Via takes Eden processor to 1GHz

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese chip vendor Via Technologies Inc. Tuesday announced the availability of 800MHz and 1GHz versions of its Eden ESP processor.

The two additions to the company’s Eden ESP processor line, the ESP8000 and ESP10000, extend the performance of the chip line, which previously topped out at 733MHz, according to Richard Brown, the company’s associate vice president of marketing.

The Eden ESP processors are designed to be used in small computer systems, such as thin clients. Drawing a maximum of seven watts at 1GHz, the Eden ESP line does not require a cooling fan, used in most computers to dissipate heat produced by the processor, according to the company.

The chips incorporate 64KB of Level 2 cache and Via’s Padlock Security Suite, which includes the Padlock Advanced Cryptography Engine that provides assistance to security applications without placing a heavy load on the processor, Via said. The chips can be paired with Via’s CLE266 chip set, which offers an integrated MPEG-2 hardware decoder, integrated six-channel surround sound and support for 10/100Mbps (bits per second) Fast Ethernet, it said.

The ESP8000 and ESP10000 are currently available for $85 and $100, respectively, Via said.