Digital Trends

ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XL

November 1st, 2005 | by Ian Bell

Gaming Performance

Because the AIW X800 XL uses the same GPU found in the X800 XL gaming card, the performance is nearly identical. We were able to crank the graphics up to 1600x1200 resolutions with at least 2X AA turned on in most games. The card did fine in our Half Life 2 tests at a 1600x1200 resolution with 2X AA on, but really struggled with Doom 3. So you can expect the AIW X800 XL to output playable frame-rates with most of the older games at a high resolution. For most of the newer games like Battlefield 2, you will have to lower the resolution to 1280x1024 to get fast frame rates. The X800 XT still provides better gaming performance as does the Nvidia 7800GTX, so if gaming is your primary concern and you have some cash to burn, you can always buy a gaming card and then add the ATI HDTV Wonder and TV Wonder Elite separately. But really, the All-In-Wonder X800 XL excels as a good multimedia bundle. Click on the performance tab and link found above and below this review for benchmarks.

Conclusion

While the ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XL doesn't provide anything that is truly revolutionary, it does take an evolutionary step forward — if a small one at that. We were very disappointed to see that this card is missing the famed Theater PRO 550 chip and that a HDTV tuner is missing as well. The real purpose of an All-In-Wonder card is to put everything into a single package. Video editing and an older TV tuner really shouldn't be a reason to replace your older AIW card. Buy the ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XL for its gaming processor. And if you have money to burn, wait a short while the for the next-gen AIW cards to debut and you might be rewarded nicely.

If you are truly interested in the AIW X800 XL, make sure to compare prices first, you should be able to get the XT version which includes a faster GPU and HDTV cables for nearly the same price.

Pros:

-          A fairly complete multimedia solution

-          Powerful graphics core

-          Large software package is included

Cons:

-          Uses an older decoder chip

-          No HDTV tuner included

-          Only supports analog broadcasts (not compatible with satellite or digital cable)

-          Guide Plus+ looks and feels very outdated

-          The ATI Media player looks and feels outdated