ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon X1800 XL

Performance Summary: The All-In-Wonder X1800 XL performed well throughout our entire battery of benchmarks. When no additional pixel processing was used, the XFX GeForce 7800 GT we tested as a reference point had superior performance in the majority of the tests, but the two cards were much more evenly matched when anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering were used. When AA and aniso were enabled simultaneously, the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL and XFX GeForce 7800 GT put up similar numbers, with the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL performing better in the Direct3D tests and the GeForce excelling in the OpenGL tests.

We couldn't help but be impressed by the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL. ATI has taken the already powerful Radeon X1800 XL and equipped it with all of the multimedia functionality that has made their All-In-Wonder product line a success over the years. The card's performance in many of today's popular games may not have overwhelmed its main competition, the GeForce 7800 GT, but performance with anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering was nonetheless very good. Even though there are more powerful graphics cards out there from a pure gaming standpoint, the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL is unmatched in terms of overall features. Simply put, this card can run any game you throw at it with more than acceptable framerates, while offering an unsurpassed assortment of multimedia, TV and video functionality as well. The All-In-Wonder X1800 XL is arguably the most feature-rich video card produced to date. Couple that with the new software bundle what includes some popular applications form Adobe and Gemstar's Guide+, and ATI has an obvious success on their hands. Further sweetening the deal is the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL's MSRP of $429. This card isn't cheap by any measure of the word, but it's only marginally more expensive than the standard Radeon X1800 XL that debuted with an MSRP of $449 only five short weeks ago. ATI also claims that cards will be shipping to retailers today, so hopefully we'll see prices drop below MSRP relatively quickly, as they did with the standard Radeon X1800 XL. We really liked the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL and are giving it a 9 on the Heat Meter.

_Feature-Rich
_Excellent Multimedia Capabilities
_Single Slot
_Promised availability very soon
_Only marginally more expensive than "standard" Radeon X1800 XL
_Fastest All-In-Wonder Yet
_Remote Wonder Plus
_Adobe Software Bundle
_Free Guide+
_Geforce 7800 GT offers better overall gaming performance

 Get into HotHardware's PC Hardware Forum Right Now!


Tags:  ATI, Radeon, x1, 180
Marco Chiappetta

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com

Related content