1.6GHz Dual-Core VIA NANO Chip Plays 720p Video

When thinking of central processing units, one's mind immediately goes to either Intel Corp., or advanced Micro Devices, or both. What may have escaped some people, however, is that there is a certain other chip maker out there which, though more stealthy, can still surprise the consumer base. VIA decided to take advantage of this year's Computex to get some attention for its NANO DC processor, a not-yet-available part that should show up in about six months.

The NANO DC chip is a dual-core CPU that employs a VN1000 Digital Media Chipset and has a clock speed of 1.6GHz. It also has full support for dual-channel DDR3 memory. The first noticeable drawback will most likely be the manufacturing process used. At 65nm, power efficiency probably won't be the CPU's strongest asset. On the other hand, VIA reportedly stated that this wasn't the final form of the chip, so there is still room for optimizations.

Of course, a CPU wouldn't exactly benefit, or deserve, extra work if it didn't already have something to show. Fortunately, the NANO DC does have enough to be proud of. In fact, it was even proven capable of handling video files in 720p resolutions. Combined with the inherent HDMI and DisplayPort compatibility, this feature set should perform quite well in home cinemas/ home theater personal computers. Furthermore, VIA said that it plans to turn its product into a viable choice for mobile PCs as well.

Unfortunately, as is the case with the Moorestown platform, products based on the VIA NANO DC aren't going to show up in stores any time soon. In fact, it will take about six months for the final version of this component to be completed. What remains to be seen is if it scores enough design wins to become competitive with offerings from the big players.