We have already told you that ATI"s updated version of the R300 graphics processor will compete against the GeForce FX-based cards this Spring and it is estimated that ATI"s new code-named R350 VPU will be more powerful compared to NVIDIA"s GeForce FX 5800 Ultra. What we have not told you is that ATI"s R350 is now in production at TSMC, as revealed over here and was confirmed by a source among add-in-boards manufacturers.
Currently there are not a lot of facts known about the actual graphics cards to be based on the novelty. It is logical to assume that the products will be equipped with 128 or 256MB of memory, though, there is no precise information about type of memory utilised on the graphics cards: will it be DDR-II in DDR-II mode or DDR-II in DDR mode or simply optimized DDR SDRAM chips. What I know for sure is that the memory used on such graphics cards will not be clocked higher than with the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra because such chips are very expensive. The R350 powered products will be branded as RADEON 9900 and will be uncovered at CeBIT.