As ATI and Nvidia compete for the attention of PC hot-rodders with the fastest graphics chips available, smaller chipmakers are finding opportunities in the middle of the market.
The past few months have the seen modest rebounds by several chipmakers that seemed to have been squeezed out by the drastic consolidation in the graphics industry. Matrox and 3DLabs have both released new products, and now former chip giant Trident Microsystems is looking to get back into the desktop game after several years of focusing on laptop chips.
Trident next month will unveil a new line of graphics chips aimed at mainstream PC buyers. Video cards based on Trident's XP4 chips will offer performance comparable to the latest mid-range graphics processors, with prices starting at $70, compared with $100 for comparable Nvidia and ATI products and up to $400 for high-end graphics cards.
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