Posted on Wednesday, September 24 2008 @ 20:52 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
S3 Graphics released three ultra low power GPUs for notebooks. The firm claims their new Chrome 400 ULP chips are based on the most power-efficient GPU architecture on the market, using as little as 7W. These new GPUs have DirectX 10.1 support and can play Blu-ray.
Ultra mobile PCs, like the increasingly popular mini-note PC category, are designed to be thin and light so manufacturers could not integrate largely due to the required cooling apparatus. Using less than 7 watts, the S3 Graphics Chrome 400 ULP series graphics processors produce significantly less heat than competitor offerings, enabling the addition of dedicated graphics to mini-note PCs for the first time.
Today’s mobile PCs users are demanding more graphics processing power than ever before. Innovations like the Aero user interface in Windows Vista™ offer a fluid, visually attractive desktop experience that requires a dedicated graphics processor. Hi-Def™ media content, including the latest Blu-ray™ optical disk technology, is continuing to gain momentum while DirectX® 10.1 compatible gaming is also becoming important in the mobile space as notebooks replace desktop PCs in the home. The S3 Graphics Chrome 400 ULP series delivers a compelling blend of features and performance with minimal impact on battery life.
There are three Chrome 400 ULP series SKUs:
Chrome 430 ULP: The S3 Graphics Chrome 430 ULP is the first dedicated graphics processor developed especially for ultra thin and light notebooks. With a remarkable industry-leading TDP of less than 7 watts, the Chrome 430 ULP is by far the most energy-efficient GPU on the market, bringing HD video and DirectX 10.1™ gaming to extreme mobile devices including mini-note PCs.
Chrome 435 ULP: Perfect for thin-and-light notebooks, the S3 Graphics Chrome 435 ULP offers superb performance-per-watt metrics, out performing competitor products by over 40% in benchmarks while using consistently less energy. The Chrome 435 ULP offers users a superior visual experience without sacrificing battery life.
Chrome 440 ULP: The S3 Graphics Chrome 440 ULP takes mobile graphics performance to new heights. With up to 60% better performance than its competitor equivalent, the Chrome 440 ULP delivers true HD 1080p media playback, including dual-stream Blu-ray or Blu-ray Picture-in-Picture (PiP) support which coupled with DirectX 10.1 gaming performance, makes it ideal for desktop replacement systems.
