ATI R520 delay to boost NVIDIA's sales

DigiTimes writes that NVIDIA's sales will benefit from ATI's R520 delay as more PC vendors like Dell and HP have decided to adopt the new GeForce 7800 series for their high-end PC models which are going to be launched by the end of this year.

ATI is currently revamping the chip design of its R520, said the makers, adding that the company is facing leakage issues, as it attempts to migrates its manufacturing to a 90nm process. The situation is similar to when Nvidia postponed the availability of its 0.13-micron NV30 high-end chip in 2002 due to production issues, the makers pointed out.

While the R520 is delayed ATI may launch the mainstream R530 and entry-level RV515 GPU ahead of schedule. Both chips will be made at 90nm.