The name S3 should be pretty familiar with old school computer enthusiasts, but it's not the same company as in the past. The new S3 is the result of the old S3 (which subsequently went belly up) selling its graphics division to VIA in 2001. At the time S3 was struggling to compete against ATi and nVIDIA in the standalone graphics market. VIA purchased the graphics division so it could use S3's low cost video technology in its own integrated motherboard chipsets. This greatly improved the quality of VIA's integrated videocards and put it on par with Intel in the highly lucrative entry level market.
Fast forward a couple of years and we now find S3 is once again branching out from integrated graphics chipsets to full fledged videocards. This time around S3 is only presenting itself as an entry level supplier, and that by all accounts is a much safer bet.
With Microsoft's Windows Vista due out at the end of this year, or perhaps early 2007, there is a feature called Aero Glass that is set to break plenty of legacy videocards. If you want to take advantage of Microsoft Vista's fancy Aero Glass visual interface (and by all accounts you really do) the computer must have videocard hardware capable of at least DirectX 9 with a minimum of 64MB on board memory. And wouldn't you know it, the new S3 Chrome S27 videocard fits the bill perfectly with a very affordable price too. Funny that.
The S3 Chrome S27 PCI Express videocard specs look quite appealing on paper, it has everything a decent graphics accelerator boasts these days; a 90nm manufactured silicon core, eight pixel rendering pipeline, 128MB GDDR3 memory and dual monitor outputs. The unit PCSTATS received for review also included a component output splitter cable, so this compact little PCI Express x16 S3 Chrome S27 videocard can be used in Home Theatre PC's (HTPC) too.
Not bad considering its sticker price is a mere $91 CDN ($80 USD, £44 GBP) .
The S3 Chrome S27 is compact both in size and cooling solution. On the front of the PCI Express x16 videocard we see a large aluminum heatsink with a 40mm fan sitting just above where the graphics core is.
The large aluminum heatsink also comes in contact with the four BGA GDDR3 DRAM modules and uses thermal gap filler between the memory and heatsink to help cool them. The whole setup mounts onto the videocard via two holes around the videocard core.
A single heatpipe connects the heatsink on the front with another heatsink on the rear of the videocard.
There are a couple more squares of thermal gap filler between the rear heatsink and PCB, right behind where the BGA DRAM modules are soldered to further help transfer heat away from the memory.
This is probably S3's first heatpipe heatsink and noticeably missing was thermal compound between the heatsink and heatpipe... We'd advise you to add a little between the heatsink and heatpipe to ensure an optimal thermal environment.
Computer noise is unfortunately one of those things that modern videocards are contributing far to much to. We're pleased to report however that during the course of benchmarking the S3 Chrome S27 videocard, it was barely audible.
Quiet videocards always make the best options for a HTPC, and the S3 Chrome S27 certainly gets a few marks on this front. The VGA heatsinks remained rather cool to the touch, so I suspect you could get away with a passive VGA heatsink if you wanted, but PCSTATS did not specifically test this out.
S3 Chrome S27 GPU Details
The S3 Chrome S27 graphics processing unit is built on Fujitsu's 90 nanometre manufacturing technology, and it contains a little less than 70 million transistors. S3 has not publicly stated exactly how many transistors are used, just the ballpark figure. The Chrome S27 core is DirectX 9.0 compatible, and natively supports the PCI Express platform.
There are eight pixel pipelines along with four vertex rendering pipelines, and the Chrome S27's memory controller can operate at between 32-bits to 128-bits wide. The S3 GPU is compatible with DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 memory. When using DDR/DDR2, the memory is clocked at 500 MHz and can provide a peak bandwidth of 16GB/s. When using DDR3, the memory is clocked at 700 MHz, so it will provide up to 22.4GB/s worth of bandwidth. Memory sizes with DDR/DDR3 range between 32MB and 256MB, with DDR2, it can go as high as 512MB in size. Nice.
S3 is particularly proud that the Chrome S27 typically uses only 17-30W of power. This could make it a real option for individuals building low power DC-powered computers. Compared to a cutting edge nVidia or ATI part 30W is very power efficient. The integrated 400 MHz RAMDAC will handle a resolution of up to 2048x1536 should you need it. The Chrome S27 natively supports a high definition HDTV and standard TV encoder, and incorporates both the NTSC and PAL TV output standards.
