Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (SiS) and S3 Graphics Inc. are preparing to face off against PC graphics leaders as they strive to maintain share in value and mainstream applications with newly launched discrete graphics controllers.
On one level, the companies face competition from Intel Corp."s mid- to low-end integrated graphics products. At the same time, they must prove their mettle against high-end discrete graphics leaders ATI Technologies Inc. and Nvidia Corp., which also supply discrete graphics ICs for mainstream applications.
SiS and S3, a Via Technologies Inc. subsidiary, can elbow their way into the low-end market against Intel by offering better performance, and enter the high end against ATI and Nvidia by competing on price, said Jon Peddie, an analyst at Jon Peddie Research, Tiburon, Calif.