For full review with detailed benchmarks go to : Inquirer
We won't go much into technical detail but we will try to address explain what is new with the R580 chip. ATI made a completely new chip and it is not simple a speeded up R520. It is, however, based on R520 marchitecture and it is very much a like the R520 but it has more pixel Shader processors. The R520, Radeon X1800 XT has sixteen pixel pipelines and R580 is no different. They both have eight Vertex Shader units as well. The R580-based Radeon X1900 uses the same memory controller that has internal 512 bit ring but, in reality, the memory controller is 256 bit as it is supporting 256-bit memory.
The only difference is that the R580, Radeon X1900 generation card has 48 pixel Shader processors while R520 has 16. This means it can do all pixel Shader intensive operations up to three times faster. This is a theoretical number and once you see the scores you will see that R580 is actually faster than R520 in almost every game and benchmark but of course not even close to three times as faster.
The R580 has more Arithmetical logic units and has more transistors, 384 million to be precise, and it is a little big bigger than the R520.
ATI slightly changed its clock speeds. Now the card works at 650MHz and the memory has been upped by 50MHz and is set to 1550MHz. The card looks exactly like a Radeon X1800 XT, it has the same cooler and you can not really tell the difference.
Conclusion
Finally, for a change, it is rather easy to judge this card. The Radeon X1900XTX is a good step forward in ATI's development and it does kick Geforce 7800 GTX 512 in the performance nutz. It won't kill it stone dead but it scores faster in almost every single game or scenario. It is specially faster in very important FSAA 4X and 8X Aniso as these are the settings that someone who buys such games should be playing at. It is a simple choice: if you are not an Nvidia fanatic and you prefer to have the fastest card around the Radeon X1900XTX should be your choice. If you are the proud owner of Geforce 7800 GTX 512 card you are fine you still have a very good card, a good competitor to ATI's X1900XTX but not a faster one. The Radeon X1800XTX is behind those two but it can still give you a nice performance.
We know that Nvidia is working on its G71 but it is not yet announced. This one might turn out even faster than the Radeon X1900XTX. It all depends on Nvidia's clocks and Nvidia's yields and at this point no one can tell how those two things will go.
Obviously, Nvidia now knows what it is up against and it will fight furiously to win its crown back. Nvidia likes crowns as maybe its CEO thinks he is a king. In that case I know a lot of princelings/ executives. Nvidia is working hard on G71, possibly named Geforce 7900 GTX or something, but until it announces it but until Nvidia manages to get its crown back, the Radeon X1900XTX is the fastest card around. As simple as beans.
We won't go much into technical detail but we will try to address explain what is new with the R580 chip. ATI made a completely new chip and it is not simple a speeded up R520. It is, however, based on R520 marchitecture and it is very much a like the R520 but it has more pixel Shader processors. The R520, Radeon X1800 XT has sixteen pixel pipelines and R580 is no different. They both have eight Vertex Shader units as well. The R580-based Radeon X1900 uses the same memory controller that has internal 512 bit ring but, in reality, the memory controller is 256 bit as it is supporting 256-bit memory.
The only difference is that the R580, Radeon X1900 generation card has 48 pixel Shader processors while R520 has 16. This means it can do all pixel Shader intensive operations up to three times faster. This is a theoretical number and once you see the scores you will see that R580 is actually faster than R520 in almost every game and benchmark but of course not even close to three times as faster.
The R580 has more Arithmetical logic units and has more transistors, 384 million to be precise, and it is a little big bigger than the R520.
ATI slightly changed its clock speeds. Now the card works at 650MHz and the memory has been upped by 50MHz and is set to 1550MHz. The card looks exactly like a Radeon X1800 XT, it has the same cooler and you can not really tell the difference.
Conclusion
Finally, for a change, it is rather easy to judge this card. The Radeon X1900XTX is a good step forward in ATI's development and it does kick Geforce 7800 GTX 512 in the performance nutz. It won't kill it stone dead but it scores faster in almost every single game or scenario. It is specially faster in very important FSAA 4X and 8X Aniso as these are the settings that someone who buys such games should be playing at. It is a simple choice: if you are not an Nvidia fanatic and you prefer to have the fastest card around the Radeon X1900XTX should be your choice. If you are the proud owner of Geforce 7800 GTX 512 card you are fine you still have a very good card, a good competitor to ATI's X1900XTX but not a faster one. The Radeon X1800XTX is behind those two but it can still give you a nice performance.
We know that Nvidia is working on its G71 but it is not yet announced. This one might turn out even faster than the Radeon X1900XTX. It all depends on Nvidia's clocks and Nvidia's yields and at this point no one can tell how those two things will go.
Obviously, Nvidia now knows what it is up against and it will fight furiously to win its crown back. Nvidia likes crowns as maybe its CEO thinks he is a king. In that case I know a lot of princelings/ executives. Nvidia is working hard on G71, possibly named Geforce 7900 GTX or something, but until it announces it but until Nvidia manages to get its crown back, the Radeon X1900XTX is the fastest card around. As simple as beans.
...hope this triggers a price war...
hyeah: 
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