49 Comments(s). 1 Pages(s). Showing page 1. [ 1 ]

   #34. Posted at 11:40 AM on Nov 22nd 2008, Edited at 11:41 AM on Nov 22nd 2008 Edit   Reply
Ryhadar
"Both apparently have 65nm graphics chips clocked at 625MHz, 500MHz DDR2 memory on a 64-bit bus, DirectX 10.1 support, and the ability to speed up the decoding of H.264, VC-1, and MPEG2-HD video."

Given, I don't know much about how to implement the DirectX API with hardware, but really if S3 can put DirectX 10.1 support in their cards why can't nVidia?
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#34, You can support anything you want on paper. Doing it with ac...  :  just brew it!  (#35)  «
#35, Most likely the GT200 design was completed (or nearly com...  :  RagingDragon  (#38)  «
#38, Why was AMD able to do it then. Both ATi/AMD and nVidi...  :  d2brothe  (#47)  «
#34, Support is one thing. Having drivers is another! Remember the...  :  bfellow  (#49)  «

   #48. Posted at 12:40 AM on Nov 24th 2008 Edit   Reply
YeuEmMaiMai
Diamond card with the S2K on it was the last card i bought from S3, they released a known faulty card lying about it the whole time and that was it. Screw them for being stupid......
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   #41. Posted at 03:45 PM on Nov 22nd 2008 Edit   Reply
Stefan
Why exactly anyone would need 512MB (probably sluggish) RAM on a card with such mediocre performace escapes me. (Same for the 4350.) What games can you reasonably play in high res/high texture detail with this card?
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#41, it's useful if you have a higher resolution screen where pla...  :  DASQ  (#42)  «
#42, Yes, but no. AFAIK the majority of graphics memory during...  :  ludi  (#46)  «

   #3. Posted at 01:11 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
Kent_dieGo
This looks like a very nice home theater PC solution. Too bad it has a buzzy looking little fan. A silent passive heatsink would be a lot nicer.
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#3, I wonder what the drivers will be like (and if they've even ...  :  srg86  (#6)  «
#6, http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Njg3Mg ...  :  Game_boy  (#11)  «
#11, Surprisingly impressive, for their quality, we'll just...  :  srg86  (#12)  «
#11, Again, VIA/S3 is very good at making promises and very...  :  crabjokeman  (#13)  «
#13, "VIA/S3 is very good at making promises and very po...  :  Meadows  (#14)  «
#14, sadly, VIA is exceptionally bad about it.  :  eitje  (#27)  «
#14, Perhaps he has, but S3's years of promises follo...  :  LoneWolf15  (#44)  «
#14, WIth VIA, this goes way beyond "partially". Wth ...  :  ludi  (#45)  «

   #17. Posted at 04:31 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
kravo
Benchmarks please!
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#17, I'm not sure a Chrome has ever completed all the benchmark t...  :  Saber Cherry  (#18)  «
#18, who knows, maybe it'd be up to the challange this time. I...  :  kravo  (#21)  «
#21, It beats the living s*** out of an intel X3100, especi...  :  Meadows  (#22)  «
#22, That matters not unless it can do so stably. S3 has...  :  LoneWolf15  (#43)  «
#18, You can find reviews at Techpowerup & ComputerBase. And ye...  :  Rza79  (#23)  «

   #30. Posted at 05:09 AM on Nov 22nd 2008 Edit   Reply
kruky
S3 was a pioneer in good old days - first gaming card (s3 virge) and first card using texture compression... but i agree that the drivers were always a problem with them. And joining VIA couldn't help in that department (as they had even worse drivers then S3)...

Like kravo said would be nice to have new (old returning ;) competitor on the market but sadly I don't see it happen.
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#30, They don't have the money (or guts) to invest in an enterpri...  :  Meadows  (#32)  «
#32, I'd like to see somebody with money (other than Intel, Nv...  :  RagingDragon  (#39)  «
#39, The things Matrox had going for 'em back in the day we...  :  just brew it!  (#40)  «

   #36. Posted at 12:38 PM on Nov 22nd 2008 Edit   Reply
FireGryphon
Does this mean that I can buy this card and hook speakers up to it somehow?
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#36, Some of the latest home theater systems and audio receivers ...  :  SonicSilicon  (#37)  «

   #33. Posted at 11:39 AM on Nov 22nd 2008, Edited at 11:40 AM on Nov 22nd 2008 Edit   Reply
just brew it!
Until they are able to produce drivers that don't blow chunks, they will not be able to compete, even in the budget market.

It reminds me of the "bring out your dead" scene of Holy Grail -- S3 keeps insisting that they're not dead yet. Who's finally going to whack them over the head and put them on the cart?

A reasonable strategy might actually be for them to aggressively court the Linux community, by opening up their hardware specs. Stable, full-featured, community-supported drivers for a reasonably modern GPU on Linux would give them a leg up. Admittedly it is a niche market; but I think it is a more promising strategy for them than trying to compete with ATI and nVidia in the Windows space.
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   #24. Posted at 09:31 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
TurtlePerson2
Who exactly buys these things? Does anyone know anyone who has a S3 card in their computer?
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#24, i don't have it in my computer, but i do have an S3 video ca...  :  eitje  (#28)  «
#28, I built something on a very tight budget with an S3 savag...  :  Chrispy_  (#29)  «
#24, non gamers buy them, OEM's sell them as optional add ins for...  :  clone  (#31)  «

   #26. Posted at 10:10 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
Xenolith
One scenario I would buy it. Make it a PCI card, fanless heatsink, keep the low profile... would work perfect with my atom processor based computer.
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   #10. Posted at 02:46 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
crabjokeman
S3 needs some help with marketing. The card just doesn't have appeal.

They're not going to sell this card to gamers (unless they make it cheaper), so I'm not sure why they're so worried about advertising DX 10.1 and packing memory on it.

The card might do well as a home theater card, but it's burdened with a tiny, whiny fan. Yuck.

When the Phoronix.com editor wrote S3 about Linux drivers, they made a lot of grandiose claims about a working beta driver... next month. I'll believe that when I see it (S3/VIA rarely follows up on its promises).
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#10, when you disappoint your "loyal" customers by not releasing ...  :  albundy  (#25)  «

   #20. Posted at 05:39 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
Farting Bob
This card might be useful as a HTPC card is it was passive, except for the fact that the latest generation of IGP is good enough for any non-gaming needs. So this (and most cards at the price point) are only good for those with old/nonIGP mobo's who want HD playback.
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   #15. Posted at 03:55 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
sdack
512MB of DDR2 memory at 500MHz on a 64-bit bus ... what is this good for?

If it stands out then because of being the last resting place for a lot of older memory chips and a bottle neck.
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#15, seeming impressive to noobs.  :  moloch  (#16)  «
#15, It's not exactly a bottleneck when you look at the performan...  :  Meadows  (#19)  «

   #9. Posted at 02:37 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
Usacomp2k3
DD Live?
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   #1. Posted at 12:55 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
Beelzebubba9
You mean 4350, right? Radeon 4830 performance for $44 would be quite the bargain. :)
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#1, Indeed, my mistake. Edited.  :  Cyril  (#2)  «
#1, Or just a little bit too much product pride on S3's part... ...  :  A_Pickle  (#8)  «

   #4. Posted at 01:13 PM on Nov 21st 2008 Edit   Reply
bittermann
Wow.....that should rival the TNT2 in most games!
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#4, If played on a TV, 640x480 resolution does not need much of ...  :  Kent_dieGo  (#5)  «
#5, With a 64 bit memory bus I doubt it can play any directx ...  :  bittermann  (#7)  «
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