Power-efficient processors perform without fans

The new fanless VIA Eden processor family with the VIA V4 bus includes the ultra-low-voltage VIA Eden ULV processors that offer unbeatable power efficiency in design and performance.

The new fanless VIA Eden processor family with the VIA V4 bus includes the ultra-low-voltage VIA Eden ULV processors that offer unbeatable power efficiency in design and performance within the compact nanoBGA2 package of 21 x 21mm.

Taking full advantage of the advanced VIA CoolStream architecture and world-class 90nm manufacturing, the new 1GHz VIA Eden ULV processor has an incredibly low maximum design power (TDP) of just 3.5W and the 1.5GHz part of just 7.5W, and the whole VIA Eden processor family boasts the industry's lowest idle power of just 500mW.

The highly efficient VIA V4 bus interface of the new VIA C7 processor family enables VIA Eden processors to deliver unprecedented performance in the embedded field, with an average performance increase of more than 30% across leading industry benchmarks over previous VIA Eden processor generations, while maintaining the signature fanless operation through enhanced power efficiency to ensure no active cooling is required.

"To be able to offer processor speeds up to 1.5GHz within such a low power envelope is a remarkable advance for the x86 market, placing us clearly ahead of the competition and enabling more powerful embedded and silent systems", said Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, VIA Technologies "With these unprecedented levels of performance and power efficiency, the new VIA Eden processor looks set to extend our leadership in markets such as thin clients, where increasingly intelligent, stylish x86 devices require more powerful yet still very cool processing capabilities".

Specifically targeted at a range of business, industrial and commercial applications such as thin clients, silent desktops, IPCs and set top boxes, the new VIA Eden processor line is available at different speeds to meet the needs of those different vertical market segments.

All of the new processors have been designed to operate at very low maximum power (TDP); ranging from 400MHz at just 2.5W up to 1.2GHz at 7W.

The ultra-low-voltage VIA Eden ULV processors take power-efficiency a quantum step further, with the 1 and 1.5GHz parts designed for a maximum of an incredibly low 3.5 and 7.5W, respectively.

Operating power is further reduced with VIA PowerSaver technology that enables the VIA Eden processor to transition between maximum processor speed and the lowest speed of 400MHz, depending on application requirements, within a single clock cycle, which also ensures seamless running of real-time operating systems and ensures no latency issues.

The new VIA Eden processor boasts competitive write bandwidth and linear ordering modes, as well as MMX, SSE2 and SSE3 support for enhanced multimedia performance, and 128Kbyte of both L1 and L2 on-die cache.

It also integrates the world's most comprehensive set of security tools in the VIA PadLock security engine, which can be enabled within applications to provide military-grade protection of business or personal information.

The VIA Eden processor is based on the advanced VIA CoolStream architecture of the Esther core that minimises power consumption within an ultra compact die while optimising performance, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of business, industrial and commercial systems.

Consuming as little as 500mW idle power and a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of no more than 7.5W at 1.5GHz, the VIA Eden processor also features VIA PowerSaver technology to reduce processor power draw.

With its low profile nanoBGA2 package measuring just 21 x 21mm, the VIA Eden processor has no active cooling requirements to enable slimmer, enclosed or silent designs.

Fully compatible with all leading operating systems, the VIA Eden processor family is available at speeds from 400MHz to 1.5GHz and boasts a host of performance features within the VIA StepAhead technology suite, including 16 pipeline stages, support for SSE2 and the advanced SSE3 multimedia 3D instruction sets, a full-speed floating point unit (FPU) and an efficiency-enhanced 128Kbyte full-speed exclusive L2 cache with 32-way associativity for memory optimisation.

Coupled with the VIA CN700 digital media IGP chipset, the VIA Eden processor provides smooth playback of digital video and audio, and offers exceptional memory and peripheral support.

The unique TwinTurbo dual-PLL implementation with VIA PowerSaver technology acts like an automatic transmission, permitting smooth transition between the maximum and minimum power states within one clock cycle, ensuring always-on service and minimising latency.

The VIA PadLock security engine integrated within the VIA Eden processor, provides on-die hardware acceleration for key cryptographic operations and ensures speeds and efficiency many times that available in software, yet with negligible impact on processor performance.

In addition to the quantum-based random number generator (RNG) and AES encryption engine provided in the previous processor generation, the VIA Eden processor adds SHA-1 and SHA-256 hashing for secure message digests, and a hardware based Montgomery Multiplier supporting key sizes up to 32Kbit in length to accelerate public key cryptography, such as RSA.

The VIA Eden processor also provides execute protection (NX), preventing the proliferation of malicious software such as worms and viruses, and is used in Microsoft Windows XP with SP2.

The new VIA Eden processor line is shipping now.

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