One thing is for sure, VIA isn't aiming C3 Processor development at the performance crowd, so with that in mind, it's obvious why it doesn't get too much press here or in other enthusiast websites. Now, in some sort of Transmeta approach they seem to be going after the small factor, integrated, low power-consumption market which has been overlooked by the big players for some time...

Called Mark, the chip includes a 1GHz C3 processor and Via's Pro Savage CLE266 Northbridge chip, which is one of the components that comprise the Northbridge-Southbridge chipset architecture used in most PCs.

Mark offers integrated graphics capabilities and is expected to begin appearing in devices during the early second half of the year, said Richard Brown, Via's associate vice president of marketing. The chip is priced at around US$75 in 1,000-unit quantities, he said.

Via is showing off a concept PC based on Mark at the CeBIT exhibition. Called Starhub, the concept PC is a 17-inch TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display) that incorporates an internal PC. In addition to flat-panel display PCs, Mark is also likely to find a home in smaller laptops, tablet PCs and smart displays, Brown said.