Are Netbooks ripe to be resized? Via Technologies thinks so. The Intel-compatible chipmaker says larger Netbooks are on the way.
Via Nano processor
(Credit: Via Technologies)In an interview, Glenn Henry, the head of Via Technologies subsidiary Centaur Technology, said that Via has just begun commercial shipments of its Intel-compatible, power-sipping Nano processor. Centaur headed up development of the Nano processor.
"We just started shipping to customers last week and this week--literally right now," Henry said.
Henry said there is a lot of demand for larger form factors. "Everyone wants to build a (Netbook) of some variety these days. Most of the interest we see from customers is for a larger screen than the HP (2133). There's a lot of demand to move those things up to higher screen sizes. I've heard customers say they want to build 12- or 13-inch notebooks," Henry said.
Via's most illustrious customer is Hewlett-Packard, which currently uses the older Via C7 processor in its 2133 Mini-Note PC.
Though Henry refused to talk about design wins, he did say that there is interest from major companies. "We've given them (HP) samples," he said. Though Henry qualified this by saying that Via has given samples to a lot of potential customers. "There's a great deal of interest in the part from people whose name you would recognize," he said.
The Nano processor is seen as the only real competition for Intel's popular Atom chip, which is used in Netbooks from a long list of companies including Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and Dell.
The 2.6-pound HP 2133 Mini-Note uses the Via C7 processor.
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)There is one crucial difference with the Atom. Nano has a thermal envelope of 5 watts at 1GHz. Though this is low compared with a standard Intel Core 2 mobile processor (typically drawing 25 watts to 35 watts), this is higher than Intel's single-core Atom chip for netbooks which tops out at just 2 watts. At 1.3GHz, Nano has a thermal envelope of 8 watts, approaching that of Intel's dual-core Atom.
Why the difference? Nano uses a more sophisticated superscalar, out-of-order design, while Atom has a more simple "in-order execution" architecture. Because of Nano's more complex design, it may deliver better performance than Atom in some cases.
The thermal envelope, however, is important because it can influence the design of a Netbook-type device. Typically, parts with lower thermal envelopes can go into smaller devices.
On the upside, Nano can be plugged directly into a design that uses the older C7 processor. "One of the very interesting things about the Nano is that it's plug compatible with our current C7s. You can plug the part into the same socket." Though some adjustments must be made: A BIOS upgrade is necessary and "more importantly the part has a different power-versus-megahertz (paradigm) compared to the current part because it's running benchmarks two times faster," Henry said.
He said products using the Nano processor will not appear immediately. "No product that actually uses this is for sale to the end customer (yet). So the parts we're shipping are going into the (customer's) manufacturing process or development process."
And what about a Via dual-core processor? "We're working on it. When you see it, who knows. We're implementing it but it's not near at hand," Henry said.
(Note: There are several ways to categorize a design as a netbook. One is screen size. Typically netbooks have 7-, 8-, or 9-inch screens. But this definition is in flux with, for example, the newest Atom-processor-based Eee PC 1000 that sports a 10-inch screen. So, as netbooks get redefined upward, the silicon inside--and other hardware--becomes the defining factor, i.e., low-power, low-performance processors and graphics that dictate how the computer should be used: primarily as a Net-centric device for Web browsing and email. Prices will also typically be lower than standard notebooks.)
Via Technologies is set to go mainstream. On Thursday, Via launched the low-power Nano processor line that will compete with Intel's Atom processor and likely give the chip supplier some mainstream PC street cred.
Via Nano processor
(Credit: Via Technologies)Formerly referred to by the code name Isaiah, Nano is based on the x86 architecture, meaning it can run the same software as chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.
With Nano, Via is angling for more mainstream notebook and mini-notebook designs such as Hewlett-Packard's 2133 Mini-Note PC, which uses Via's current C7 processor. Low-cost desktops will also be a target market, as will designs with Nvidia's graphics processors.
Nano offers two to four times the performance of Via's current C7 but maintains the same power consumption and can be used in the same circuit board designs as the C7.
"We are plug-compatible with our existing C7," said Glenn Henry, president of Centaur Technology, the Via subsidiary that designed Nano. This means that the chip can be plugged into the same processor socket as the current Via C7 chip.
Nano will have a thermal envelope as low as 5 watts at 1.0GHz. This is higher, however, than Intel's Atom chip which tops out at just 2.5 watts. At the high end, Nano will have a thermal envelope--referred to as the TDP or Thermal Design Power--of 25 watts. (See chart)
One of the principal differences between Nano and Atom is that Intel's chip uses a more simple "in-order execution" design compared to Nano's superscalar, out-of-order design. Because of this more sophisticated design, Nano may deliver better performance than Atom in some cases, claimed Henry.
But Nano may compete with Intel's higher-performance Celeron lines too since Nano is also targeted at low-cost notebooks and desktops.
It is not clear how price competitive Nano will be since Via is not disclosing pricing. The Atom processor ranges in price from $45 (800MHz) to $160 (1.86GHz). While Intel's Celeron M (mobile) processor is listed at $86 and the lower-power version of the Celeron M is listed at $161. Intel's ultra-low-power Core Solo processor starts at $241.
"One is going to be cheaper than they are at equal power. One is going to be faster," Henry said. "That's the C7 and the Nano (respectively). Got 'em surrounded," he added, referring to Intel.
Via Nano processor lineup
(Credit: Via Technologies)Nano is due to ship in volume in the third quarter.
Initially, the processor is expected to find its way into computers that use circuit boards based on the Mini-ITX design, said Richard Brown, vice president, corporate marketing at Via. The processor will not appear in mainstream notebooks immediately since the lead time for these designs is longer, said Brown.
"Notebooks take a longer time to bring to market even once you got the design win," he said.
