<%BANNER[top_768x90]%>

<%BANNER[banner_468x60_h]%>

VIA CPU Roadmap

by Anna Filatova
01/27/2001 | 03:24 AM

According to VR-Zone, VIA is planning the following processors to be released this year. Take a look at the table below:

Core	C5A	C5B	C5C	C5X
Codename	Samuel	Samuel 2	Ezra	?
L1 cache	128KB	128KB	128KB	128KB
L2 cache	-	64KB	64KB	256KB
Manufacturing technology	0.18 micron	0.15 micron	0.15 micron	0.15 micron
Wiring	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Copper
Vcore	1.9V	1.5V	1.2V	1.2V
Transistors	11.2 mln	15.8 mln	15.9 mln	?
Die size	75sq.mm	52sq.mm	52sq.mm	65sq.mm
Packaging	PGA	PGA EBGA mPGA	PGA EBGA mPGA	?
Engineering samples	Mass production	October 2000	Q1 2001	Q3 2001
Mass production	Mass production	Q1 2001	Q2 2001	?
Frequencies	550, 600, 650, 700, 750MHz	750, 800, 850MHz	750, 800, 850, 900, 950MHz	900, 950, 1000, 1100, 1200MHz

If we compare this roadmap with what we had posted in December, we will notice that the plans have been slightly changed since then. However, the main idea remained: the extensive development of the existing Samuel core, shift to new manufacturing technology (0.18 – 0.15 micron aluminum, 0.15 micron copper), larger cache (from 0KB to 64KB and then to 256KB), new instructions support (C5X will support SSE). Well, there seems to be nothing totally new in the upcoming VIA processors. That’s why you shouldn’t hope to see any tangible performance improvement.
We would also like to point out that this year VIA isn’t planning to shift to 0.13 micron, because TSMC company is very likely to be able to start mass production with this new technology only in the end of the year.

<%BANNER[banner_468x60_f]%>