Via C3 Processors

Westy · 05-25-2002, 07:35 AM

I'm looking at buying a Laptop soonish i've seen one and hte processor in it is a VIA C3 i've read a few reviews but got mixed feelings about it.
With VIA previously making unreliable processors i was just wondering if any one had used these processors before or have any opinions on them ??

Should I buy one ??

Tomteriffic · 05-25-2002, 07:43 AM

Westy, I've got mixed feelings about them too, and the extremely high heat and poor floating point performance issues of the previous generation of these processors still has me spooked.

Still, if the performance is less of an issue than price, portability, features, etc., you might do well to look into something with a TransMeta processor, which offers acceptable performance, VERY low power consumption and very low heat (it doesn't even require a fan on the processor).

The reasons that the TransMeta hasn't been more widely accepted are pretty much political, and because people still buy into the "Megahertz Myth", but it's a terriffic processor, offering numerous advantages, particularly to a laptop user.

otheos · 05-25-2002, 07:45 AM

Unreliable? No. Some poeple will tell you about Cyrix being unreliable but it was not the CPU's fault. So the VIA C3 will work fine, only slower than a similarly clocked Celeron (which in turn is slower than a Duron).

So if the price is right and you can do with the performance, then why not. Remember laptops' most important specs are the screen and the battery usage/duration.

Peter M · 05-25-2002, 09:21 AM

Two things: Cyrix processors got their "unstable" reputation from inadequate cooling and weak voltage regulation. System builder error, the processors themselves were OK. Slow in floating point admittedly, yes. Unstable, no. Definitely not.

That said, today's VIA processors aren't even Cyrix designs. They are descendants of the WinChip line of products. What do you get? Extremely low price, low power consumption, and, as with the Cyrixes, surprisingly good application performance but slow floating point.

The reasons why Transmeta CPUs don't see a broader acceptance are (a) unlike VIA/Intel/AMD "mobile" processor flavors they don't leverage an existing infrastructure and (b) Transmeta has constantly been suffering from manufacturing problems.

regards, Peter

Richard Cranium · 05-25-2002, 09:34 AM

The C-3 Line of CPUs's do NOT run Hot at all.

They do not even require a cooling fan on the HS.

Some tests were done with NO Heat Sink on them, they timed a Celeron of the same mhz, the Intel chip smoked in a minute or so, the Via chip ran and ran with no probs.

These chips may be slow in comparison to AMD's or Intel's similar offerings but will do a decent job.

I wish I could remember which application the C3 refused to even run,, oh well, there was one benchmark it would not even open.

I have a 750 C3 @ 100mhz FSB, it was supposed to be the 700 which would run at 1.9 volt but I got stuck with the lower voltage model and kept it rather than hassle with a RMA.

TOAD6147 · 05-25-2002, 10:03 AM

Doc, what board are you running that on? If it's a slot 1 are you using the adapter card that came with it? Still trying to find a home for that 600 that I got 6 months ago. Could never get it to post on a 440 BX board.

Tomteriffic · 05-25-2002, 10:04 AM

Well, see there??? This ol' decrepit guitar-slingin' dog learns something new every day

That's why I hang around here

Richard Cranium · 05-25-2002, 10:12 AM

The coolest running processor on the market
Cool Technology - The first processor in the world to be manufactured using leading edge 0.13 and 0.15 micron manufacturing processes, the VIA C3™ has the world's smallest x86 processor die size. This not only minimizes power consumption and heat dissipation, but also guarantees rock-solid reliability in even the most demanding environments.

http://www.via.com.tw/en/viac3/c3.jsp

With a typical power consumption of 6 watts and an ultra low voltage of 1.35 volts, the new mobile VIA C3™ processor is the industry's lowest power notebook processor maximizing battery life without sacrificing compatibility or performance. The mobile VIA C3™ processor debuts at speeds of up to 933MHz

http://www.via.com.tw/en/Digital%20L..._c3_mobile.jsp

NO HS Fan system->>
VIA C3™ Processor Silent Systems
http://www.via.com.tw/en/viac3/C3_silent.jsp

"can be installed without a fan "

Reviews
http://www.via.com.tw/en/viac3/c3reviews.jsp

Richard Cranium · 05-25-2002, 10:15 AM

Toad, I've ordered a board from the Geeks, hasn't come in yet, some off-the-wall mfg named QDI ??

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=P6V694X

Richard Cranium · 05-25-2002, 10:17 AM

Here ya go, $26.95
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/axion1/mbqdp6v694x.html

edit;
Support VIA Cyrix-III processors at 500/533/550/600/667/700/750/800MHz

Slots 5 PCI slots
1 ISA slots
1 AGP slot
1 AMR

4 USB ports

66/100/133MHz FSB
Overclock up to 155MHz

http://www.qdigrp.com/qdisite/eng/Pr...Advance10f.htm