On the eye candy front, gamers will soon discover that the S3 Chrome S27 supports up to 16x anisotropic filtering and up to 4x super sampling antialiasing. It would be unrealistic to expect the card to pump out the top AA settings though.... its 3D performance would be too slow. Remember the S3 Chrome S27 is not intended for high performance FPS gaming, it's better suited to the occasional gamer or RPG'er.
In terms of software applications the S3 Chrome S27 videocard includes S3's new Chromotion Video Engine which is a DirectX-VA media accelerator. The Chromotion Video Engine works with video codecs like WMV9 (Windows Media Video 9), MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Post Processing filters also help to enhance poor 'low bit rate source' materials for a higher quality image on screen. Real time rendering allows the system resources to be devoted to other tasks as well.
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Experts Tip: S Video Cable Not Needed |
|
The Chrome 27 videocard doesn't come with an S-Video output cable, but that shouldn't deter users from trying to connect their computer to the television. Standard S-Video cables (like the ones that are included with camcorders) can be plugged directly into the rear of this videocard.
Or better yet, grab yourself a set of component output cables and take advantage of that video standard to hook up the PC to the Television. Component output yields a far better image on televisions which support the standard. Most screens sold within the last 6 years should. |
| Comments and Feedback? Suggest a Tweak. |
Looking closely at the PCB of the S3 Chrome S27 videocard we discover a Silicon Image SiI64CTG64 chipset. Now I'm sure you already know what the SiI64CTG64 entails - namely DVI output capability. With digital LCD monitors gaining huge popularity, it makes sense for S3 to equip the Chrome S27 videocard with digital output support.
Like ATi and nVIDIA before it, S3 Chrome graphics cards can run in parallel for more performance and S3 calls this form of "SLI" its MultiChrome technology. This allows users to string together two or more Chrome S27 videocards together, but S3 gets by without needing to physically connect each videocard together. Since PCSTATS only has one of these little videocards in the test labs, we're unable to expand upon the Multichrome feature with any solid benchmarks, but never the less it's an interesting capability in such an affordable graphics card.
To be fair to the hardware, PCSTATS will forgo the usual overclocking tests and move right into image quality and benchmarks.
Image Quality of the S3 Chrome S27
Here we will inspect the image quality of the S3 Chrome S27 videocard by looking at a couple of screenshots from 3DMark05 at 1024x768 resolution. Click on each image to open up an animated gif and as the animation scrolls through, look closely at each image to spot the slight differences between various AA/AF levels as demonstrated by the S3 Chrome S27 GPU.
| Click on each image to see the full size image quality comparisons. |
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S3 Chrome S27 IQ with 4xAA, 16x AF and 4x AA/16x AF. |
The S3 Chrome S27's utilizes DirectX 9 with Pixel Shader 2.0 and Shader Model 2.0 which gives image quality on par with ATi X800 class videocards and nVIDIA GeForce FX series videocards. The image quality isn't necessarily cutting edge, but for the value that this card offers, it's quite good.
Prelude to Benchmarks
The details of how the S3 Chrome S27 videocard test system was configured for benchmarking, including the specific hardware, software drivers, operating system and benchmark versions are indicated below. In the second column are the general specs for the reference platforms this Chrome S27 videocard is to be compared against. Please take a moment to look over PCSTATS test system configurations before moving on to the individual benchmark results.
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| PCSTATS Test System Configurations |
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Benchmarks: 3DMark05, 3DMark06
3DMark05 is best suited for the latest generation of DirectX9.0 graphics cards. It is the first benchmark to require a DirectX9.0 compliant hardware with support for Pixel Shaders 2.0 or higher! By combining high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, feature tests, image quality tools, and much more, 3DMark05 is a premium benchmark for evaluating the latest generation of gaming hardware.
| 3DMark05 |
| Overall |
Points |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
10905 |
   |
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
9117 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
7390 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
5503 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
6568 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
5921 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
5301 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
3286 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
10245 |
   |
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
9147 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
7696 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
11571 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
6883 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
11161 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
5288 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
3287 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
6425 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
3121 |
   |
3DMark05 results from the S3 Chrome S27 are pretty good bearing in mind its GPU class and cost. It scores in the GeForce 6600GT/Radeon X700 Pro territory. Not bad for a sub $100 CDN videocard.
