ATI confirms R580 for January or February - sort of

R580, ATI's new high-end graphics processor based on the X1000 architecture has not been quite what one would call a secret for quite some time. The question really was when ATI would ship the boards carrying the chip. However, ATI's CEO David Orton, recently told investors that the company would launch the processor during the second fiscal quarter, which ends on February 28.

While the R580 continues to be based on the X1000 architecture that already is used for the X1300, X1600 and X1800 units, the graphics processor is expected to provide a substantial jump in performance.