Rumor: VIA comes with CPUs based on frugal Isaiah II architecture

VIA looks set to announce processors based on the Isaiah II architecture by the end of August. It would be quad-core CPUs that could be clocked up to 2GHz, while VIA has also added more level2 cache memory to the processor.

3D Center reports that. The site refers to a website of Centaur Technology, a subsidiary of VIA. There is a timer on the website that counts down to August 31. In the background is an image of a chip, presumably a reference to the introduction of a new processor generation. It is suspected that these are energy-efficient CPUs based on the new Isaiah II architecture.

Benchmark results have also emerged from a VIA CPU that is presumably based on the new architecture. This concerns an x86 quad-core CPU that would run at a maximum of 2GHz. There is also 4MB of level2 cache memory and the processor would support 64bit addressing. Compared to an Intel Atom Z3770, the VIA Isaiah II chip would perform better on average and the performance would be roughly comparable to that of the AMD Athlon 5350.

It is not yet clear which market VIA is targeting exactly. It is an energy-efficient design, but no details are yet known about, for example, the power consumption. For example, Isaiah CPUs could be used for desktops, but possibly also for laptops or other mobile devices, such as tablets. Presumably, VIA will release more information at the end of August.