x86 cpus' Guide

 Search (OK)

 

Statistics
Collections : 23367  cpu
Database :
11105  cpu
7855  motherboard
17110  graphic_card
For sale : 435  cpu
Pictures : 27220  photos
 Add to favorites
 Homepage
Site map Site map

Français English Español Dutch

 Log in
 Register

Processor of the day

WP_000103.jpg
Intel Celeron 600

Most popular CPUs

Intel Core 2 Duo E8800 (ES)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6200 (ES)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7700
Intel Pentium II 266 (0,35µ)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7800

Intel Core i7-3770
Intel Core i5-3470
Intel Core i5-2400
Intel Core i5-4570
Intel Core i7-2600

Most powerful CPUs
Desktop PCs
AMD : Ryzen 9 7950X
Intel : Core i9-13900KF
Laptop PCs
AMD : Ryzen 9 6980HX
Intel : Core i9-12950HX
Servers
AMD : EPYC 9654P
Intel : Xeon Platinium 9282

CPUs > VIA > C7

Contents


History
Models
Models (list)
From collector's point of view





Models

Despite a single type of core and almost a single package, VIA maximized the number of C7 models, even if it meant creating more marketing than technical labels.
Especially if we take into account the undocumented models, VIA datasheets missing lots of existing models, even if this was improved from the C3.
But in practice, the real difficulty will be to find these datasheets...


The "simple" C7s

As seen in the previous chapter, the C7s released in 2005 were initially produced by IBM. These models, exclusively in nanoBGA2 format, are also called by VIA, "Model A" .
Later, in 2007, VIA released C7 "Model D", still in 0.09µm, but this time produced by Fujitsu. They had the following additional features, compared to Model A:


There are three ways to identify the A models and the D models:

  1. In their CPUID , the A models have the value 0x0A in the "model" field, while the D models have the value ... 0x0D ... Yes, hence the name ...
    Note that CPU-Z identifies the D model as C5R (the A being the C5J), which does not seem to be correct, because the C5R core would  have been a die-shrink in 0.11µm of the C5Q, itself being a dead branch developed in parallel with the C5J, from the Nehemiah C5P.
  2. The serial number (the last line on the front markings) for models A starts with D6, while for models D, it starts with B9 .
  3. Finally, and this is perhaps the easiest way, the D models have a capacitance network on front side, while the A models do not.
VIA C7 1000/400 A&D.jpg
On the left a VIA C7 1000 Model A and on the right a VIA C7 1000 Model D.


The C7 models range between 1 and 2 GHz . Up to 1.5GHz , the bus is working at 4x100MHz, beyond that, we go directly to a 4x200MHz bus .
Some models like the C7 1000 or the C7 1500 (the first model to be released) exists both in Model A and Model D, but concerning the others, with the lack of documentation, and given the few photos available on the web, it remains quite uncertain. Models with 4x200MHz bus, 1.8 and 2GHz so, exists only D version .
There would therefore be between 8 (if only the 1000 & 1500 exist both in model A and D) and 10 different models (if the C7 1300 & 1600 also exist in both model A and D).

Les C7-M

In the same way as the C7, the C7-M existed in model A and model D. They can be distinguished in exactly the same way, but in addition to that, VIA also took care to mark them differently.
Indeed, the models A were marked with their number, such as VIA C7-M 754 or VIA C7-M ULV 779, while the model D were marked more simply, like the C7, with their frequency and their bus, like VIA C7-M 1600/400 for example. ULV models are then differenciated from normal models by adding a "+" at the end of the markings. Example: VIA C7-M 1500/400+, for the ULV 1500, also previously called 775.

The exhaustiveness of the models is much better guaranteed for the C7-M than for the C7, a datasheet concerning the BGA versions, and describing them in detail, being easily retrievable on the Internet.
Thus, we can state that there are 9 "normal" models and 8 ULV models. Among these 17 models, 4 models, including three ULVs, exist both in version A and D. In total there are therefore 21 different BGA models.
Note that the C7-M are the only kind of C7s to have a 4x133MHz bus. Three models are in this case, the C7-M 765, 785 and 795.


The C7-M also existed in the µPGA format. No known datasheet about them, nor any direct mention at any time on the VIA site. It's as if they never existed.
However, they do exist and with a search on the internet, we can find more or less easily that at least the 754765 and 795 models also existed in this format. For the others, it's a mystery, and it doesn't seem that VIA have released any Model D in µPGA format.



3 VIA C7-M
From left to right: a VIA C7-M 754 µPGA, a C7-M 754 nanoBGA2 (model A) and a C7-M ULV 1200/800 (Model D). At scale.


Note: in the previous chapter, we saw that the C7-M had 8 P-States. This is true only for Model A . The D models seem to abandon these tables, and only have 2 P-States, like any C7 or C7-D.

The C7-D

Regarding the C7-D, few models were released : 5 in total, if we exclude the special models described in the next chapter, and grouping the A/D model variants. The frequency of the first models started higher than the other types of C7, at 1.5GHz, but that of the last ones ended up the same, stuck at 2GHz.
Curiously for "Desktop" models, the C7-D are only found in nanoBGA2 format, which is bad for the upgrade, to which desktop PCs users were used to (at least at that time).
Just as poorly documented as the C7, the C7-D also existed in Model A and Model D. In any case, at least for the 1.5GHz model. For the 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz models with FSB400, this remains very hypothetical.
As for the two FSB800 models, like for the C7 and C7-M, they exist only in Model D.

The "special" versions

Like the C3-M, and still as part of the "VIA PC-1 Initiative", VIA released a special model of C7-D, a C7-D 1500/400 rebadged in PC2500, named like their motherboard.
Note that all the processors assembled on this card are not necessarily noticed "PC2500"
There is also a motherboard called PC3500, using the same processor, but it seems they are not remarked to "PC3500".

Finally, there are also processors stamped PV530, named after Asrock motherboards, using a C7-D 1800/800 .

VIA PC2500 & PV530
The VIA PC2500 and Asrock PV530-ITX








Last update : 25/01/2021