Watch out NV\ATi!! VIA-S3 are playing for keeps.

[SurfMonkey]

Anybody checked out the press releases for the new S3 series? Looks like they are playing the game for real. They also have a better line-up than nvidia and are touting the worlds first .13u 8 pipeline solution.

DeltaChromeF1: Performance Series
World's first 0.13 micron 8-pipeline GFX engine.
Up to 256 MB of memory.
DirectX 9.0 compatible.
Native HDTV-out
Chromotion Programmable Video Engine

DeltaChromeS8: Mainstream Series
A true 8-pipeline GFX engine.
Up to 128 MB of memory.
DirectX 9.0 compatible.
Native HDTV-out
Chromotion Programmable Video Engine

DeltaChromeS4: Value Series
4 pipelines
The lowest cost DIRECTX 9.0 solution on the market.
Up to 128 MB of memory.
DirectX 9.0 compatible.
Native HDTV-out
Chromotion Programmable Video Engine

One in the eye for nvidia there :)

Check it out here (http://www.savage2k.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=10;t=1)

[volt]

I wonder if they will use 256bit memory interface.

[digitalwanderer]

The line that struck me most was the bit about their low-end solution being TWENTY TIMES CHEAPER THAN THEIR NEAREST COMPETITOR?!? :eek:

I can't wait to see what the high-end ones actually perform/look like, the more players the better....but I'm gonna have to read this story as more bad news for nVidia than ATI. nVidia just pulled the rug out from under ATI with their whole "DX9 for $79", now they just got the rug pulled out from them by VIA-S3.

It's a karma thang, it's all good. The more the merrier and competition is our (by "our" I mean "the consumers" ) friend. :D

I wish I could find some actual hard number prices though...me no trust happy PR talk much anymore. :bleh:

[Sazar]

yes and they also claim 25k 3dmark2001se performance a little while ago...

no doubt these products sound good on paper but I doubt there is cause for concern for nvidia/ati unless they produce good products @ the lower end of the market... and I don't see that happening based on recent releases from the company...

[GlowStick]

Dude the Savage 4 was alredy proclamed the Nvidia Killer.

rember their super advanced texture compression and advanced crap... yeah never worked out but they claimed it was gonna be a killer product ; D

[digitalwanderer]

How come all you folks come crashing down on S3's PR like a ton of bricks, but you accept anything that nVidia spoonfeeds ya like gospel?

I'm not meaning to start a flamefest here, I'm honestly curious. My preferences for my next viddy card are leaning WAY over towards ATI right now I'll admit, but I don't accept everything their PR tells me at face value. (Although I do trust CatalystMaker & sireric when they say something, they're good peeps. :) )

Doesn't that seem like just a bit of a double-standard? :confused:

[Myrmecophagavir]

Where are the previews for this thing? Normally when a card is announced the sites are all over it on the day. Anand, Tom, etc. haven't touched it. Does no-one care about something that isn't Nvidia or ATI?

[Sazar]

Originally posted by digitalwanderer
How come all you folks come crashing down on S3's PR like a ton of bricks, but you accept anything that nVidia spoonfeeds ya like gospel?

I'm not meaning to start a flamefest here, I'm honestly curious. My preferences for my next viddy card are leaning WAY over towards ATI right now I'll admit, but I don't accept everything their PR tells me at face value. (Although I do trust CatalystMaker & sireric when they say something, they're good peeps. :) )

Doesn't that seem like just a bit of a double-standard? :confused:

not really...

if you see the marketing they employ with the actual performance of their cards... you will see why people are not taking them very seriously.. if you also look @ the way they actually do some of the rendering... you will know that the delta chrome is unlikely to compete with the performance of either Ati or Nvidia..

[Uttar]

I believe the DeltaChrome could have an excellent price/performance ratio.
But I don't think it'll have amazing performance.

S3 just doesn't have the resources to backup their dreams.


Uttar

[Sazar]

Originally posted by Uttar
I believe the DeltaChrome could have an excellent price/performance ratio.
But I don't think it'll have amazing performance.

S3 just doesn't have the resources to backup their dreams.


Uttar

unfortunately that appears to be the reality :(

I would love to see the competition... no doubt... but am trying to be realistic as well...

[SurfMonkey]

S3 may not have the capacity to make the DeltaChrome a real killer but VIA have. I thin they may become a little more active now that the nForce is starting to gain momentum and market share.

[SurfMonkey]

Now it looks like SiS is getting in on the action, with an attempt to beat S3 to the first .13u 8 pipeline architecture. But this time with an 8x2 setup. :eek:

All this on 80M transistors?? :confused:

Anyway read about it here (http://xabregamers.dgwh.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=178)

[GlowStick]

Oh yeah, the Xaber, if i rember the reviews of it were pritty bad, it had alot of features, but just coudlnt compete with ati or nvidia.

sorry to say but i expect the same to happen with the delta chrome, although the specs are quite impressive.

they are also useing UMC for their .13, if UMC was close to getting .13 working i get the feeling ATI could have the rv350 producedthere.

