Intel outsells Nvidia, ATI

Intel commanded the graphics market during Q3, thanks to its integrated chipsets, according to market watcher Mercury Research. It dominated both the desktop and mobile integrated graphics segments.

Some 35 per cent of all graphics products shipped during the three-month period were made by the chip giant. Nvidia and ATI took second and third place, respectively, with market shares of 25 per cent and 22 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, Nvidia rules the roost when it comes to standalone graphics chips, with a 53 per cent share of the market. According to Mercury's numbers, that share is down a single percentage point on the previous quarter. By contrast, ATI's share rose three per cent to 40 per cent of the market. Their nearest competitors, SiS and Matrox both took a mere three per cent of the market apiece.

Nvidia's sequential dip was mirror in the desktop side of the business, where its share fell two per cent, quarter on quarter. But what's a couple of percentage points when you've got 62 per cent of the market? One-time market leader ATI took 32 per cent of the market in Q3, up four per cent on its Q2 figure.

In the mobile sector, the two leaders' positions were reversed: ATI owned 71 per cent of the market, Nvidia 21 per cent. Both showed small, single-figure market share percentage gains. As per the desktop space, both companies are clearly squeezing out the competition, in this case SiS, Silicon Motion and VIA, in the desktop market SiS and Matrox.

Look across the broader mobile graphics arena and, again, Intel is the winner, taking 45 per cent of the market and relegating ATI to second place with 39 per cent. Both grew their market shares sequentially. VIA took 11 per cent of the market, while SiS' share was five per cent, thanks to its acquisition of Trident.

Intel took 67 per cent of the desktop integrated market, increasing its share sequentially by ten percentage points, followed by SiS (13 per cent, down five per cent), Nvidia (seven per cent) and VIA (three per cent).

Overall, the graphics market grew 13.8 per cent during Q3. ®