VIA Introduces New VIA Nano 3000 Series Processors

VIA Technologies has confirmed the availability of its new VIA Nano 3000 Series processors which promise enhanced digital media performance and lower power consumption to Windows 7 thin and light notebook and all-in-one desktop PC markets.
 

Based on the 64-bit superscalar 'Isaiah' architecture, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver the most compelling thin and light notebook computing experience with their rich HD entertainment capabilities, including support for smooth playback of 1080p video, as well as low power consumption resulting in longer battery life.


Available at speeds from 1.0GHz to 2.0GHz, VIA Nano 3000 Series processors deliver up to 20% higher performance using up to 20% less power than current VIA Nano processors and boast a number of new features including support for the SSE4 multimedia instruction set and VIA VT virtualization technology.

VIA Nano 3000 Series processor samples are currently available for OEMs and motherboard vendors, and will enter mass production in Q1 2010.

(source: http://www.via.com.tw/en/resources/pressroom/pressrelease.jsp?press_release_no=4247)

AMD's 45W-TDP 4-core processors

AMD has just announced several new AMD Athlon™ II processors, including two 4-core series with a TDP of 45W, that offer outstanding performance and low power consumption solutions. The 45W-TDP 4-core CPUs are the Athlon™ II X4 (605e) at 2.3 GHz and Athlon™ II X4 (600e) at 2.2 GHz respectively. 

These new processsors make perfect HTPCs that address the market shift to power efficient, and yet powerful enough for next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play.

(source: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091019006622&newsLang=en)

AMD Phenom II X4 905e - first 65w-TDP Quad-Core processor

Here comes the first 65w-TDP (Thermal Design Power) Quad-Core Phenom II X4 905e offered by AMD, featuring Socket AM3, Operating Frequency 2.5GHz, Hyper Transports 4000MHz, L2 Cache 4 x 512KB, L3 Cache 6MB, 45nm Manufacturing Technology, 64 bit System, Hyper-Transport and Virtualization Technology Support. Judging from its low TDP, it should fit in your list if you really want to have a  Quad-Core processor for your HTPC.

But I would wait for a while for my next HTPC machine as Intel will be launching its Core i3 processor with GPU integrated inside and supports MPEG2, VC-1 and AVC (H.264) decoding and passthrough Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio and probably be available in Q4 this year! It's still not clear whether AMD would come up any solution for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD at the moment.

32nm + GPU Inside - The New Intel Core i3 processor

32nm + GPU Inside - The New Intel Core i3 processor! Looks impressive. This will be the Intel’s first CPU/GPU integrated chip, and should be publicly available in Q1 2010 but it may be shipped in Q4 this year. According to Intel this new chip comes with the new 'Intel Clear Video HD' and  could decode MPEG2, VC-1 and AVC (H.264) efficiently. And most importantly, it supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio! We have yet to see AMD come up any similar product so far although they take the lead in the HTPC field.