Mainboards manufacturers have already been told that one of these days VIA contemplates to lower prices for its integrated core logic: PM133/KM133, PL133/KL133 and PLE133/KLE133.
This endeavor may be a reflection of the still stronger rivalry with SiS, which has happily settled troubles with manufacturing and introduced utterly low prices for its own chipsets (especially those with integrated graphics).
As VIA’s officials assert, the company doesn’t fear the competition from SiS, because it is still weak in manufacturing. To meet the demand of only two eager mainboards manufacturers for SiS’s most popular SiS630E core logic, the company supposedly will have to ask either UMC or TSMC for help, since it certainly lacks manufacturing capacities (nothing to say about shipping the chipset to other manufacturers).
Nonetheless, even such trifling competition has inspired VIA to take decisive measures. So, however moderate the competition is, it leads only to the good, doesn’t it? ;)
Responding to VIA’s intention to cut the prices for its integrated chipsets, SiS has announced that in the next quarter it will modify the prices of its «non-integrated» chips (featuring no integrated graphics) to make them 20% cheaper than similar products by VIA. Somehow, we think that SiS merely won’t be able to afford a price-cut of such grand scale - it will be nothing else but loss-making.
Thus, soon we’ll have a good chance to see multifunctional up-to-date chipsets with modest prices. Among their «non-integrated» SiS relatives we would like to stress SiS633T (SDRAM + Tualatin), SiS635T (DDR SDRAM + Tualatin), SiS733 (SDRAM + Athlon/Duron) è SiS735 (DDR SDRAM + Athlon/Duron).
Whatever happens, we believe that SiS will have to turn to TSMC or UMC for assistance in manufacturing the chipsets, for it makes no sense to cut the prices when there is a shortage of chipsets as it is.