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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X3: Reunion
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