Graphics chipmaker 3DLabs plans to re-enter the consumer PC market this year, once the company's acquisition by sound card maker Creative Labs is completed, a company executive said. 3DLabs' current products are limited to graphics processors for workstations, high-end PCs used for demanding tasks such as graphics editing and scientific modeling.

But the company is convinced it has a winner with its new P10 design for graphics processors. The technology is likely to find its way into high-end graphics cards that will be sold under the Creative name, said John Schimpf, director of developer relations for 3Dlabs. The graphics-chip business has undergone tremendous consolidation in the past few years, with more than a dozen companies leaving the business, which now consists largely of market leader Nvidia and runner-up ATI Technologies. 3DLabs responded to the market contraction by agreeing in March to be acquired by Creative, a Singapore-based manufacturer known mainly for its Sound Blaster line of PC sound cards. 3DLabs shareholders are scheduled to vote on the deal May 7.