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The VIA C3 processor is somewhat of a love-hate affair. It provides very decent business application performance, but only passable floating point and 3D gaming performance. 2D games such as Sid Meir's Civilization III, and lighter-duty 3D games such as The Sims will run just fine. Other distinct advantages are the C3's low cost, low power consumption and compatibility with many existing Socket-370 motherboards. The emerging trend in the market (even enthusiast market to some extent) are so called "silent PCs", either "traditional" full desktop units or small, highly-integrated solutions aimed at the living room. Barring drastic solutions such as water cooling or running one's CPU in a fridge, the only real option is the C3, which in our tests was able to run just fine even without a heatsink, even when overclocked. The potential for its use is huge, serving either as a DVD decoder, in-car computer, a portable LAN box, a laptop CPU, or even simply just as a cheap, entry-level family computer. What about the Transmeta Crusoe? The reaction of Japanese consumers (who sent C3s flying off the shelves) should be a testament to the promises that Transmeta's much-hyped Crusoe did not meet, but on which the C3 delivers.
Particularly interesting is the C3's storage performance, where there is practically no decrease as compared to an equivalent Intel CPU. Coupled with its aforementioned low power consumption and correspondingly low heat output, the C3 becomes an extremely attractive option for entry-level fileservers and webservers. The potential cost savings (less cooling, lower system cost and power consumption) are very irresistible in a server farm. In conclusion, it basically boils down to what the end-user is looking for. If a quiet or low power consumption system is a priority, the C3 would definitely be a step in the right direction, meeting those goals whilst providing very decent applications performance. However, those simply looking for raw performance might want to look elsewhere, though to be fair, this is not the target market of the C3. Highly Recommended!
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