Rumour of a new x86 cpu using the VIA license

[DanceswithUnix]

I think the world needs another x86 like a moose needs a hat rack, but here you go:

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...n-VIA-x86-CPUs

[spacein_vader]

I think the world needs another x86 like a moose needs a hat rack, but here you go:

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...n-VIA-x86-CPUs

The more competitors there are the better for the customer surely?

[Biscuit]

I remember the last Via chip that made any kind of noise was supposed to go up against the early Atom chips and destroy them in a performance per watt metric... but then nothing really happened.

Of course any kind of competition is good for the market but I find it hard to believe that the company will be able to attract the quality of engineers necessary to design a truly competitive product in today's market.

AMD was taken to the very brink of relevance in the CPU market before they bounced back with Zen, and they can attract said engineers.

[spacein_vader]

I remember the last Via chip that made any kind of noise was supposed to go up against the early Atom chips and destroy them in a performance per watt metric... but then nothing really happened.

Of course any kind of competition is good for the market but I find it hard to believe that the company will be able to attract the quality of engineers necessary to design a truly competitive product in today's market.

AMD was taken to the very brink of relevance in the CPU market before they bounced back with Zen, and they can attract said engineers.

The VIA Eden? That's the last one I remember. They always focused on low power, often for industrial purposes until ARM based stuff could undercut them on both power and cost. Atom was the death knell I think.

Anyone can bounce back and hire the right people with enough money behind them. It remains to be seen if anyone is willing to stump up that much for that long.

[scaryjim]

I think the world needs another x86 like a moose needs a hat rack ...

Well, I for one think CAT would like decidedly spiffy in a hat

More seriously, the world might not need it, but China may well want it. A home grown alternative to Intel/AMD could go down very well...

Via's Nano processors were pretty good in the low power arena, performance equivalent to the cat cores. Their IGPs weren't bad, either - at least in a par with Intel (at the time, anyway). If they've been able to improve on that design and integrate everything into an SoC in a reasonable power envelope, they could be quite a draw to Chinese OEMs...

[DanceswithUnix]

The more competitors there are the better for the customer surely?

In a parallel universe where Intel plays nice and people buy on merit rather than brand, perhaps.

If they were to use socket AM4 as a standard, then it might make some sense. But generally, x86 vendors don't last long.

AMD was taken to the very brink of relevance in the CPU market before they bounced back with Zen, and they can attract said engineers.

I imagine China will have plenty of engineers who would like a CPU design job in their own country.

[shaithis]

Just the thought of running my system with any VIA components in makes me remember the unstable machines of the late 90s!

[scaryjim]

... If they were to use socket AM4 as a standard, then it might make some sense. ...

Would AMD license it? I suppose all the outward plumbing from AM4 is effectively PCIe, so it might not even need a license if they can get a pin-out...

Mischievous thought: they license GPU tech from nvidia, and release x86 APUs with nvidia IGPs....

[spacein_vader]

I imagine China will have plenty of engineers who would like a CPU design job in their own country.

But x86 licences to non-US companies are verboten so this is their workaround.

My guess is that these won't be marketed to the consumer anyway, particularly outside of China.

[scaryjim]

... My guess is that these won't be marketed to the consumer anyway, particularly outside of China.

OTOH if they get bought up by the bulk Chinese OEMs who churn out cheap iDevice knock offs, a lot of them could easily find their way out of China and into worldwide consumer hands...

That said, there's no mention of integrated graphics in the Phoronix story. If these are CPU only (so they require a dGPU or a chipset with IGP) that's going to reduce the desirability in the face of Ryzen APUs that don't need a chipset at all...

[spacein_vader]

OTOH if they get bought up by the bulk Chinese OEMs who churn out cheap iDevice knock offs, a lot of them could easily find their way out of China and into worldwide consumer hands...

That said, there's no mention of integrated graphics in the Phoronix story. If these are CPU only (so they require a dGPU or a chipset with IGP) that's going to reduce the desirability in the face of Ryzen APUs that don't need a chipset at all...

To clarify, I mean I don't think they'll be sold off the shelf outside China like an Intel or AMD chip. I've no doubt they'll make their way into products that are then exported.

[DanceswithUnix]

Just the thought of running my system with any VIA components in makes me remember the unstable machines of the late 90s!

But not the IME perfectly good systems of around 2000 when VIA produced SDRAM alternatives to Intel's RAMBUS chipsets and frankly saved Intel's butt?

[scaryjim]

But not the IME perfectly good systems of around 2000 when VIA produced SDRAM alternatives to Intel's RAMBUS chipsets and frankly saved Intel's butt?

istr that when I started building PCs in the early 2000s the Via chipsets were some of the best available for socket A, particularly in the lower price ranges. Certainly Via to me says stable but somewhat .... dull. Is that unfair?!

[DanceswithUnix]

OTOH if they get bought up by the bulk Chinese OEMs who churn out cheap iDevice knock offs, a lot of them could easily find their way out of China and into worldwide consumer hands...

iDevice knockoffs would be better off with an ARM chip, as that is the mobile computing standard, and plenty of those already exist in China.

An AMD64 chip (I presume this wouldn't actually be x86) only makes sense for the two remaining AMD64 dominated Windows markets: MS Office and PC gaming. That is why I can't see anyone being successful, gamers are brand locked to Intel and Nvidia, western corporate buyers are conservative in nature and only buy Intel even when it is a bad choice.

[scaryjim]

... western corporate buyers ...

This I completely agree with. Chinese corporate buyers, OTOH....

As to Windows Gaming, we already know that AMD and NVidia put out products specifically targeting the Chinese gaming market, including OEM-/bulk-only versions like http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/...-1060-variant/

So, take a bulk-only GPU, couple it with a Chinese-designed x64 processor (I'd be amazed if this wasn't an evolution of Nano's 64bit out-of-order core), roll them out across China's internet cafes, profit!

EDIT, just to add:

iDevice knockoffs would be better off with an ARM chip, as that is the mobile computing standard, and plenty of those already exist in China.

I was thinking more of the macbook knock offs, which of course aren't technically iDevices (I blame being ill for the inaccuracy ). There's plenty of mac knock-offs that would still want for an x86 chip. The specs on Phoronix don't really read like a mobile device, although plenty of cheap Android tablets get knocked out with Atom processors, so if the TDP (and price) is low enough it's not impossible it could be used in mobile.

[Xlucine]

Would AMD license it? I suppose all the outward plumbing from AM4 is effectively PCIe, so it might not even need a license if they can get a pin-out...

Mischievous thought: they license GPU tech from nvidia, and release x86 APUs with nvidia IGPs....

Licensed Nvidia GPU tech and cheap x86-ish cores could be annoying for AMD in the console market