Introduction

The lexical definition of a utopia is an ideally perfect place. My own interpretation of that would be a world where everyone is given an All-In-Wonder 9700 to satiate their gaming needs. Unfortunately, that’s also a far cry from reality – at $450 a pop, only the affluent and smart savers will be able to snag one. ATI’s All-in-Wonder family is diverse though, so those interested in the card’s flexibility should be able to find one that fits the budget.

Of course, the All-in-Wonder 9700 resides at the top of the product family, followed by the 8500 and 8500DV versions. ATI’s All-in-Wonder 7500 occupies the bottom rung of the multimedia ladder, delivering mainstream 3D performance and TV-On-Demand.

Unfortunately, if you own a PC without an AGP port, none of these cards will work, as they are offered only in AGP configurations. As gamers, we might take AGP graphics for granted, but there are still plenty of platforms that feature integrated graphics rather than AGP expandability. Intel’s i845GV is one example and many of the motherboards based on SiS' 651 are also AGP-less. In fact, ATI claims that 36 percent of video card sales in September consisted of PCI devices. With such a large market, surely there would be demand for the features of an All-in-Wonder card. Enter the All-in-Wonder VE.

Don’t be surprised if ATI’s All-In-Wonder VE doesn’t ring a bell. For the first time in a while, the Canadian firm has forgone the fanfare that accompanied its prior products. But just because you may have not heard of the value-oriented VE doesn’t mean the card isn’t worth a look.

ATI All-In-Wonder VE

Powered by the RADEON™ 7500 graphical processing unit

PCI interface

64MB DDR memory

THEATER™ 200 provides exceptional video quality viewing during live TV and video input and capture

Stereo TV tuner with 125 channels

TV-ON-DEMAND™: Pause live TV, record broadcasts, and video playback

Integrated Gemstar GUIDE Plus+™ for scheduling and recording TV programs

THRUVIEW™ allows for translucent viewing of TV - never move your TV window to get to your work again

Pinnacle Studio™ 8, ATI Version, allows for ease of creation for personal video masterpieces