ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON, (32 MB) PCI Video Card
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- Graphic Processor: ATI RADEON
- Card Interface: PCI
- Compatibility: PC
- Installed Memory / Technology: 32 MB (DDR SDRAM)
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Like A Nice Sharp Swiss Army Knife
Pros
Great gaming as well as TV, DVD, and DVI support
Cons
ATI's spotty driver history, GeForce2 Ultra faster in games
Recommended it?
Yes
ATI has long been known for video cards that delivered numerous features but only mediocre performance. In July 2000, this all changed when ATI released the Radeon chipset, a graphics crunching monster that could challenge nVidia's GeForce2 GTS. With the release of the All-In-Wonder Radeon, ATI now has a product that provides a unique and unmatched combination of performance, DVD decoding, and digital TV.
The All-In-Wonder Radeon provides excellent gaming performance through several technologies:
1) Hardware Transform and Lighting (T&L) - Right now, this feature doesn't do very much, but software developers are producing games that will take advantage of it. T&L promises to free up CPU power for more frame rates and improved AI.
2) 32 MB DDR-SDRAM - Today's games require incredible memory bandwidth for fast frame rates. DDR, or Double Data Rate technology, allows SDRAM to transfer data on the rising and falling edges of a clock cycle, effectively doubling bandwidth.
3) "Hyper-Z" - This proprietary ATI technology reduces the memory bandwidth bottlenecks. Normal video cards uselessly render thousands of polygons that a person can't see - for example, the back of a rock, or parts of objects hidden by a rock. Hyper-Z prevents some of this wasteful rendering, thus allowing the card to render faster and with more detail.
All but the most rabid of gamers should be satisfied with Radeon's performance in games such as Quake 3 and Unreal tournament. The only caveat of this card's performance is rather lackluster 16-bit color performance. Users of this card should play games in 32-bit color, where the Radeon blows away most competitors in sheer speed.
One other issue concerning gamers may be ATI?s past driver support. ATI has traditionally had terrible driver support for its video cards, resulting in products that did not perform as well as they should have. ATI has promised to be timelier with Radeon driver updates ? but only time will tell if they can deliver or not.
Gaming features aside, the Radeon All-In-Wonder features ATI's TV tuning technology and DVD decoding. The TV tuner can display television signals directly to your monitor, and a TV-Out socket is included should you want to watch on a large television screen. ATI's TV software also enables you to record TV shows in MPEG-2 format. As a final selling point, the Radeon All-In-Wonder supports DVI (Flat panels/Digital monitors).
ATI finally has a card that can do EVERYTHING well! The Radeon chipset delivers GeForce2 level performance in gorgeous 32 bit color, and the on board TV tuners and DVD decoders ensure that you won't have to buy additional add in cards for all your multimedia activities.
For those of you who absolutely must have every frame possible, a GeForce2 Ultra may be a better alternative. But for those of you who want a host of features as well as great performance, the Radeon is a surefire winner.
The All-In-Wonder Radeon provides excellent gaming performance through several technologies:
1) Hardware Transform and Lighting (T&L) - Right now, this feature doesn't do very much, but software developers are producing games that will take advantage of it. T&L promises to free up CPU power for more frame rates and improved AI.
2) 32 MB DDR-SDRAM - Today's games require incredible memory bandwidth for fast frame rates. DDR, or Double Data Rate technology, allows SDRAM to transfer data on the rising and falling edges of a clock cycle, effectively doubling bandwidth.
3) "Hyper-Z" - This proprietary ATI technology reduces the memory bandwidth bottlenecks. Normal video cards uselessly render thousands of polygons that a person can't see - for example, the back of a rock, or parts of objects hidden by a rock. Hyper-Z prevents some of this wasteful rendering, thus allowing the card to render faster and with more detail.
All but the most rabid of gamers should be satisfied with Radeon's performance in games such as Quake 3 and Unreal tournament. The only caveat of this card's performance is rather lackluster 16-bit color performance. Users of this card should play games in 32-bit color, where the Radeon blows away most competitors in sheer speed.
One other issue concerning gamers may be ATI?s past driver support. ATI has traditionally had terrible driver support for its video cards, resulting in products that did not perform as well as they should have. ATI has promised to be timelier with Radeon driver updates ? but only time will tell if they can deliver or not.
Gaming features aside, the Radeon All-In-Wonder features ATI's TV tuning technology and DVD decoding. The TV tuner can display television signals directly to your monitor, and a TV-Out socket is included should you want to watch on a large television screen. ATI's TV software also enables you to record TV shows in MPEG-2 format. As a final selling point, the Radeon All-In-Wonder supports DVI (Flat panels/Digital monitors).
ATI finally has a card that can do EVERYTHING well! The Radeon chipset delivers GeForce2 level performance in gorgeous 32 bit color, and the on board TV tuners and DVD decoders ensure that you won't have to buy additional add in cards for all your multimedia activities.
For those of you who absolutely must have every frame possible, a GeForce2 Ultra may be a better alternative. But for those of you who want a host of features as well as great performance, the Radeon is a surefire winner.
