Promises, Promises, Promises, but can you deliver on those promises?

Promises, promises, promises: there has been talk of ATI's R520 for so long you may feel that ATI would either never deliver or that the company would simply launch R580 in its place. Regardless whether or not CrossFire is a viable dual card solution with upward mobility, the talk within the community has taken the stance that ATI has delivered "too little, too late." This attitude is due to how graphics enthusiasts have been anticipating something for so long, only to see two product launches that still haven't made their way to local retail or online e-tail shelves.

Today we are faced with the next of a series of promised releases from ATI. Does the X1000 family of graphics processors live up to all of the hype that has been spun around them? With expectations set high, does the consumer end up with what they are looking for or are they only going to be left shaking their heads again in disappointment?

If you are one of the many bleeding edge enthusiasts who must have the latest graphics hardware in your system or are simply a diehard ATI fan, the last 10 months of trekking through the wilderness are now over. Welcome to the Promised Land. This is the beginning of something new for ATI and the efficiency gains look to make a promising future for ATI cards. However, we have mixed feelings about this launch. And while the flagship X1800 XT is one fast card, it does not steal away all of the performance crowns.