VIA’s C3 Hits 1 GHz – THG.RU

VIA’s C3 at 1 GHz

At first glance, the C3 processor seems to be nothing but a low-end competitor to Intel and AMD CPUs; how could a 1 GHz processor compete with a fast Pentium 4 at roughly half the clock speed? Well, take the Pentium 4, it doesn’t do everything right. There are two factors that put a damper on the Pentium 4. It is expensive and it gets very hot. A Pentium 4 at 2 GHz, for example, has a thermal output of 75 Watts! By the way, an Athlon XP 2000+ (at 1666 MHz) typically isn’t any better at 70 Watts. C3 runs smoothly at a fraction of that power.

Maybe it’s time for a little change in thinking since we have to pay such a high price for today’s performance-focused processors. I’m referring to both the high costs for the CPU and the energy that is largely wasted by modern processors. Both VIA and Transmeta offer alternatives that may not be competitive from a performance point of view, but were designed with different goals in mind.

Just think about the power shortages in California or the applications that demand several computers (load-balancing or security considerations) without much processing power. Systems based on VIA’s C3 could be the solution for such requirements, thanks to its low power output and low heat dissipation.

Socket 370 Lives!

Now that Intel is able to provide server systems based on E7500, DDR-SDRAM and the Pentium 4 Xeon, Socket 370 is sentenced to death by Chipzilla. Though Pentium III and Celeron models based on the Tualatin core will be available for a few more months, the platforms to go for at the moment are Socket mPGA478, i845E and i845G. The low-cost market, whicn includes AMD Duron and VIA C3, will be targeted by the new Celeron (mPGA478) and the upcoming 845GL chipset.

Still it’s very likely that Socket 370 will stay in service for at least 9 more months. For one thing, this platform is very mature and reliable and helps to keep costs down. Also, there are several applications that simply don’t require the extra performance that these new technologies deliver. Just think about set-top boxes, micro-size computers, smaller file servers or Microsoft’s X-Box – they can all live with processors running below 1 GHz.

VIA’s latest EPIA board using a C3 processor at 800 MHz: it contains all the important components and enables systems at the size of hifi components. See the C3 desktop processor 1 GHz for size comparison.

The VIA C3 In Detail

Here’s the obligatory processor diagram.

Compared to an Athlon or Pentium 4, the C3 is quite simple, which explains its benefits.

VIA tried to keep the core as small as possible, which is probably a measure to reduce heat dissipation to a minimum. As a result, the caches are comparatively small: the 64 KB data and instruction cache each (L1), plus the 64 KB L2 cache are less than the main competitors offer.

As you can see, the C3 is equipped with quite a good amount of L1 cache, while the L2 cache is quite small.

The C3 is available in versions ranging from 800 MHz to 1 GHz, running at either 100 or 133 MHz FSB. Because the clock multiplier is locked, you should pick the right model right from the start. With only 52 mmІ die size, the C3 is the smallest x86 processor available and includes both MMX and the 3DNow! Instuction set from AMD. Produced by TSMC in Taiwan in 0.13 µm, it is also one of the most advanced processors available.

For further information about the C3, please check out the C3 Ezra-T data sheet at VIA’s website.

Heat Down! Intel, AMD And VIA In Detail

I am not going to start a general discussion about the processors that are currently available. Instead, we will take a look at the thermal and electrical data of the common models – which is what is most important with respect to VIA’s new C3:

The majority of processors sold currently run at least 1.2 GHz, but hardly anybody takes the time to look at what’s behind the clock speed. VIA’s C3 at 1 GHz comes with a maximum heat dissipation of as little at 12 Watts.

Here’s some background on this number: 12 Watts is used by hard drives running on idle, energy-saving bulbs and portable radios or CD players. In contrast, the 70 Watts of a Pentium 4 or Athlon XP are enough to illuminate a small room, run a huge ventilator or even power a small television! Did you ever notice your workroom getting warmer in winter after working with a computer for several hours?

