ATI's X1800 XL All-In-Wonder: Performance and TV in One Package

Final Words

The X1800 All-In-Wonder is supposed to hit shelves today, and we suspect that some will have been waiting anxiously to get a hold of one of these cards. What we have here is a very unique graphics card that combines high-end 3D performance with multimedia capabilities. The different features available like TV recording/editing, as well as the Tivo-like interactive programming with Gemstar's GUIDE Plus+ are nice, and little extras like the Thruview feature, which let you watch TV in the background while doing something else on your PC add to the package.

We were particularly pleased with how easy it was to have everything installed and working so well without hardly any confusion about how to use the different features of the card. Setting up this type of graphics hardware might well seem daunting to someone without much knowledge in multimedia hardware, and the fact that this is not the case here is one of the reasons we liked this product as much as we did. The simple plug-and-play aspect of the X1800 XL A-I-W would be reason enough for some to appreciate this card in spite of the price.

The X1800 XL A-I-W is not for everybody though. With about a $430 retail price, it isn't cheap, and regardless of what the market does, it will always be more pricey than a standard X1800 XL. Whether the features of the A-I-W are worth the extra price is very difficult to determine, even after the card has been on shelves for a while. If you are a gamer, and want the best performance possible, but you also must have the ability to watch and record TV on your computer, then this card has everything you need and will have you watching in no time. However, if you are more interested in the TV capabilities of the card and don't care so much about high-end gaming performance, then the one of the older, less powerful multimedia cards might be more suitable.

For a TV focused PC who's primary use will be at the center of a home theatre, a full media center PC would be a better fit than just shoving an A-I-W card in the box. This is the kind of solution for someone who mainly wants to use their computer as a computer with a little TV functionality on the side in a window on a computer monitor or recording shows in the background to archive them or watch them later.

This card is fairly specialized and as we said, whether it will ultimately be worth the price once it's been on the shelves is subjective and therefore depends on the consumer and his or her needs. The X1800 XL All-In-Wonder is almost like having two separate types of cards in one neat package, and the fact that it's specialized will obviously add to the cost. But the features it claims are all there and accessible, and with regard to video and graphics, All-In-Wonder is more or less a fitting name for the product. It's true that this card doesn't break much new ground on the video and graphics side of things, but having this level of graphics power for gaming in an All-In-Wonder card is a first and will add to the desirability factor. There are other solutions for watching and recording TV on your computer, and many will be forced to pass on the X1800 XL A-I-W because of the high price. But for those lucky enough to be able to afford it, they will find it more than acceptable for gaming and multimedia solutions.