VIA BGA 368 Socket: Compatible CPUs, Chipsets and Coolers

Maker	VIA
Package type	BGA
Contacts	368
Package size	n/a
Introduced	March 2005
Status	Legacy
Memory	DDR1 in a single channel through the board chipset
PCIe from the CPU	No PCIe lanes from the processor; expansion through the board chipset
Cooler mounting holes	Not applicable (soldered)
Replaces	None
Replaced by	None

Overview

The package matters because the processor cannot be separated from the board. Luke parts pair the Nehemiah core with the VIA CN400 northbridge for DDR400 memory, while Luke-Lite parts use the VIA CN333 for DDR333, and both carry S3 UniChrome graphics with MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoding acceleration for fanless digital media devices. The family spans 533 to 1000 MHz on a 130 nm TSMC process with 64 KB of L2 cache, 128 KB of L1 cache, a 16-stage pipeline, and the VIA PadLock engine with AES encryption and a random number generator. Power runs 6 to 10 W across the range, with the 800 MHz Luke-Lite at 6 W.

Reference pages disagree on the ball count behind this package. The CoreFusion encyclopedia page describes the Luke module as BGA841, and board databases repeat that figure for Luke boards, while the TechPowerUp CPU database catalogs the Luke 533 and Luke-Lite 800 SKUs under the name VIA BGA 368. This page follows the TechPowerUp naming for the socket id and records the split openly. No published source gives package dimensions for the 368-ball variant, so the dimensions field is omitted rather than estimated.

Codename	Marketing name	Years	Notes
Samuel 2	C3 Samuel 2 GigaPro	2001	150 nm soldered single cores with 64 KB of L2 cache, including the 800 MHz 1.1GigaPro and XP2000+ parts at 11 W from September 2001.
Nehemiah C5P	CoreFusion Luke and Luke-Lite	2005 to 2006	130 nm Nehemiah C5P single cores with 64 KB of L2 cache, packaged with the CN400 northbridge on Luke parts for DDR400 or the CN333 on Luke-Lite parts for DDR333, from 533 MHz at 6 W to 1000 MHz from March 2005.

Boards and use

VIA BGA 368 serves fanless embedded boards where the whole computer fits a Mini-ITX or Nano-ITX chassis. The VIA EPIA EK Mini-ITX board from August 2006 ships with the 1 GHz or fanless 800 MHz Luke CoreFusion platform, a VT8237R series south bridge, one DDR DIMM socket to 1 GB, a PCI slot, dual LAN with a Gigabit option, and DVI and LVDS outputs for kiosks, point of sale terminals, firewalls, and networked media players. The Nano-ITX EPIA N and NL boards carry Luke parts at 500, 800, or 1000 MHz with a DDR SO-DIMM socket, Mini PCI, Serial ATA, and LVDS for even smaller enclosures.

Buyers choose a board, not a chip, because the soldered module comes with the board. An 800 MHz Luke-Lite suits always-on network devices where 6 W and fanless cooling matter more than speed, while the 1 GHz Luke fits media playback with heavier decoding needs. Every device runs the chipset graphics and board audio, with the VT1618 codec on EPIA EK boards, so no graphics card enters the picture. When a device outgrows its processor, the replacement is the whole board.

Package and cooling

The module is a BGA package soldered to the board, so there is no socket lever, no pin grid, and no cooler mounting pattern in the desktop sense. Cooling is the board maker heatsink for the exact chassis, sized for the 6 W rating of the 800 MHz parts with headroom for the 10 W top of the range. The EPIA EK manual describes a fanless design where the heatsink alone carries the load, and system monitoring covers CPU temperature and fan control where a fan exists.

Electrical limits are modest throughout. The 800 MHz Luke-Lite runs a 133 MHz base clock times a multiplier of 6 at 0.95 V, with average power around 4 W against the 6 W maximum and a maximum junction temperature of 70 C. Memory is single-channel DDR1 at 333 MT/s on Luke-Lite boards and 400 MT/s on Luke boards. No dimensions are published for this package variant, so none are stated here.

Processor	Cores / threads	Base / boost	TDP	Launched
VIA CoreFusion Luke 533	1 / 1	0.53 GHz	6 W	Mar 2005
VIA CoreFusion Luke-Lite 800	1 / 1	0.8 GHz	6 W	Mar 2005
VIA 1.1GigaPro (C3 800A)	1 / 1	0.8 GHz	11 W	Sep 2001
VIA XP2000+ (C3 800)	1 / 1	0.8 GHz	11 W	Sep 2001

Frequently asked questions

Which processors fit VIA BGA 368?

CoreFusion Luke and Luke-Lite single cores with the Nehemiah C5P core, including the 533 MHz Luke and the 800 MHz Luke-Lite covered here, with the family spanning 533 to 1000 MHz. Each part combines the x86 core with its northbridge and graphics in one soldered module.

Can VIA BGA 368 chips be replaced?

No. VIA BGA 368 is a soldered ball grid array, so the chip cannot be removed or swapped. A faster CoreFusion part means replacing the whole board.

What memory does VIA BGA 368 use?

DDR1 through the board chipset in a single channel. Luke-Lite boards with the CN333 northbridge top out at DDR333, while Luke boards with the CN400 reach DDR400. The board fixes the slot count and the maximum capacity.

How many PCIe lanes does VIA BGA 368 provide?

No lanes come from the processor itself. The TechPowerUp entries for these SKUs record no PCI Express from the chip, while expansion such as the PCI slot on EPIA Mini-ITX boards hangs off the board chipset.

VIA BGA 368 socket: CPUs, chipsets and cooler fit

Quick facts