What if I told you that processors produce more heat per square inch than a hot plate, going back since the Pentium II? Yes, it’s true: Modern processors are the most advanced heating systems around. Think about computer cases that are specifically built to heat up the surrounding area… but let’s get back on topic. It’s time to stop this waste of energy – one way or the other. VIA went the obvious way and reduced the power output.

Low-Performance, Low-Power. Typical Applications

There are several scenarios that could present perfect opportunities to use the new C3:

• Computer for undemanding applications
  
  At a clock speed of 1 GHz, the acceptance of VIA’s latest processor should be good. One of the most important markets is the Far East. Here, C3 has won acceptance. Applications usually are office computers, internet terminals and self-made DVD players whose strength in contrast to hardware DVD player lies in the ability to playback MPEG-4 video streams. Here, the C3 has already won acceptance in the Asian market.

• Upgrades
  
  As long as your motherboard is able to provide the required 1.35 V, VIA’s C3 should work — it typically runs in the vast majority of motherboards. In many cases, boards with i815 or VIA 693A/694X/694T chipsets run perfectly with C3 – though basically a BIOS update is needed. Please take a look at our benchmark section to determine whether the C3 is a good upgrade choice for you.

• Low-Noise Computers
  
  With a maximum heat dissipation of only 12 W, the C3 processor can be cooled using a huge heat sink without an active fan – as long as there is at least a minimum air flow inside the computer case. Fanless computers likely cannot be realized as long as there are several components that get hot (e.g. power supply, chipset and memory, processor, hard drive).

• Load-Balancing Servers
  
  At prices far below $100, VIA’s C3 is very attractive, and though Intel slowly wants to phase out Socket 370, this platform still is the most popular server platform. There are many applications – particularly in the Internet business – that primarily require availability and scalability rather than pure performance. Systems based on the VIA C3 could be known and reliable platforms, and at very low prices.

• Notebooks
  
  Yes, the C3 is available in four different packages: Ceramic PGA, Micro PGA, Enhanced BGP and Micro FCPGA. As it consumes less power than the mobile versions of the Pentium III or Pentium 4, it is perfectly suitable for ultra-light notebooks.

Test Setup

Benchmark Results

OpenGL Benchmarks: Quake 3 Arena

Direct3D Benchmarks: Unreal Tournament

MP3 Audio Encoding: MP3 Lame

MPEG-4 Video Encoding: Xmpeg 4.5 and Divx 5.02

SiSoft Sandra 2002 Benchmarks

PC Mark 20002 Benchmarks

Archiving: WinACE 2.11

Conclusion

As expected, the C3 processor is not able to compete with other processors at similar clock speeds. Depending on the particular benchmark, an old Celeron 667 is either considerably faster or considerably slower, making it difficult to specify a recommendation for VIA’s C3.

The C3 has definitely won the power and temperature race: no other desktop processor consumes as little energy and wastes as little power as the C3. Looking at performance and power output in terms of a ratio, the C3 blows away its competitors. Congratulations to VIA for designing a processor that provides the most performance per Watt, finally showing that sufficient processing performance does not necessarily entail high power consumption.

Thus, the C3 can basically be cooled passively, without a fan. While desktop systems won’t benefit much from this, set-top boxes and other hardware that require some sort of computer capability are given timely performance at little design efforts.

Think about huge server racks consisting of dozens of C3 systems, cooled only by a handful of fans. Administrators do not have to fear performance drops or dead processors with the death of a single processor fan. VIA’s C3 will continue its work unimpressively, as it does not require much power anyway.

The most interesting fact about VIA’s Gigahertz-C3 is its attractive price, which should quickly fall to approximately $70. It’s certainly not much to ask for a processor that won’t rock the boat, but it certainly has more trend-setting aspects than the enduring performance battle between AMD and Intel.

I think hardly anybody would expect supreme performance from a low-power processor. However, what about a successor that performs almost as good as a Pentium 4, but remains at this low a power level? That processor might just be called the C4!