3DMark06 is the worldwide standard in advanced 3D game performance benchmarking. A fundamental tool for every company in the PC industry as well as PC users and gamers, 3DMark06 uses advanced real-time 3D game workloads to measure PC performance using a suite of DirectX 9 3D graphics tests, CPU tests, and 3D feature tests. 3DMark06 tests include all new HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, SM2.0 graphics tests, AI and physics driven single and multiple cores or processor CPU tests and a collection of comprehensive feature tests to reliably measure next generation gaming performance today.
| 3DMark06 |
| Overall: |
Points |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
4903 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
3976 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
3315 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
2315 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
2220 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
2012 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
1779 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
776 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
4929 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
4314 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
3826 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
5707 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
3406 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
5262 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
2349 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
1461 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
2310 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
1007 |
|
| SM2.0 |
Points |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
2290 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
1810 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
1429 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
911 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
1172 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
1046 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
909 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
370 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
2527 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
1953 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
1726 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
3121 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
1484 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
2764 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
978 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
567 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
919 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
488 |
|
The S3 Chrome S27 does not support Shader Model 3.0, and this is why SM3.0 tests results are not included. The S3 videocard scores worse than the GeForce 6600GT here, but outperforms the Radeon X700 Pro.
Benchmarks: AquaMark 3
AquaMark3 is a powerful tool to determine reliable information about the gaming performance of a computer system. Because the benchmark extensively utilizes DirectX9, DirectX8 and DirectX7 functionality.
| AquaMark3 |
| GFX: |
Points |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
13350 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
12930 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
11847 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
7842 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
11784 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
11307 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
10590 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
7626 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
14133 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
13293 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
12999 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
14184 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
12294 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
14304 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
9792 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
8211 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
12117 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
5619 |
|
| Overall: |
Points |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
84386 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
82691 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
78081 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
58168 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
77590 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
75652 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
72381 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
57131 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
87283 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
83249 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
82343 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
86828 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
79935 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
87649 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
68428 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
60294 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
78227 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
45113 |
|
Overall the S3 Chrome S27 performs quite well in AquaMark, in spite of its budget videocard moniker.
Benchmarks: FarCry
Real-time editing, bump mapping, static lights, network system, integrated physics system, shaders, shadows, and a dynamic music system are just some of the state of-the-art features that the CryENGINE offers. The game was set to Ultra quality and the Ubisoft's Regulator and Training demos were run.
| FarCry: |
| UQ Regulator 1024x768: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
96.13 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
95.85 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
94.06 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
80.21 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
95.87 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
94.81 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
93.49 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
66.45 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
95.54 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
95.8 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
92.12 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
95.62 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
97.69 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
96.3 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
94.88 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
77.55 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
84.23 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
42.55 |
|
| UQ Training 1024x768: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
103.18 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
103.14 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
101.96 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
88.84 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
106.55 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
101.01 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
99.02 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
72.34 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
102.48 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
102.81 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
102.66 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
100 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
102.91 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
100.77 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
99.8 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
84.5 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
96.37 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
66.06 |
|
| UQ Regulator 1600x1200: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
90.28 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
84 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
73.66 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
45.43 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
75.63 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
70.41 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
65.25 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
34.43 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
93.19 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
91.09 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
85.9 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
94.27 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
78.84 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
93.96 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
69.08 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
42.89 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
52.54 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
23.52 |
|
| UQ Training 1600x1200: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
100.06 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
89.1 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
77.98 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
51.36 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
77.14 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
72.09 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
67.52 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
36.75 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
99.34 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
97.43 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
89.01 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
99.55 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
80.94 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
98.52 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
70.83 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
47.64 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
71.43 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
34.28 |
|
At 1024x768 the S3 Chrome S27 actually performs quite well in FarCry, it provides decently smooth framerates. Increasing the resolution to 1600x1200 is a bit too much for this little graphics card to handle as you can see from the results above.
 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory |
Source: Ubisoft |
|
State of the art graphics and sound technology collide to produce the most breathtaking gaming experience on any console. Advanced physics modeling enables rag doll physics, particle effects, and Seamless dynamic environments.
| Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory |
| 1024x768 SM1: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
129.801256 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
111.419705 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
90.835451 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
44.833653 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
86.623737 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
77.372329 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
69.6401 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
39.210549 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
129.534049 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
124.324299 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
107.863931 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
131.000137 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
92.219555 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
130.259482 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
69.111313 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
46.749263 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
96.626367 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
18.101146 |
|
| 1600x1200 SM1: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
81.568295 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
67.228209 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
51.87868 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
25.229916 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
49.760193 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
44.163895 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
39.23512 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
21.21478 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
83.701756 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
78.243382 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
61.509644 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
110.730417 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
50.910363 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
97.669083 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
37.633623 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
24.750879 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
46.761509 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
9.221308 |
|
Noticeably missing are the SM3.0 tests as the S3 Chrome S27 does not support that feature. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is too demanding for the S3 Chrome S27 even at 1024x768 resolutions.
