, so it'll be future proofed. It was also desinged with multi-core in mind, so I assume it will debute as a single core or dual core and expand from there... I'm dying to see how this will perform again my machine... If it out does it, I found my new PC, lol.

ya i really want to get a C7-M when i read on them when they first came ot i was like w0ot!!! because the case badge looks awsome umong other things

[GSG-9]

w0ot!!! because the case badge looks awsome umong other things

:roll:

[Solaris17]

lol well it does

[GSG-9]

lol well it does

is it this one? (http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7m/c7m_logo.jpg) http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7m/c7m_logo.jpg it is kinda cool

[beyond_amusia]

is it this one? (http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7m/c7m_logo.jpg) http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7m/c7m_logo.jpg it is kinda cool

aww... If only it was 3D too... :)

[Solaris17]

is it this one? (http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7m/c7m_logo.jpg) http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7m/c7m_logo.jpg it is kinda cool

ya it looks like that but it was yellow and green


hope you guys know that i was just joking i love the case badge but that isnt the only reason ill get the proc :P

[GSG-9]

ya it looks like that but it was yellow and green


hope you guys know that i was just joking i love the case badge but that isnt the only reason ill get the proc :P

haha yeah but you got me curious :)

[Solaris17]

seems ythey have a few

http://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/200508/VIAC7M_logom.jpg

but i want the yellow one :(

[substance90]

I was beginning to think nvidia was looking for a partner who made cpu's, thought it might have been IBM or maybe slightly intel never thought of via :eek:
Actually VIA is the only CPU-making company that seems logical for nVidia to team up with or to buy entirely. Both IBM and Intel are too big for nVidia.

[Solaris17]

ha THIS ONE!!!

http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7/c7_logo.jpg

[beyond_amusia]

ha THIS ONE!!!

http://www.via.com.tw/en/images/products/processors/c7/c7_logo.jpg

But that's not the C7-M =P

[Solaris17]

well i looke don the via site and their not really different....just ones mobile but i want one with the cool case badge tell me it is not cool

[beyond_amusia]

well i looke don the via site and their not really different....just ones mobile but i want one with the cool case badge tell me it is not cool

It's not cool... :laugh: It don't say Intel all over it, :roll: naw, it's it cool. :)

[btarunr]

the C7-M is octa? i thought at the most dual when i heard about it awhile aog...man i wish sun made procs that could do more than run nix and solaris.....their sunblade rigs rock 16 and 8core procs FTW!! and they have had them for years sun had multi core rigs much b4 amd was even x64 :( id love a gaming rig made with those

A new a funny thing with NVidia is that they're beginning to call a Unified Shader unit a core :laugh: remember those 9800 GTX ads with the "128 cores" thing? :roll:

Yeah right! as if those 'cores' will help in any way with general processing, they're just the GPU's shader units.

http://www.techpowerup.com/img/08-04-11/7863_large_nvidia.jpg

^See? that's 1 + 8 = 1 VIA CPU + 8 GPU shader units.

But I'd say, this is an eye-wash, NVidia is wearing an angel's gown and getting inches closer to acquiring VIA.....all for that x86 license.

[Mussels]

the latest Nv beta drivers include an inf file for azalia audio over HDMI... it seems Nv are adding audio to something soon, and i'd not be surprised if this was one of those things.

[Darkrealms]

A new a funny thing with NVidia is that they're beginning to call a Unified Shader unit a core :laugh: remember those 9800 GTX ads with the "128 cores" thing? :roll:

Yeah right! as if those 'cores' will help in any way with general processing, they're just the GPU's shader units.

http://www.techpowerup.com/img/08-04-11/7863_large_nvidia.jpg

^See? that's 1 + 8 = 1 VIA CPU + 8 GPU shader units.

But I'd say, this is an eye-wash, NVidia is wearing an angel's gown and getting inches closer to acquiring VIA.....all for that x86 license.
Unfortunately Nvidia can't get the 86x license for themselves. The VIA license is not transferable. This was discussed a few months back. Nvidia will probably just have to buy the majority of the shares and keep both companies separate.

On the board though. This could revive custom built low end PCs for people! I'm looking at this (CPU, GPU, MOBO =$45), Corsair VS (1gb=$20, 2bg=$40), HDD 80gb=$40, case/psu=$50, DVD burner=$30. Total for a good basic system $200-$250, maybe less : )

[btarunr]

Unfortunately Nvidia can't get the 86x license for themselves. The VIA license is not transferable. This was discussed a few months back. Nvidia will probably just have to buy the majority of the shares and keep both companies separate.

Agree it's non-transferable, but if VIA remains as an entity under NVidia (the way Centaur and Cyrix remain as entities under VIA), effectively NVidia can hold the license. That's a loophole in the system. The last I worked on a VIA CPU based machine was somewhere in 2007 (which isn't all that long ago), when the C7 processor's CPU Vendor string showed "CentaurHauls" and not "VIA Technologies". What does it imply? That VIA processors continue to hold the manufacturer strings of the companies that are under VIA (Centaur and Cyrix) and hence continue to hold the license.