ATI's X850, X800XL available in weeks

AS HAPPENS in this business, companies are preparing first batch of sample cards for the press, the ones that are suppose to boost its card sales later. Consumers get the next batch.

In this light, one of the Taiwanese companies is doing the last touches to X850XT PE cards. The company has the R480, X850 XT PE chips and it is making the cards as we write.

Samples might be ready either by the end of the week, or in the first week of January. The same goes for X800XL cards based on the 110 nanometre R430 based core. Still, this card might easily slide to the middle or to the end of January we are told. It's new architecture, and a new core so it might come a bit later.

This time it seems that ATI might ship some cards on time for a change. We are still sceptical especially after the delays of 2004. µ