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2003 Graphics card outlook:
(2 excerpts)
First quarter: Matrox Parhelia 8X
As the name suggests, this is the AGP8x derivative of Matrox' Parhelia, supposed to directly replace it after remaining chip inventories have been cleared out. We don't know exactly when that will happen, but we don't think it can be too far into the new year. Just as uncertain is whether or not this chip will carry any further enhancements: The unconfirmed rumor of several hardware fixes and increased clock speeds is floating about. We'll have to wait and see.
Second quarter: Matrox Parhelia 2
Also known under the code name "Pitou", this project is supposed to breath some new life into Matrox' Parhelia architecture with some enormous projected performance improvements. What exactly that means, we cannot tell. An obvious first step would be a transition to 0.13 micron manufacturing (down from the original Parhelia's 0.15 micron) to allow significantly higher clock speeds.
Another likely change would be higher memory clocks and improved DirectX9 capabilities. Matrox adding a few techniques for more efficient use of bandwidth would be ideal, as the lack of these is really holding back the original Parhelia. But that won't come for cheap, be prepared for seeing it in the 450 to 500€ price range again. This time around the assault on ATi and nVidia really must succeed if Matrox wants to secure its own niche in the graphics board market.
Sadly not only the technical details of Parhelia 2 are unknown, even the question whether it will ever be released is still all too evident. The tape out has occured, that's for certain, theoretically allowing for a 2nd quarter release. But there's also the wild rumour of the first chip samples largely disappointing, which led to Matrox scrapping the whole project, even contemplating leaving the 3D graphics market altogether. As Matrox, as usual, veil themselves in complete silence, we can neither confirm, nor plausibly dismiss this rumour.
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