ATi All In Wonder Radeon 9600 XT
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Before wrapping thing up, we overclocked the All-In-Wonder 9600 XT too see just how high we could take it before we started to see visual artifacts on-screen. In the end, we were able to crank the core and memory clock speeds way above their stock values, to 568MHz for the core and 720MHz (360MHz DDR). These speeds were respectively 8.2% and 10.1% higher than the stock core (525MHz) and memory clock speeds (650MHz). We re-ran the Gun Metal benchmark at 1280x1024 to illustrate the benefit of our overclocking efforts and saw a significant jump in frame rate. It wasn't quite enough to catch the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, but it came pretty darn close!
Simply put, the ATi All-in-Wonder 9600 XT is great product. Its got all of the features of the All-In-Wonder 9600 Pro it is replacing, plus it ships with an FM antenna and the excellent Remote Wonder II. It's core and on-board memory are also clocked at significantly higher speeds - which equates to much better gaming performance. The bundled software makes it easy to take advantage of all of the card's multimedia features, without the need to spend extra money on third-party programs. And ATi has consistently been updating their Multimedia Center software to incorporate new features and fine-tune the interface. Couple all this with the fact that the All-In-Wonder 9600 XT can already be found at multiple on-line resellers for under $260 and ATi's got a very enticing product on their hands. We think this card is the perfect compliment to a home theater PC, as it offers excellent image quality, and great frame rates especially when running at the lower resolutions necessary to play games on a TV. About the only thing holding us back from giving this card and Editor's Choice award is fact that the much faster, yet discontinued, All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro can be found at roughly the same price point. The AIW 9700 Pro doesn't offer dual-monitor support, an FM tuner, or the Remote Wonder II though, so weigh your options carefully before deciding which All-In-Wonder is right for you. Should you opt for the All-In-Wonder 9600 XT, we're sure you won't be disappointed. We're giving this product a solid 9 on the HotHardware Heat Meter.
