ATI AIW 9600XT

Posted: 2004-07-06 by MikeC

Final Thoughts

The ATI All In Wonder 9600XT is a worthy successor to the AIW line. Everything that has gone right in its predecessors were brought forth and crammed into this card. With the newer core, the AIW 9600XT has become the king of multimedia cards in my opinion.

The ATI AIW 9600XT can easily become the key component for your central entertainment hub, combining DVD, VCD, CD, and file playback with TV and Radio tuning capabilities. With the addition of the Remote Wonder II and it's longer effective range of operation, you can sit back and relaxe while enjoying some great entertainment on your computer from the comfort of your couch.

However, the AIW 9600XT isn't just a video card with one trick. The 3D gaming performance of this card is well defined as well. Not only do the scores show it can hold it's own in most games, but in OpenGL applications, it kicks butt. Scores, however don't really show how much you will enjoy the card, so after taking it to a LAN party, I was extremely pleased with its performance.

Retailing now at roughly $180 USD, the ATI AIW 9600XT will not hurt your wallet too much. Well worth it if you think about the bundled software that is included with the video card. The only thing that would have made it even better would have been a HL2 voucher.

All in all, the AIW 9600XT is a welcomed edition the the AIW line and definately makes its ancestors proud by delivering top notch mutimedia playback as well as excellent 3D performance.

Pros