On 27 Aug 2002 12:23:04 -0500 Brent Metzler <linux at bmetzler.org> wrote: > I just noticed on the back of the latest Tiger Direct catalog that > they were selling Via C3 processors. In fact, they were only $20 > more then a comparable Duron mhz wise. > > I haven't heard of the C3 processor before. Does anyone know > anything about it? What makes it special? Is it worth the extra > money? > > Their product page (http://www.via.com.tw/en/viac3/c3.jsp) claims > that it's Linux compatible. > > It looks like with the right hardware this could be made into a > small quiet thinstation for the living room. > > Any thoughts? Via bought Cyrix a while back and have tried to revive the bargain-basement chip manufacturer. I had a few old CyrixInstead PR225 and PR300 chips back then, PR standing for Pentium Rated. They were socket 7 chips that ran incredibly hot. They weren't the stablest chips on the block, and my boxes had a tendency to eat CPU fans. (one fan warped its piece of spring steel so bad it lost its spring, and the fan simply fell off). I gave away that same machine with a different fan at the last installfest. I dunno if Via has greatly improved the chip but it is touted as a low-power, low-cost chip for low-end laptops and workstations. Haven't heard much since Via's initial statement upon aquisition. -- -Kevin Hinze rudie at rudie.net | rudie at sihope.com hinz0047 at tc.umn.edu | http://rudie.net