Microsoft Windows 10 is about to make VIA x86 chips cool again
While the world of modern computing seems to be ruled by a duopoly between Intel and AMD, some may not be aware of a third player in the business of making central processing chips, which is VIA Technologies.
At its peak, back in 2000, VIA made a name for itself as one company capable of taking on both AMD and Intel. The x86 chip maker, formerly thought to have what it takes to be a major player in the industry, has ultimately become a “three-legged horse”, confined to thin clients and ITX logic boards targeting hobbyists and enthusiasts who like to build low-cost PCs with limited performance requirements.
Installing and running Windows 10 on Pico-ITX mainboards powered by ATI chips, is possible, and it provides for a solid mini-desktop experience. With that said, there are limitations, such as the lack of support for DirectX 12. ATI chips will only be able to provide support for DirectX 11.
Aside from that, these types of chips are built using older quad-core architecture, which makes them considerably slower than Skylake chips within the same category.
While older ATI chips may provide for a sub-par desktop experience, compared to Intel or AMD powered PCs, Windows 10 IoT can make use of this hardware in many other creative ways, for instance for the purpose of building Point-Of-Sale systems, robots, and even devices to control and manage security systems.
On this note, VIA’s latest processor, the Eden X1, a single-core CPU embedded in VIA’s ETX-8X90, is primarily targeting industrial applications, however it’s only compatible with Windows XP, Windows 7 and Linux.
The progression towards IoT is a logical one for VIA, which has looked into reinventing itself as the PC sales slump began, and as Intel and AMD established themselves as the two biggest players in the industry of desktop CPUs.
The final blow came from the inception of Chromebooks and hybrid tablets, like Microsoft Surface Pro, forcing VIA in a corner, and almost on the brink of shutting down, without the resources necessary to innovate further.