Thursday's Daily Hardware Buys

USA
ATI All in Wonder - AIW - cards have been unrivalled for years now. It is a shame and rather disturbing that Nvidia cannot put forward a whole range of all-rounding video cards that can challenge the hegemony of the AIW cards. Allstarshop is selling an OEM version of the ATI AIW Radeon 9700 with 128MB and free shipping for only $199 - about £92+VAT, while Newegg.com has a AIW 9600 model for only $142 - about £66+VAT. Although it does not come with a remote control and is almost two years old, the AIW 9700 card still offers outstanding value for money outweighing the ATI's current midrange 9600 series.

It incorporated new and existing technologies like TV-On-Demand, TruView, VIDEOSOAP, FULLSTREAM and VIDEOSHADER, all of which improved user experience substantially. With 128MB DDR memory, the AIW 9700 supports Microsoft DirectX 9.0, AGP 8X, and uses THEATER 200 for stereo and video decoding and processing.

The AIW9700 integrates a digital tuner allowing you to view up to 125 tuners. Memory clock is 270MHz while core clock is 325MHz but can be overclocked to 325/385 respectively. Capturing directly in MPEG-2 can be done in real time. Although it supports only one monitor, it has both video in and TVO. The card also comes complete with a Composite Cable, an S-Video cable, an ATI I/O connection block and a power cable connector.

This card is so impressive that FiringSquad gave it its highest graphics card score at that time and said of it "you can't deny that the ATI ALL-IN-WONDER 9700 PRO is the ultimate graphics card on the market right now. It's got all the performance, even more features, and is priced competitively. ATI has really outdone themselves with this graphics card."

The AIW9600 is part of the newer AIW generation and is sandwiched between the highend AIW 9800 and the entry level AIW 9200. The card on sale at Newegg features 128-bit 128MB DDR memory, compared to the wider 256-bit memory path of the 9700 but does integrate all of its features including the famed THEATER200. Clock speed and memory speed are higher though at 325MHz and 400MHz respectively.

Accessories are aplenty: Wireless remote control, Scart adapter, USB remote receiver, Output adapter etc. It is a retail version as compared to the previous card. With CATV/Video in amd Out, dual monitor support, external sterero connections to Sound card's line in and out, SPDIF stereo audio outpu, the card is well endowed. Reviewers at Newegg have been able to overclock the 9600 AIW up to 400MHz and 500MHz for the core and memory respectively. PRO and XT versions are clocked to 400MHz/650MHz amd 525MHz/625MHz respectively.

It is advisable to upgrade either for omegadrivers or ATI catalyst drivers. Don't forget that AIW also require some specific ATI drivers. This version of the 9600 does not feature a FM tuner - XT and PRO versions do or the Remote Wonder II and is manufactured by ATI. Although performance was midrange, earthweb admits that "the card is a great value and a great way to turn a plain-vanilla PC into both a fast game station and home entertainment center". µ

France
At ldlc.com, we can find the cheapest new AIW money can buy in France. The Sapphire THE BEAST All in Wonder 9200SE features a full 128MB memory, AGP8X and twin monitor support, SVideo, Composite and DVI I/O. It also features a TunerTV and Pinnacle Studio 8SE video editing software as well as two cables. At €159 - around £73+VAT, it is not that cheap but comes with some interesting features including TV and DVD features like TV ON DEMAND, VIDEOSOAP and others as covered in the Radeon 9700.

But the Radeon 9200SE is a sloth by today standards. Although it does support DirectX 9.0, performance is pretty dismal, slightly higher than a GeforceMX 440 and well below a GeforceFX 5200 for example. This is due mainly to its low clock speed 250Mhz for core and 400 for memory. As usual, to get the best performance, don't forget to bypass the drivers provided and get yourself the latest catalyst drivers available.

If you can afford to "lose" one PCI slot, then buying a Radeon 9800 Pro and a dedicated TV Tuner will cost you less than buying an All in Wonder 9800 Pro. However, you cannot deny that ATI has succeeded in providing a very integrated and well designed overall product range. At €369 - £170+VAT, in ldlc.com, the AIW 9800 Pro - Sapphire THE BEAST All In Wonder 9800 Pro retail version- is the most powerful of the AIW series until the AIW X800 comes around. It features a 380MHz core and 340MHz memory speed. The latter is 256-bit wide as compared to the 128-bit found on some Radeon 9800SE. With twin monitor support, S-Video, COmposite and DVI connections, you have more choice than ever for display. µ