ATI Technologies, a leading designer of graphics processors, said its partners had shipped “thousands” of ATI RADEON X1800 XT graphics boards to various stores across the world. While it is unclear whether there are enough boards, some spokespersons for web-stores claim that the demand for the new products by ATI is “fantastic”.

“ATI is thrilled to announce worldwide availability of the RADEON X1800 XT. We’ve shipped thousands into retailers and e-tailers worldwide, and gaming enthusiasts are enjoying the very best in visual quality, stability and next-generation performance,” said Rich Heye, vice president and general manager, desktop discrete products, ATI Technologies.

“The demand for the Radeon X1800 XT has been fantastic! We have received several shipments from ATI and we are selling out as soon as we place them online,” said Howard Tong, vice president of marketing, Newegg.com online store.

RADEON X1800 XT is currently the highest-end product by ATI Technologies. The graphics processing unit features 16 pixel processors, 8 vertex processor, a brand-new architecture that supports Shader Model 3.0, high dynamic range (HDR) lighting and other innovations. Graphics cards based on the RADEON X1800 XT clock the chip at 625MHz and the memory on 1500MHz.

RADEON X1800- and RADEON X1300-series graphics cards are currently available from retailers and e-tailers including CDW, CompUSA, Fry’s, Monarch Computers, NewEgg, Tiger Direct and RADEON X1600-series is expected to ship later in the fall, ATI explained.