Chip wars! Via’s new Atom smasher

Are cheaper, faster, more efficient netbooks on the way? Could be! Via’s low power CPU’s were the chip of choice for early netbooks. When Intel discovered that the netbook was encroaching on its high power and high dollar space, it introduced the Atom. A small performance advantage, and likely a little coercive marketing pushed the Atom into the marketplace as the standard netbook CPU. Not one to give up and go away, Via is fighting back with a faster more efficient processor. Chipzilla will certainly respond, meaning we’re likely to see big improvements and falling prices. That’s great news for Tightwads!

Thus far, the Atom’s been the processor of choice, but VIA today announced a new Nano that could change things. Now bumped up to the Nano 3000 Series processors, VIA’s latest offering is based on the 64-bit superscalar ‘Isaiah’ architecture, which boasts flawless playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video.

The VIA Nano 3000 also supports CPU virtualization technology, SSE4, and security capabilities integrated in the VIA PadLock Security Engine.

“With the VIA Nano 3000 Series, we are launching our fastest and most power-efficient processors yet,” commented Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Coupled with our market-leading digital media chipsets, they enable the richest experience across a broad range of mobile and all-in-one system designs.”

Available at speeds from 1 GHz to 2 GHz, Nano 3000 Series processors deliver up to 20 percent higher performance using up to 20 percent less power than current Nano processors. (Tom’s Hardware)