Benchmarks: Doom 3
At its highest setting, Ultra quality, texture sizes pass the 500MB mark which means even tomorrow's videocards will have a hard time running everything. The frame rates in the game itself are locked at 60 fps so anything above that point is wasted. Each test is run three times and with the third run being recorded.
| Doom3 |
| HQ 1024x768 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
131.6 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
129.2 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
116.5 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
69 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
116.9 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
109 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
101.8 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
54.3 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
128.9 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
123.6 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
123.5 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
121.9 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
125.3 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
127 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
112.6 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
92.4 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
116.2 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
40.9 |
|
| HQ1600x1200 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
104.8 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
92.7 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
63.6 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
34.4 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
66 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
58.4 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
52.5 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
25.9 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
118.8 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
106.1 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
97.6 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
117.6 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
87.2 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
118.3 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
70.4 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
47.4 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
79.4 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
19.6 |
|
| UQ 1024x768 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
129.4 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
125.3 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
102.4 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
63.4 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
113.1 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
104.5 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
97.8 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
52.8 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
128.8 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
125.4 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
122 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
121.9 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
121.2 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
124.3 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
111 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
87.5 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
115.3 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
25.9 |
|
| UQ 1600x1200 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
100.3 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
87.5 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
72.8 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
33 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
63.8 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
56.2 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
51 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
21.9 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
117.1 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
106.7 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
96.7 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
118.8 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
84.2 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
116.7 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
69.3 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
46 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
79.7 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
14 |
|
In HQ mode with the resolution set to 1024x768, the S3 Chrome S27 provides decent framerates. If we go above this, the processing load becomes too great for the videocard and its 128MB of GDDR3 memory.
Benchmarks: Quake 4
Quake 4 is the latest shooter from ID and is based on the Doom 3 engine. Tweaked to for more eye candy, Quake 4 promises to be tougher on videocards and systems than its predecessor was. Quake 4 also does not have a 60 fps limiter like Doom 3, with the Ultra setting, graphic textures can surpass the 500MB mark!
| Quake 4 Custom Demo: |
| HQ 1024x768 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
138.7 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
136.5 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
130.1 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
101.7 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
128.6 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
124.3 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
120.9 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
83.9 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
141.1 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
141.6 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
142.5 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
141.8 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
138.6 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
141.8 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
128.1 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
114.3 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
133 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
74.1 |
|
| HQ 1600x1200 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
125.9 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
119.8 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
106.4 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
61.4 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
100.7 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
93.6 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
86.5 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
45 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
134.2 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
128.3 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
124.6 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
137.6 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
120.1 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
136.1 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
93.8 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
70.6 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
111.2 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
44.1 |
|
| UQ 1024x768 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
133.9 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
133.2 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
121.1 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
88.4 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
119.9 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
113.6 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
108.4 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
61.6 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
140.3 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
133.2 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
130.3 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
131 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
129.4 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
131.1 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
113.5 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
96 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
113.9 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
30.8 |
|
| UQ 1600x1200 |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
118.8 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
112.1 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
92.9 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
54.6 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
87.1 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
76.9 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
73.3 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
32.4 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
133.7 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
124.7 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
112.6 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
125.9 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
107 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
124 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
81.3 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
58.7 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
83.7 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
19.5 |
|
As with Doom 3, the S3 Chrome S27 videocard can dish out adequate framerates at 1024x768 when running in high quality mode. Rather impressive considering S3 is not well known for its 3D performance.
