In Retrospect

Several other manufacturers such as AOpen, EpoX, Abit, Chaintech, Gigabyte, Transcend, and ECS were on hand with i845 products and Socket 370 boards supporting the upcoming Tualatin processor. Most of the boards boasted similar feature sets, with only one or two traits differentiating them from each other.

The remainder of 2001 will be interesting to say the least, as Northwood, the Pentium 4 manufactured on a 130-nanometer process is prepared for launch, at which point VIA may already be in contention for the Pentium 4 chipset performance crown. On the opposing front, NVIDIA should also be polishing the nForce, so long as VIA does not tie the graphics giant up in litigation.

Overall, Computex 2001 radiated a competitive tension, and no wonder. Given that the show is expected to generate several billion dollars in revenue, each manufacturer would be expected to strive for a piece of the pie. Some of the products smelled of quality engineering, while others reeked of desperation. If anything, the trip was justified for the experience of Taiwan and Mainland China to tour MSI's new manufacturing facility. Despite stifling humidity, the chance to dine in a questionably dirty night market is once-in-a-lifetime.

Chris Angelini
Freelance Editor