ATI reveals next-generation graphics chipset

Graphics technology specialist ATI has unveiled the latest addition to its family of products, the Radeon X800, which will give the company a performance edge over rival NVIDIA once more when it ships to retail this month.

The new high-end part features a 16-pixel pipeline running at a clock speed of 520mhz, and will feature 256mb of DDR memory, while a less expensive version will have a 12-pixel pipe clocked at 450mhz.

Followers of the console market are likely to be just as interested in ATI's latest developments as PC developers, since the company is contracted to provide graphics hardware for both Microsoft's Xbox 2 and Nintendo's N5 home consoles.

Although it's unlikely that the X800 will find its way into a console in its current form - the model being mooted for the Xbox 2, for one, features a small amount of embedded on-chip EDRAM and a number of other major architectural changes from conventional PC graphics chipsets - it's certainly a step down the line towards the next-generation console parts.

The new chipsets are being manufactured by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), the same giant chip fabrication firm that has been hired by Microsoft to build chipsets for Xbox 2.

It's expected to ship to retail in the coming weeks, with the high end X800 XT Platinum costing around $499, while the less powerful X800 Pro will cost $399.