Exploring AMD's Embedded Performance (or Lack Thereof): Geode GX vs. VIA's C3

@ 2005/03/10
Ask a computer enthusiast or industry follower to name an AMD product and chances are you’ll hear about the Athlon 64 or AthlonXP. Those who’ve followed Sunnyvale for an extended period of time may rattle off the K6, K6-2, or even the K5 as examples of earlier products, but one microprocessor line you aren’t likely to hear much about is Geode. The AMD Geode is Sunnyvale’s own embedded processor line, and its targeted at a variety of application scenarios, from internet appliances to embedded thin client applications.

The embedded market has expanded steadily over the past few years, and AMD is clearly attempting to position itself advantageously; the company’s Personal Internet Communicator is powered by a Geode GX processor and will be marketed in India, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, and China. While we don’t have an actual PIC on hand, we’ve secured a Geode development board based on the same CPU design. We’ll be comparing its performance to VIA’s Nehemiah core—does the Geode GX stack up?

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