SAN JOSE -- Nvidia Corp. will reportedly take another shot at the PC chip set market, announcing a non-integrated product geared for PCs based on Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s Athlon processors, according to sources at the Platform Conference here this week.
Sources at the conference indicated that Nvidia is currently sampling the nForce 415-D, a chip set that supports double-data-rate (DDR) SDRAM and other features. The Santa Clara-based company is expected to roll out the chip next month, sources said.
The nForce 415-D represents the company first non-integrated chip set line, that is, a core-logic product without graphics. In June, Nvidia formally entered the PC chip set business by rolling out an integrated product designed for PCs based AMD's Athlon microprocessors. The nForce 420 includes graphics and PC-based core logic on the same device (see June 4 story ).
Analysts believe that Nvidia has experienced modest success with the 420, due in part to cost and other issues. Meanwhile, the new nForce 415-D chip from Nvidia will compete against products from three Taiwanese chip makers--Acer Laboratories, Silicon Integrated Systems, and Via Technologies.
Prices for nForce 415-D are said to be under $30, according to sources.
