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VIA Tries a Bit of ION, Does It All by Itself

Launches the new VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design

Mar 17, 2009 10:38 GMT  ·  By
VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design
   VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design

VIA Technologies has just announced a new platform design for upcoming mini-notebooks leveraging the performance capabilities of the company's low-power C7-M processor, combined with the recently introduced VX855 IGP chipset. The new platform has been dubbed VIA Surfboard C855 Reference Design and comes as an ultra-compact motherboard that has been equipped with a ULV C7-M CPU and the VX855 unified IGP chipset, providing both computing performance and multimedia support in a small form factor that could enable PC vendors to create new, VIA-powered mini-notebooks.

 

“A key advantage of the VIA Surfboard C855 is the head start it affords mini-notebook system developers or those seeking to enter the market,” said Richard Brown, vice president of marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Not only is VIA in the unique position of being able to offer customers a complete, ready-to-build solution, but the new board’s HD capabilities mean VIA-based mini-notebooks will provide a superior multi-media entertainment experience.”

 

According to VIA, the new C855 reference design is meant for mini-notebooks with a screen size of between 10 to 12 inches, which can combine the VIA C70M ULV processor with support for 800MHz FSB and the VX855 media system processor that offers a wide range of multimedia features and I/O connectivity options. Such systems can provide support for an extensive array of leading video standards, including H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1 and WMV9, offering significant visual quality at a lower level of power consumption.

 

The new solution from VIA appears to be somewhat similar to that of NVIDIA's recently announced Ion platform, which combines a low-power Intel Atom processors with an efficient GeForce 9400 motherboard GPU to provide users with both low-power consumption and a multimedia-rich computer system that is roughly in the same price category as most netbooks on the market. With the launch of C855 Reference Design, VIA hopes to gain a better market share in the fast growing segment of netbooks and nettops.