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AMD and VIA

The most successful competitor to Intel on the CPU area has been AMD, particularly with the release of their Athlon and Duron processor lines. Of course, the problem with introducing a new CPU is that you need a chipset to support it. Since AMD was not allowed to produce a 100% compatible alternative to Intel that worked on existing Intel chipsets (complicated legal stuff and cross-licensing agreements), they started developing their own alternatives. For a while, AMD was putting out some good, solid chipsets, like the 760 series. However, AMD made it known that they did not want to be in the chipset business, and was counting on other companies to step up to the plate and support AMD processors.

VIA is arguably the current master of AMD compatible chipsets, with a huge, sometimes confusing array of products out there. They seem driven to push the envelope with new features and different combinations, and on some level that is very exciting. However, the problem with pushing the envelope is that you end up on the "Bleeding Edge", where there can be a great deal of pain along with the gain.

The issues with the 686B set, for instance, are very well documented. It seems that Creative Labs products don't often get along with at least some VIA chipsets, and this is one of the most obvious examples. The 686B was also plagued by intermittent IDE Bus Master issues, or so some have said, and the perception that there was a defect in VIA chipsets has come back to haunt the company time and time again.

Even the KT266 chipset had issues, though most seemed to hinge on performance. The KT266A chipset has turned out to be a huge winner for VIA, but only because it realized the promise that the original KT266 chipset failed to provide. For many potential VIA customers, the question has been: "Which chipset to buy?" The wide array of offerings, due in part to the need to introduce bug-fixed replacement sets, can be confusing to even the most technically oriented users.

For example, the new KT333 set is at times actually slower than their KT266A set. How is that possible? They need to tweak timings, latencies, etc. to provide an optimal pairing between the Northbridge and the Southbridge, not to mention the fact that these new higher speed DDR memories are not even officially sanctioned by governing bodies. VIA is so ahead of the curve they have to pave the road as they turn the corner. Maybe if DDR 400 gets approved officially, or DDR II is finalized, things will get simpler, but for now, it can be a real mess.

NVIDIA, ATI and SiS

It looks like at least three other players are joining the fray. NVIDIA has the nForce, ATI has some new offerings and SIS is coming up slowly on the side of the track. The early buzz on the SIS set is impressive, and the nForce is already entering a second generation of product development that is helping bring them the attention and respect that they have craved since announcing their intention to enter the market. The problem that I can see at this time, however, is that there are too many offerings. Personally, I don't like the idea of having integrated graphic chipsets on the motherboard. I wish NVIDIA would leave that to Intel. I don't see the need to have four different versions of a product, because it seems too confusing when you are trying to make a smart decision. Not all users have the time or inclination to investigate and research every tiny detail necessary to make the best decision. While some may applaud all these choices, I would prefer that they focus more efforts on fewer products to help keep it simple and focus resources where they can do the most good.