; (

[ASCI Blue]

This will be interesting since VIA has massive money to dump into this project lets see if they're smart enough to do multiplatform too.

[The Baron]

S3's never come close to being King of Graphics. Plus, it's the company that put out the Savage 2000.

Let me reiterate. IT'S THE COMPANY THAT PUT OUT THE SAVAGE2000.

Worst. Launch. Ever. Made the 8500 launch look like the GF4 launch.

And don't forget, folks, the Xabre looked good on paper too, as did the Parhelia.

[ZoinKs!]

Originally posted by SurfMonkey
Now it looks like SiS is getting in on the action, with an attempt to beat S3 to the first .13u 8 pipeline architecture. But this time with an 8x2 setup. :eek:

All this on 80M transistors?? :confused: rv350 (http://www.rage3d.com/previews/mobility9600/?page=4) has 60 million transistors with dx 9 hardware plus the mobile version has some other stuff thrown in. Of course, the 9600 is only 4x1.

Is 20-odd million more transistors enough for the XabreII's extra features? I don't know, that's completely beyond me. Iirc, the Xabre made some compromises that sis didn't exactly proclaim before the card shipped.

In any case, with sis and s3 out to compete with ati and nvidia, the graphics market is getting more interesting this year. Now all we need is to add a new Kyro to the mix. (I know better than to expect anything from BitBoys. :eek2: )

[sbp]

S3? Uggh no thanks! :ass:

[StealthHawk]

Originally posted by digitalwanderer
How come all you folks come crashing down on S3's PR like a ton of bricks, but you accept anything that nVidia spoonfeeds ya like gospel?

nvidia has actually delivered with the goods in the past.

S3 has never been the king of the hill, and their 3d chipsets have never been very good.

in other words, who do you find more believable or have more confidence in S3, or nvidia? not to mention that S3 has been out of the high performance game for quite some time, remember what happened to Matrox when they tried to re-enter?

not to mention that underdogs have lately had disappointing products. Xabre(bad image quality, not too hot performance), and Trident XP4(where the hell is it?)

the TridentXP4 must be the most highly delayed chip in history. there were previews over 7 months ago with performance numbers!

[GlowStick]

Id say the winner for products that never are, is BitBoys.

I mean really, if you had a compnay that got a 10 old product just out the door you already beat em ; O

[muzz]

Bitboys ROXorS.......... heheheh:p

[GlowStick]

Bitboys were the first launch a 256mb card, it was back in 1999.............................................. .................................................. .........................


Bitboys are the true power!~

[Darth Rancid]

I wish S3G could give us a sensible release timeframe... Last I've heard was "holiday season"...
Seems rather foolish to start bragging about the chip allready if it is in fact about 8 months away...
But if the chip was close to release I guess they'd show a card up and running to Tom or Anand, or someone... probably Anand since Tom is a long-time S3 hater. :)

Unfortenately, I think we won't see Deltachrome for quite some time yet... and when it turns up, it will be "really low end", "low end" and "middle 'end'"...
I'd say they're making a new Savage4. I mean that as a positive thing, a feature rich card with a low price... that sells like... well.. something that sells well.
Do not forget that Savage4 briefly turned S3 around and made them profitable.

I HOPE DeltaChrome will suprise us all by turning up in early summer and be competitive with R350 in performance and beat it in price and features... but that is probably wishful thinking at its worst. :)

[Uttar]

Originally posted by StealthHawk
TridentXP4 must be the most highly delayed chip in history. there were previews over 7 months ago with performance numbers!

That's the problem: the performance numbers.
Trident betted on a different pipeline approach. And it sounds like it simply doesn't work well. If at all.
I think the XP4 was scrapped. I'd suppose they're working on a refresh, but maybe not. Who knows...

And saying Trident claimed they were going on a 6 month product cycle :D


Uttar

[StealthHawk]

Originally posted by Uttar
That's the problem: the performance numbers.
Trident betted on a different pipeline approach. And it sounds like it simply doesn't work well. If at all.
I think the XP4 was scrapped. I'd suppose they're working on a refresh, but maybe not. Who knows...

And saying Trident claimed they were going on a 6 month product cycle :D


Uttar

you're probably right about the XP4 being scrapped. back in December it was no match for the r9000.

still, the Trident cards were supposed to range from something like $60-$100! i'm surprised that they just didn't release something. they could always have gone the route SiS did and decrease IQ for extra performance ala TexTubro :p

then again it seems like nvidia is pulling the same proverbial rabbit out of the hat with this trick for the NV3x family :mad:

although in all honesty i don't see Balanced(Quality) being that much worse off than Application based on [H]'s review. it did seem like the camera angle used to compare Application to Quality was slightly ajar. although i will agree that Aggressive(Performance) goes too far in sacrificing IQ.

[Darth Rancid]

It seems like S3G are showing something at CeBit.. says so in an annoying little scrolling text at their website... "latest demos"....
Possibly they were only showing videos fo what they claim Chrome will be able to do... but one could hope that they were in fact showing working Chrome Silicon!...