VIA Eden Platform

Some time ago VIA announced their Eden platform project. VIA Eden is a new platform molded around the increasingly popular SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs. A few years back SFF PCs were almost non-existent and the ones that were available were seriously under powered to handle the then current applications. Well Eden is set to change all that with integrated components while not being top of the line or medium range by today's standards, but components that are capable of running everyday applications at a decent speed. Since the Eden platform is still in its infancy and is still unavailable for purchase, this article will only be looking at the technologies that make up this new product using current information from reliable sources on the Internet. So scroll down the page and view the future of small form factor PCs.

Features
VIA Eden has many features over the average PC and that includes the Shuttle SV24 as well. Eden features most of your average PC components including, x86 CPU, AGP graphics, onboard audio, SDRAM support with room for expansion, and a PCI slot. Eden has some advantages over a standard PC and these include the ability to run totally fan-less, thus a silent PC. Another advantage is a reduced overall system cost because there is no need to purchase other components. It is also one of the few platforms to use the Mini-ITX form factor to allow for a very, very small foot print of only 170mm by 170mm. See list below for integrated components.

VIA ESP CPU - VIA C3 (Samuel 2 @ 533MHz 1.1V)
VIA Apollo PLE133 Chipset (VIA VT8601A/8606 + VT8231)
2 168pin PC100/133 SDRAM Sockets
VIA Trident Blade Integrated AGP2X Graphics with DVD Motion Compensation
VIA Ultra ATA/100 Controller for up to 4 IDE devices
Disk On Chip Flash Memory (8MB to 32MB)
VIA AC'97 Audio (VT1612A)
VIA 10/100Mbps Ethernet (VT6103)
VIA TV-Out (VT6103)
1x Parallel, 1x Serial, 4x USB ports
1x PCI Expansion slot (Supports 2 devices)

Eden ESP CPU
The VIA Eden uses an embedded VIA ESP CPU. After further notice I found this CPU to be none other than a VIA C3 based on the older Samuel 2 core running at 533MHz with a 133MHz FSB. This CPU features 128K L1 Cache and 64K L2 Cache and runs at 1.1V. Being based on the the C3, the VIA ESP is by no means fast but it is a perfect match for this platform because it has the lowest power consumption of any x86 based embedded platform. While talking about embedded platforms it is worth noting the VIA ESP is the highest performing x86 CPU for embedded platforms. With low power and high performance when talking about embedded systems, the C3 based ESP is the perfect CPU for Eden. This is a good thing because of the CPU being embedded onto the motherboard, there are no CPU upgrade options for Eden.

Operating System Support
VIA Eden will feel at home with Windows XP but it is also compatible with Linux. VIA Hardware's review of the Eden platform tested it with Mandrake Linux 8.1 and reported that all hardware was detected and set up correctly. Windows ME and Windows 98 should also work along with possibly Windows 2000.

Uses for Eden
There are many possible uses for the Eden platform. These could range from anything like a small DVD player or MP3 Jukebox for the living room, an Internet terminal or even a thin client PC for business computers. You could even use it for a PC compatible game console so long as the games you play don't require fast 3D to run. The possibilities are endless!

Conclusion
To sum things up, VIA's Eden is a very promising platform that will have a place in the market but it will not replace mainstream computers. If you need a small slim-line computer or a computer to use in the living room then the Eden might be for you but you will have to wait because Eden is yet to be released. We can only wait!

©2002 Speed King
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