ATI All-In-Wonder X800XL
Introduction and Product Specifications
Over the years, ATI's All-In-Wonder series of video cards have been the card of choice for those looking for a complete 3D Graphics card/TV-Tuner hybrid. With little competition and a consistent release schedule of new models, ATI sits atop the all-in-one food chain, with the most popular option available.
We shouldn't ignore the fact that NVIDIA does offer their Personal Cinema line, but the most current model is based on the GeForce FX series of GPUs, which are AGP only and way behind on the performance curve. Additionally, the software package for the Personal Cinema is adequate, but doesn't quite match up to ATI's mature Multimedia Center software. Multimedia Center 9 integrates closely with the All-In-Wonder to bring an ever growing list of unique features to the fray, setting the All-In-Wonder in a class by itself.
Today we are going to review the latest All-In-Wonder to reach the HH labs in the form of the All-In-Wonder X800 XL. The All-In-Wonder X800 XL offers a host of new features, including a refined TV/FM Tuner that reduces power requirements and heat output, while its R430 VPU brings high-end gaming performance all in the same package.
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| Graphics Technology Radeon X800 XL Graphics Processing Unit •400MHz engine •.11 micron •980MHz memory data rate •256-bit memory interface •256MB GDDR3 memory •16 pixel pipes •6 vertex pipes •6.4 Gigapixel/second fill rate •32.8 GB/s Peak Memory Bandwidth •HYPER Z support for HD resolutions including Hierarchical Z, color and Z compression •Hierarchical Z and Early Z •Z Compression •Fast Z Clear •Z/Stencil Cache Six Vertex Engines •Workstation class vertex processing power •600 million polygon transforms per second •5.7 billion vertex shader operations per second •Workstation-class performance System Requirements Requires connection to your PC's internal power supply for operation. A 300W power supply or greater is recommended in cases where several other internal devices are installed Intel Pentium 4/Celeron™, AMD Athlon or compatible with a PCI Express x16 lane graphics slot 128MB of system memory (256MB or higher recommended) Installation software requires CD-ROM drive DVD playback requires DVD drive Interactive Program guide requires Internet connection for listing updates Remote control receiver requires available USB port 1 GHz minimum processor speed for MPEG-2 video capture 3.0GHz or equivalent minimum CPU is recommended for software encoding requirements of Windows Media Center Operating Systems Support Windows XP (Home or Professional) Windows XP Media Center 2005 1 Display Support One display (VGA or DVI) simultaneously connected with a TV or VCR One display (VGA or DVI) simultaneously connected with a VGA display YPrPb output adapter (available in North America) SCART output adapter (available in Europe) TV-tuner Requirements TV signal from amplified antenna or cable. Versions available for: NTSC (North America, Japan and Latin America) Universal PAL/Secam/DVB-T (Europe and International PAL/Secam/DVB-T countries) MulTView requires additional supported ATI PCI TV Wonder card, compatible motherboard and soundcard *Features vary from country to country and depending on the television standard. Note that Latin American countries using the PAL M and PAL N standards including Argentina and Brazil are supported by the NTSC version. Connectors DVI-I and VGA Stereo audio, S-video, and composite video inputs and outputs External stereo connections to sound card's line input and output YPrPb Output adapter (available in North America) |
Warranty 3-year limited warranty Highlights: Watch up to 125 channels on your computer Personal Video Recorder functionality allows users to record programs on your hard drive, pause live TV and resume broadcasts on your schedule Listen to Stereo FM on your PC Gemstar GUIDE Plus+ provides free interactive programming guides to select, schedule and record your favorite shows Control your computer from a distance using your Remote Wonder PLUS or MCE Remote Control** (optional) Easily capture and edit your home videos and burn to DVD's/Video CD Enjoy dual tuner capabilities such as Picture-in-Picture with ATI's MultiView * Theatre 200 video decoder powers your PC with high quality video Transfer high-definition component video output via a YPrPb adapter DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial)portable and mobile TV support in Europe Windows XP Media Center Edition compatible Includes free software: Pinnacle Studio 9 ATI Bonus DVD Gemstar GUIDE Plus+ Muvee AUTOPRODUCER 3D GRAPHIC FEATURES: SMARTSHADER HD Support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 programmable vertex and pixel shaders in hardware SMOOTHVISION HD State-of-the-art full-scene anti-aliasing Enhances image quality by eliminating jagged edges and bringing out fine texture detail, without compromising performance HYPER Z HD 3-level Hierarchical Z-Buffer with Early Z Test Lossless Z-Buffer Compression (up to 48:1) Fast Z-Buffer Clear Z Cache optimized for real-time shadow rendering Optimized for performance at high display resolutions, including widescreen HDTV resolutions Bandwidth-conserving technology removes a key performance bottleneck 3Dc High quality 4:1 Normal Map Compression Works with any two-channel data format VIDEO FEATURES: VIDEOSHADER HD Seamless integration of pixel shaders with video in real time FULLSTREAM video de-blocking technology for Real, DivX, and WMV9 formats VIDEOSOAP noise removal filtering for captured video MPEG1/2/4 decode and encode acceleration DXVA Support Hardware Motion Compensation iDCT, DCT and color space conversion GENERAL FEATURES Comprehensive PCI Express support High performance quad-channel GDDR3 memory interface Windows Logo Program Compliant Optimized for Pentium 4 SSE2 and AMD Athlon 3Dnow! processor instructions |
Retail Package: Overview
The retail package for the All-In-Wonder X800 XL was familiar, with only a few notable differences compared to previous All-In-Wonder offerings. The most obvious change is the newer, streamlined Remote Wonder Plus. Being the third evolution in the Remote Wonder family, the Remote Wonder Plus builds on the previous Remote Wonder and Remote Wonder II's successes while coming in a smaller, sleeker package. A complete User's Manual and Quick Setup guide ship with the All-In-Wonder as well as a Setup CD that includes the necessary drivers. The Setup CD also includes ATI's powerful Multimedia Center 9 and Gemstar's Guide Plus+ software standard. Additionally, Pinnacle Studio 9,Visual Communicator Web and Matchware Mediator 8 are included as well as a discount upgrade voucher for Mediator 8 that knocks $199 off the standard retail price of $399.
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Along with the impressive software complement is an equally impressive collection of hardware and cabling that further enhances the All-In-Wonder's feature set. The package includes both Input and Output adapters, S-Video and Composite cables, FM Antenna, and a proprietary Input/Output dongle. Additionally, ATI provides an HDTV adapter, the aforementioned Remote Wonder Plus, USB Transceiver and two AAA batteries.
