After being quiet for a little while and letting main competitor NVIDIA release their next-generation part first, ATI has finally unveiled the new Radeon X800 series boosting 16 pixel pipelines and 6 vertex pipes (12 pixel pipes for the Pro version).
No doubt ATI has taken a little longer to show a solid product that can keep up with the impresive GeForce 6800, a more polished product as well, using a single-slot cooler, more stable drivers and as a matter of fact, ATI has announced the immediate availability of the X800 Pro in stores, the card will sell for $399, while the XT is expected to ship by the end of the month ($499).
Review links: Anandtech, TechReport, KHardware, Hexux, Neoseeker, HotHardware, GamersDepot.
It's going to be a very interesting race, both NVIDIA and ATI chips are running closely, especially in the performance department, with pros and cons going back and forward, it's my best guess that the final product package and price/performance value will ultimately define what's the best thing to get.