CHIP DESIGNER VIA has announced its quad-core X86 Artigo A1250 system.
VIA, the often forgotten third X86 licence holder, has been pushing low-power X86 chips since long before it became fashionable. Now the firm claims to have created the smallest quad-core X86 system in its Artigo A1250.
The VIA Artigo A1250 system has a 1.0GHz quad-core E series chip with 1MB Level 2 cache that can use a single 8GB DDR3 1,333MHz RAM module. The firm's Chromotion GPU provides Microsoft DirectX 11 support but uses up to 1GB of frame buffer memory from the RAM. The system is packed into a case measuring 17.7cm x 12.5cm x 3.0cm.
Epan Wu, head of the VIA's Embedded Platform Embedded System Division said, "By leveraging the ultra compact Pico-ITX form factor, the VIA Artigo A1250 is able to deliver a powerful x86 quad core computing experience in the smallest system design on the market. The VIA Artigo A1250 boasts the latest technology with 3D stereoscopic display and USB 3.0 support for an unparalleled ultra compact computing experience, making small truly beautiful."
Via said the system can decode H.264, MPEG-2, VC-1 and WMV9 video at HD 1080p resolution without any problems and has a total system TDP of 32W. However the firm did not reveal pricing and while the system's size and power draw are impressive, some might find that the Raspberry Pi, even after buying codec licences, might be a cheaper option if video playback is the main objective.
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