The Via C7 processor is currently being used in mainstream notebook designs such as the $398 Everex gBook in addition to the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC.
Via is also planning a dual-core processor but is no hurry to bring it out. "We'll do it when Intel makes us do it," Henry said. "I don't think the devices we're talking about need dual core."
The Nano processor family uses Fujitsu's advanced 65 nanometer manufacturing process and comes in a compact 21mm x 21mm package.
Via Nano architecture highlights:
• 64-bit Superscalar Speculative Out-Of-Order MicroArchitecture
• High-speed, low-power Via V4 Front Side Bus starts at 800MHz
• High-performance floating point unit
• Two 64KB L1 caches and 1MB exclusive L2 cache
Is the end of the Intel-AMD duopoly nigh? Via Technologies is hoping this may be the case when it announces the "Isaiah" processor later this month.
Via Isaiah processor is targeted at mainstream notebooks and desktops; top: Isaiah processor; bottom: $398 15-inch Everex gBook
(Credit: Via, Wal-Mart)The company's first high-performance x86 chip will be targeted at the mainstream PC market--another first for the Taipei-based chip supplier. Via processors have historically appeared in ultrasmall mobile devices (such as the OQO), embedded computers, or thin-client computers.
"It puts us into the mainstream market for the first time," said Richard Brown, vice president, corporate marketing at Via.
Isaiah, like Via processors before it, will still hew to the lower-power line, however.
Correction: Isaiah's TDP (Thermal Design Power or power envelope) is not confirmed at this point. However, Glenn Henry, president of Centaur Technology (the Via subsidiary that designed Isaiah), said in a previous interview that Isaiah will consume more power than Intel's Atom processor but "has the same power curve" as Via's existing C7 chip.
One of the main differences between Isaiah and Atom is that Intel's chip uses a more simple "in-order execution" design compared to Isaiah's Superscalar, out-of-order design.
Because of this more sophisticated design, Isaiah may deliver higher performance than Atom, though independent benchmarking will be the final judge. But more to the point, Isaiah may be competing more with Intel's low-end Core 2 or Celeron lines than with Atom in some cases (since Isaiah will be initially targeted at mainstream notebooks and desktops).
Via subsidiary Centaur Technology designed the processor. "Centaur has been working on this for the last three years. It's between two and four times the performance of C7 (Via's current processor). So, it' very, very close to (Intel's) Core 2. Core 2 solo (single core)," Brown said.
The Via C7 processor is currently being used in a design that may herald more Isaiah-based mainstream notebooks. The $398 Everex gBook is being sold at Wal-Mart with a 15-inch screen, a 1.5GHz Via C-7M processor, 512MB of DDR2 system memory, a 60 GB hard disk drive, optical drive, Ethernet, and wireless. It uses the gOS Version 2 operating system, a Linux distribution.
"We're in full agreement with the optimized PC concept," Brown said. An idea put forward by Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, it postulates that a consumer will get better PC price-performance by adding a $50 graphics card rather than a two or three hundred dollar quad-core processor. "You can have a processor like Isaiah matched with a better graphics card," Brown said. "There's opportunity in both desktops and notebooks."
Last month, Via and Nvidia announced a platform billed as the "The World's Most Affordable Vista Premium PC," the sub-$45 processing platform will combine Via's Isaiah processor with an integrated Nvidia graphics chipset.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) chose a relatively obscure processor from Via Technologies for its high-profile Mini-Note 2133. An HP marketing manager explains why.
The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC starts at $499 and weighs only 2.7 pounds
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)The Via C7-M offered what HP needed now, according to Robert Baker, a notebook product marketing manager for HP. "Via gave us that right mix of performance and price for the type of environment that this product is going into--content consumption." And the chip's low power requirements were a plus too. "Their power (efficiency) is where we needed it to be for this platform. Web surfing, creating Power Points," Baker said.
CNET Reviews said the 2133 Mini-Note performed at "an acceptable level" when "surfing the Web and working on office documents" but "doing very much more than that, or open too many windows at once, and things will start to bog down." And CNET Reviews added this: "We won't kid you--this CPU (1.6GHz Via C7-M) did not perform well at all on our standard benchmarking tests."
Via C7-M processor
(Credit: Via Technologies)Timing also factored into HP's decision to go with Via's C7-M. Intel's low-cost Atom processor--which will compete directly with Via chips--is not shipping yet from Intel. Though Baker did not cite the Atom explicitly, he alluded to timing exigencies. "The other key thing was we were designing for education. We had to bring the product to the market now. A slip of a month kills you," he said. Educators need to get their hands on units "so they can make decisions for purchases they'll roll out during the summer when they're doing the vast majority of their purchases."
HP will, however, consider other processors such as the Atom when it's time to refresh the lineup. "There will be an interim refresh about six months in. If the Atom is the right processor, that's what we'll go with. We'll look at everything in the market at that time," he said. Via is slated to bring out a higher-performance "Isaiah" processor in the June time frame. HP will also look at that, he said.
The design for the 2133 was not driven by the wow factor, which is an Apple forte. "We didn't say, hey, we want something cool." The design was a result of a long process of "taking feedback from our customers. All those conversations were well over a year ago. This has been in development for a year now."
Whether ultra-compact, low-cost notebooks like the 2133 (starting at $499) and the Eee PC constitute a sea change in notebook buying habits nobody can say yet. To date, small, fully-functional notebook PCs--which the 2133 is intended to be--have carried a high premium. Look no further than the MacBook Air, said Baker. The Air starts at about $1,700 and jumps to above $3,000 with a solid state drive (SSD). The svelte, 2.8-pound HP 2510p subnotebook for corporate customers starts at about $1,500.
If this class of notebooks does take off, "you'll see more and more bang for your buck baked into these small machines," Baker said.
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