SiS and ALi P4 Chipsets on the Way

All of the Intel boosters are working hard on boards and all the other gadgets that will make P4 machines a reality. As we all well know, the processor isn't the only chip you need to get boxes fired up and computing. Over at the Inquirer, we just read about a new SiS P4 chipset that should turn up in Q3 and an ALi P4 chipset that we should see in Q4. SiS, a company that sort of straddles the tracks in supporting both Intel and AMD machines, will be coming forth with its SiS 645 Nortbridge and SiS 961 Southbridge. Highlights of this pair include an integrated DDR SDRAM Controller that will allow up to 3 DIMMs of DDR333/DDR266/PC133 and the ability to address up to 3GB of System Memory. Ali's DDR-SDRAM Pentium 4 chipset is also forthcoming, and the company thinks it has bad news for Rambus. In an earlier story at the Inquirer , Mike Magee said he's heard Via plans to price its P4X266 DDR chipset at 25-30 percent less than Intel's i845 SDRAM Brookdale chipset. Let the games begin.