Pixel Shader Performance

The strange slowdown with the version 1.4 shaders may be due to some software problems ?the shader compiler from S3 seems to need some more polishing-off. Otherwise the new GPU performs well, especially when executing long pixel shaders. The Chrome S27 is faster than its competitors even at running per-pixel-lighting shaders. Well, it can all be explained by one fact ?even if the 8 pixel pipelines of the new chip are not as efficient as those of the GeForce 6600 and RADEON X1300, this is well compensated by their sky-high frequency of 700MHz.

Version 1.1 pixel shaders are not a cutting-edge technology anymore, yet the Chrome S27 can execute them quickly enough. It is not any worse than the GeForce 6600 and, in high resolutions, than the RADEON X700.