Mar. '00 Headlines

On February 22nd, the Joshua microprocessor was introduced to the public. What is the Joshua processor, you might ask?

A CPU intended to compete with Intel's Celeron chips, but on a more price-sensitive level.

The Joshua chip is a Socket-370 chip with 133 MHz Front Side Bus support, integrated 64K L1 cache, and has an on-chip 256K L2 cache. The processor also supports 3DNow! technology, and will be produced on the 0.18 micron process.

The Joshua processor is Via-Cyrix's return into the CPU market, after the `Cyrix` brand went through a bloody breakup with old parent, National Semiconductor. Good to see the third chip giant back in business, but the new generation of processors still come with the usual "Cyrix setbacks".

Though the processors will debut at 433 MHz, 466 MHz, and 500 MHz, don't believe those respective numbers to be the true clock speed. . The Joshua processor utilizes the age-old `PR speed` gimmick, a system designed to make consumers think they're getting the megahertz they saw on paper. For example, a PR500 system might fool one into believing they have a 500 MHz system, when in fact it is probably a 466 MHz (133MHz x 3.5) CPU in raw terms.

Companies originally set up the PR system in the past to note that some processors "will run at the performance level of an Intel processor in the same class". Sure, in business applications, the Joshua PR500 will run MS Word as quickly as a PIII-500. But when one gets into playing games or multimedia programs, they're going to feel the bite as performance withers away. Generally speaking, it's impossible to make up for a 33 MHz difference when running processor-intensive programs. The more muscle there is to the CPU, the better it is going to perform.

However, when the Via Cyrix processor gets released, make sure to keep your eyes peeled in the technological market. Price drops from AMD and Intel might result as these new CPUs splurge the economy. More competition between companies bring better products and prices to the mainstream market-- in the long run, the consumer will be the winner.

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