The VIA x86 ISA CPUs are discontinued and no longer supported by Intel or AMD.
The VIA x86 ISA CPUs are discontinued and no longer supported by Intel or AMD.
During the late '90s to early 2000s, VIA CPUs were licensed under Intel, and Walmart even offered PCs running them with Linux. They typically cost around $200 for the system, though specs varied and some low-quality distros came pre-installed. A lightweight distro like Linux or a Windows-like environment such as Linux 98SE was common, and booting without a password worked fine on many systems. Most people didn’t actually sell these units, but they were available through certain retailers. VIA still holds an Intel license today. You’d find them mostly sold in specialized retro computer shops or online marketplaces that cater to vintage tech enthusiasts.