Computex 2001 Exclusive: New Graphics Chips from SiS and Trident

Introduction

So, how could we resist reviewing two new 3D graphics chips which weren't stamped either NVIDIA or ATI? We headed for lab in Taipei, and had less than a day to give the SiS 315 and Trident Blade XP a run through our benchmark tests.

NVIDIA's pace in introducing new technology is giving the industry a hard time so, Trident and SiS are both trying to gain market share by concentrating on a strong price/performance ratio - they don't even try to compete with NVIDIA or ATI in the mid or high-end sectors of the market. As a result, although you won't find these chips a must have for hard core gaming, or high-end industrial design, they do offer an attractive price, and a very strong focus on a particular segment of the market. We categorize Trident's Blade XP and the SiS 315 as both targeting NVIDIA's MX 200 as well as ATI's Radeon VE. Definitely worth taking a look at how these two chips perform.

Patrick Schmid
Editor-in-Chief (2005-2006)

Patrick Schmid was the editor-in-chief for Tom's Hardware from 2005 to 2006. He wrote numerous articles on a wide range of hardware topics, including storage, CPUs, and system builds.