Specifications

ATI’s ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XT shares the exact same R420 core that is found on the desktop X800 XT. No compromises are made in performance, as the graphics core shares the same 16 pixel pipeline architecture as the X800 XT running at 500MHz, while the board ships with 256MB of GDDR3 memory also operating at 500MHz.

The X800 XT also incorporates ATI’s 3Dc normal map compression technology, as well as support for ATI’s newer 2.0b pixel shaders. The chief improvement in shader model 2.0b is increased instruction count, which goes from 160 instructions in RADEON 9800’s 2.0 shaders to 1,536 in 2.0b. ATI has also increased the number of temporary registers to 32 (from 12 in 2.0) and added a facing register. We saw the benefits of 2.0b shaders in Part 4 of our 3D Performance with Far Cry series of articles, where enabling the new shader instructions yielded performance improvements of up to 10-20% in some cases.

The ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 XT and ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XT AGP

ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO and ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XT AGP

The lineup

Like the X800 XT AGP, the ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XT is made available for the AGP interface only. So far, ATI hasn’t announced plans for a PCI Express-based X800 XT or X850 XT ALL-IN-WONDER part. This is actually pretty surprising to us considering the multitude of PCI Express products ATI has announced lately.

ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO and ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XT AGP

Another shot of the AIW X800 XT board

ALL-IN-WONDER X800 XT boards will retail for $499, $50 more than a more conventional desktop RADEON X800 XT AGP. When you consider the extra features ATI provides with the ALL-IN-WONDER, such as the FM and TV tuning capabilities, REMOTE WONDER II remote control unit, VIVO, and additional software, this $50 premium is a pretty trivial amount.

Both PCBs are similar in size

AIW X800 XT stands out with purple PCB

Both cards feature single-slot cooling

Just below the AIW X800 XT lies the ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO, whose MSRP has been dropped from $399 to $299. Considering the performance this board delivers, this isn’t a bad price, but with ATI recently selling RADEON 9800 PROs for $199, the premium you pay for AIW functionality is a little higher in comparison to the AIW X800 XT at $100. Just below the ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO is the AIW 9600, which retails for $199, while the AIW 9200 is ATI’s baseline ALL-IN-WONDER product at $149 MSRP. TV WONDER products range from the TV WONDER PRO at $69 to the THEATER 550 PRO-based TV WONDER ELITE at $149. Also priced at $149 is the HDTV WONDER.

Lots of components on the AIW X800 XT board

Nice looking card

On the PCI Express side, ATI’s sole offering is the ALL-IN-WONDER X600 PRO, which retails for $249. The AIW X600 PRO supports many of the same features that are found in the AIW X800 XT, such as DVI and VGA display capability, TV and FM tuning, and ATI’s new silicon tuner…

ATI TV tuning lineup