SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- An enhancement to the Geode GX1 processor from National Semiconductor Corp. will speed up synchronous DRAM performance in systems by 10% and provide users of thin-client devices with improved graphics, said the Santa Clara chip maker.
The 333-MHz Geode GX1-333 and a new CS5530A companion chip from National supports display resolution of 1,280-x-1,924-x-16-bit/pixel color depth at 85-MHz screen refresh rates, said the company today (March 12). According to National, the improved display performance will reduce system user eyestrain.
The Geode GX1-333 processor contains an x86-compatible processor core, display controller, 2-D graphics accelerator, and host controllers for system memory and PCI bus. The processor is fabricated in National's 0.18-micron CMOS process technology. When in idle mode, the processor has a typical power dissipation that's 80% of the active state and just 1.4 watts.
The device is now shipping in enhanced ball-grid array (EGBA) and ceramic pin-grid array (CPGA) packages. The new process is pin-compatible with all other GX1 processors. National said it is selling the Geode processors in a range of $28 to $42 each in quantities of 10,000.