Benchmarks: FEAR
FEAR is Sierra's latest first person shooter which relies heavily on DirectX 9 features. With its "Soft Shadows" feature enabled, even the fastest videocards run at a crawl, FEAR is definitely the new benchmark for future FPS games to follow.
| FEAR |
| 1024x768: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
120 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
97 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
81 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
55 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
78 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
73 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
66 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
38 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
127 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
126 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
125 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
125 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
84 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
117 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
62 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
41 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
62 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
31 |
|
| 1600x1200: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
72 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
54 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
44 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
26 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
41 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
36 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
32 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
16 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
71 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
93 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
76 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
51 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
42 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
66 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
32 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
20 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
31 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
15 |
|
| 1024x768 w/Soft Shadows Enabled: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
83 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
57 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
45 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
27 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
39 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
35 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
30 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
16 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
79 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
84 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
55 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
55 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
46 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
32 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
33 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
22 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
20 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
14 |
|
| 1600x1200 w/Soft Shadows Enabled: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
41 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
26 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
20 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
12 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
17 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
15 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
13 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
6 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
37 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
41 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
26 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
31 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
21 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
27 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
15 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
9 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
9 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
6 |
|
FEAR is another very intensive game, and only framerates at 1024x768 can be considered anything near acceptable. Remember all games are set with all the eye candy enabled.
Benchmarks: X3: Reunion
Extensive development has gone into the X³ engine, making full use of DirectX 9 technology, to create dramatic visual effects and stunningly realistic star ships. Coupled with the massively enhanced A.L. (Artificial Life) system, X³: REUNION will present players with an ever changing, evolving universe; where a players actions really can shape the future of the universe.
| X3: Reunion |
| 1024x768: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
67.696 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
66.475 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
62.747 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
53.303 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
61.785 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
59.583 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
54.417 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
38.536 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
69.586 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
67.324 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
66.454 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
66.143 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
62.075 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
61.863 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
49.188 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
34.346 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
35.43 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
23.337 |
|
| 1600x1600: |
FPS |
Ranking |
| Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A |
61.513 |
|
| MSI RX1800XT-VT2D512E |
52.974 |
|
| Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B |
44.988 |
|
| PowerColor X1600 XT |
32.206 |
|
| ATi Radeon X850 XT PE |
42.917 |
|
| MSI RX800XT-VTD256E |
40.086 |
|
| ATi Radeon X800 XL |
35.439 |
|
| PowerColor X700 Pro |
20.934 |
|
| MSI NX7900GTX-VT2D512E |
62.775 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D512E |
52.856 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (Single) |
50.571 |
|
| MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E (SLI Mode) |
50.422 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (Single) |
44.063 |
|
| Asus EN7800GT 2DHTV/256M/OSP/A (SLI Mode) |
43.924 |
|
| MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E |
32.138 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (Single) |
21.194 |
|
| MSI NX6600GT-TD128E (SLI Mode) |
21.489 |
|
| S3 Chrome S27 |
12.721 |
|
X3: Reunion framerates are low on the average, and the S3 Chrome S27 is certainly out gunned with resolutions dialed up to 1600x1200. To be fair, X3 is pretty hard even on high end graphics cards.
So now that we've seen all the benchmarks, where does this leave the Chrome S27 videocard?
Conclusions: S3 got Game?
The new S3 Chrome S27 is no GeForce 7900GTX, nor is it an ATI Radeon X1900 XTX. Rather it's designed to take on videocards that have retail prices in the two double digit ranges.
With a retail price of $91 CDN ($80 USD, £44 GBP) the S3 Chrome S27 videocard is hardly expensive, and is a good fit for users who don't play games but want something with better image quality than an integrated solution will ever offer.
The small PCI Express x16 S3 Chrome S27 videocard is the perfect fit in smaller systems, and for users seeking out an inexpensive videocard with support for Component output. Perhaps ina workstation, or even in a HTPC.
As we saw in the benchmarks, the S3 Chrome S27 videocard has potential within its class, and it did give the nVidia GeForce 6600GT a run for its money on a couple occassions. The S3 card was particularly strong in 3DMark05, Quake 4 and FarCry. It's encouraging to see how well the Chrome S27 videocard performed compared to S3's previous graphics cores.
S3 is definitely back with a concise offering, thanks in large part to VIA. Whether S3 will move on to more than just the entry level market remains to be seen, but its Chrome S27 graphics card is a step in the right direction. Faced with the choice of an Intel-based integrated graphics chipset or popping in a PCI-E videocard like the Chrome 27, the choice is obvious. For about a hundred dollars users will get better graphics that don't drag the rest of the system down, and component output. That is certainly a feature worth investing in if your needs have never involved gaming, fragging, or any of that lexicon. We won't look past the quite obvious point that there are certainly faster videocards on the market from both nVidia and ATI, but for what the S3 Chrome S27 offers, and what it is priced at, the card has a good budget value.
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Link: http://www.pcstats.com/artvnl.cfm?articleID=1948
