Boards based on the as-yet-unannounced Radeon X1900 XTX graphics chip went on sale in Japan this weekend, confirming past claims that ATI will launch its next-generation R580 GPU this week.

According to Japanese-language site PCWatch, the ATI-manufactured board contains 512MB of GDDR 3 memory and supports the company's CrossFire multi-GPU technology.

The box proclaims the part to be "the world's fastest consumer GPU". It costs ¥82,900 ($719).

A note inside the box says that CrossFire configurations require a 550W power supply "with 38A on [the] 12V rail" and two six-pin PCI Express power connectors. On its own, the 1900 XTX requires a 450W/30A PSU, the note states. The card itself is a two-slot part with a pair of DVI connectors and an S-video port. A sticker on the card says the board supports video-in and video-out.

The appearance of the card in at least one Japanese stores follows the leaking of a board last week allowing for the first benchmark tests to be run on the GPU. A report on website DailyTech claimed ATI will announce three Radeon X1900 configurations: the X1900 CrossFire Edition, the X1900 XT and the X1900 XTX, all based on the 90nm, 48-shader R580 chip. ®