Looks like S3 might actually not be dead.
Their website was just completly overhauled and they are propping a DirectX 9 solution which looks decent on paper (just like Savage2K did!).
This seems to be the Columbia chip which has been in development for some time. Early speculation on the Columbia chip specs were (from Savage2K):
8 Pipelines / 1 texture per pass
300-400MHz core
300-350MHz memory
DX9 - VS v2.0 PS v2.0
0.13u
All the details on the S3graphics site are missing, but Savagenews and Savage2K have additional details.
I haven't read the whitepapers but a quick summary from Ty at Savage2K is :
From this info though, it looks like this core is on par with ATI's R300 at least when it comes to 3D rendering features. However what may be overlooked are the incredible video and DVD capabilities of the core. Per-Pixel deinterlacing and motion compensation sounds very interesting, as does its HDTV capablities. It seems to me that these features will fit in very well with VIA's vision of Hi-Fi computers and set-top boxes.
Perhaps interesting for HTPC buffs. S3 has has a horrible track record of getting their parts into desktop cards, and their software support has been less than decent... but it's always interesting to see additional competition (if it materializes).
Their website was just completly overhauled and they are propping a DirectX 9 solution which looks decent on paper (just like Savage2K did!).
This seems to be the Columbia chip which has been in development for some time. Early speculation on the Columbia chip specs were (from Savage2K):
8 Pipelines / 1 texture per pass
300-400MHz core
300-350MHz memory
DX9 - VS v2.0 PS v2.0
0.13u
All the details on the S3graphics site are missing, but Savagenews and Savage2K have additional details.
I haven't read the whitepapers but a quick summary from Ty at Savage2K is :
From this info though, it looks like this core is on par with ATI's R300 at least when it comes to 3D rendering features. However what may be overlooked are the incredible video and DVD capabilities of the core. Per-Pixel deinterlacing and motion compensation sounds very interesting, as does its HDTV capablities. It seems to me that these features will fit in very well with VIA's vision of Hi-Fi computers and set-top boxes.
Perhaps interesting for HTPC buffs. S3 has has a horrible track record of getting their parts into desktop cards, and their software support has been less than decent... but it's always interesting to see additional competition (if it materializes).
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