ATI’s R420 likely to use .13 micron process

AN EARLIER ARTICLE about the R420 has led people to wonder whether ATI’s cunning response – codenamed Loki – will use a .11 micron process. But we think not.Last year Nvidia was shouting to the hilltops that its NV30 wunderkind would be made using .13 micron architecture, contrasting it with ATI’s failure to create the R300 using this process.

But as time went on, Nvidia realised that the .13 micron process wasn’t mature enough and that led directly or indirectly to the FX5800 Ultra debacle.

However, the NV35 now known as the FX5900 Ultra is a 0.13 part and Nvidia now finds it’s not too hard to produce those using the .13???μ part.

ATI, too, has successfully started to make the RV350 – the Radeon 9600 Pro and Amateur – using this process.

ATI told us last year before its R300 was released that it had made the chips using .15???μ technology simply to avoid nascent problems.

We’re pretty confident that ATI will use 0.13???μ for the 420, purely as it’s familiar with this process and can deliver the necessary frequencies and performance using this manufacturing method.

News Source : Inqurier