S3 Chrome 440 GTX GPU reaches 1,030 MHz

As the name - that seems to be inspired by Nvidia's nomenclature - suggests, the Chrome 440 GTX is the big sister of the 430 GT. The specifications compared:



As you can see, the two competitors have different frequencies and memory types. While the Chrome 430 GT has to use the slower DDR2 with 500 MHz, the Chrome 440 GTX is equipped with the faster GDDR3 memory. Thus the usable memory bandwidth is increased by about 60 percent. The memory interface is still 64 Bit. Furthermore the chip clock speed is increased from 625 to 800 MHz - this actually is a plus of 28 percent. We estimate that this enables the card to run about 50 percent faster.

Chrome 440 GTX: the OC test
The Chrome 430 GT reached a clock speed of 870 MHz. The selected chips of the Chrome 440 GTX do even better: In our experiments the GPU was running stable at 1,030 MHz (+29 percent).

The small chip (only 85 mm²) seems to have huge capabilities. As we already said in our 430 GT review, it is constrained by the tiny memory interface. This limit is stretched by the GDDR3 memory, but it is still there. Our 3DMark results confirm this assumption since the heavy overclocking of the 440 GTX delivers an only 12 percent better performance.


The memory clock speed still cannot be increased with any tool. More results soon.