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Like Cyrix and AMD? I don't recall any other mainstream x86 alternatives.

Chipset, not CPU. For example, Nvidia was a well known chipset manufacturer around this time, shortly before memory controllers went on package and 3rd party chipsets died off.

Don't forget the venerable Via, SiS, Chips and Technologies, OPTi, ALi, ULi, etc.

They weren't venerable. They were anything but. They were designed to be a lower BOM on the motherboard and 90% of them were buggy garbage.

Yes, yes indeed. The nVidia nForce chipset (for AMD) was such a leap ahead because it was fast, flexible and reliable.

For Intel, you just picked an Intel chipset and that was that.

Speak for yourself, mate! Many fun times were had with machines built by each. I have particularly fond memories of the SiS 630 / 730, Via's KT133A, and lots of old ALi, OPTi and ULi gear from the 286, 386, and 486 era.

There was a period with quite a few:

* Rise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_Technology

* NexGen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NexGen

* NatSemi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geode_(processor)

* WinChip/Centaur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur_Technology

* NEC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEC_V20

And other more obscure options. Most were gobbled up by the other giants (AMD/ATI, Nvidia, Intel, etc).

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