Is the ATI X800XT AIW worth buying for $333?

[jelifah]

I noticed today that NewEgg has the ATI X800XT AIW for sale for $333, after a $50 rebate. Wasn't this card $500 a few months ago?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102492

I'm currently running a BFG 6800OC, notice the lack of GT. I have a few VHS tapes that I've been wanting to capture, I'd like to record radio and some tv, and thought that the above price for the AIW is awesome! Especially considering the fact that I think I would be able to sell my current card for $150-$200, and I won't be switching off AGP anytime soon

So my questions are:
Hhave the driver problems for this card been resolved?
Would anyone who has this card recommend it?

Thanks in advance

 

[NeoV]

no

add a Hauppage WinPVR card

AIW is junk, trust me

 

[gac009]

its got the old video chip in it, the same one from the old 9600 AIWs. thats why it dosnt cost a whole lot.
I saw a benchmark comparing the 9600xt AIW and the x800XT AIW and the 9600xt actually edged it out.
Personally I think it is a very nice card with bonus AIW capabilites and it cost less than a regular x800XT whip performs very well in benchmarks.
I would consider it if I had the same needs as you.

 

[kef7]

I upgraded from a 9800 PRO AIW to a X800XT AIW a few months back and have had no major issues. FM tuner reception is poor but I'm not sure what the culprit is.

Not sure what driver issues you are referring to but by the time I got around to installing mine there was new drivers available online so I never used the included driver disc.

 

[jelifah]

Hey gac009:

Why are you saying in one sentence that you saw benchies showing the 9600 AIW comparable to the 800 AIW, and then your very next sentence says it performs well in benchies? Which is it?

kef7:
Some complaints on Newegg reiews, as well as a Website review, referred to problems with the drivers, but later reviews say the new drivers seemed to be working better.

*shrug*

And NeoV blew up my excitement for getting this card I suppose I'm mainly basing this purchase on the fact that for an extra $200, if I can sell my old card for $150, I get a much better graphics card, and video capture. Where the Haupage is $130 just for video capture.

 

[Creig]

Originally posted by: NeoV
AIW is junk, trust me

Originally posted by: jelifah
And NeoV blew up my excitement for getting this card

Never trust somebody who simply says "Trust me" without backing it up with some sort of proof.


Hot Hardware X800XT AIW Review - 9 out of 10

ATI's latest All-In-Wonder is an excellent addition to an already impressive line-up of very capable multimedia and 3D gaming cards. With the All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XT, ATI has implemented a handful of new features including a silicon TV tuner, a new purple and gold color scheme, and DVI output. The AIW X800 XT is also equipped with the latest version of ATI's input / output dongles, which makes customizing the connector configuration extremely simple. If you don't plan to use the HD component inputs / outputs, for example, you simply don't have to plug them in, which helps eliminate unnecessary cable clutter. This latest All-In-Wonder also happens to be equipped with the fastest GPU and memory of any other AIW card released to date. And even with all of the extra functionality offered by the multimedia features, the All-In-Wonder X800 XT ($499 MSRP) is priced only $50 higher than a standard Radeon X800 XT.

The only things that detract from the All-In-Wonder X800 XT's appeal is the slight lag that we experienced when switching between TV channels and the fact that this card is only available for AGP. The channel-changing lag didn't hinder our overall experience with the card, however. Also we're fairly certain many of you that haven't made the jump to PCI Express just yet won't mind that the All-In-Wonder X800 XT is an AGP card. The single-slot form factor, and complete software bundle also contribute to the overall value of this product. The All-In-Wonder X800 XT succeeds on many different levels; we're giving this card a solid 9.5 on the Heat Meter and a much deserved Editor's Choice award.

(note - I believe the latest drivers have removed the channel changing lag)


Rage 3D X800XT AIW Review - 5 out of 5

Conclusion

While the All-In-Wonder X800XT doesn't offer anything really new over previous All-In-Wonder cards as far as multimedia features go, it doesn't have any of the short-comings of the All-In-Wonder cards that came before it either. In fact, I consider All-In-Wonder X800XT an amalgamation of all the good bits of previous All-In-Wonder cards without any of their obvious shortcomings. It features dual-display support with DVI, excellent 3D performance that is at least 2 to 3 times faster than the All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro (rivaling that of the fastest 3D cards on the market), is small enough to fit in a HTPC or SFF case, and with the new RCA audio out jacks it's extremely easy to connect to a Home Theater system.

There will be other, more affordable variations of the All-In-Wonder X800. ATI has already announced an X800XL version which will feature a 400MHz core clock and 500Mhz memory that should be out soon, and there will also likely be X800 and maybe an X800SE version as well. The only thing that hasn't been mentioned so far is a PCI-Express version. If what I'm hearing is true, then these will be the last All-In-Wonder's on the AGP bus. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your point of view, but there are some very interesting things that ATI can do with the additional bandwidth provided by the PCI-Express bus.

Obviously delays like ATI has been forced to work through over the last year are unacceptable. A company doesn't make money by not shipping product, and it can't build on a loyal user base by failing to live up to their promises. The All-In-Wonder X800XT was beginning to look like it was never going to appear and users were starting to grumble loudly. ATI decided to face the wrath of those users however and delayed the part long enough so that they could get it right. After looking at the card it seems to have been the right move; the All-In-Wonder X800XT is closer to perfection than any All-In-Wonder has ever been before it.



And about your $333 price at Newegg, if you search around you'll find that you can get this card through Dell Small Business for $422.95 - 25% off coupon (last day is today, Weds July 13) = $317.21 - $50 rebate = $267.21 + tax/shipping after rebate.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/Prod...71&first=true&page=productlisting.aspx

 

[zendari]

If you need the AIW features its a great buy.

 

[ZobarStyl]

I would suggest the 96.99 (shipped) PVR-150...AIW solutions are neat if you just are adding it on in an initial purchase, but if you're going to spend 200 bucks minimum and your main justification is video input, I would say the stand-alone card is a much better idea. I personally have one after first having a VIVO card, and I'm much happier to be able to upgrade as needed without losing functionality and also the quality is much nicer, although AIW's aren't bad. Just my 2 cents.

Edit: unless of course you are getting it for dirt cheap, then go for it.

 

[Munky]

I think the OP wants the card primarily because of it's 3d performance, which would be a big improvement over a 6800, and the aiw feature is just the icing on top of the cake. Plus the fact that it's cheaper than the non-aiw version, and with all the discounts going on, it sounds like a sweet deal. Actually I'm very tempted to buy one myself now...

EDIT:Yup, just bought it... $336 from dell, before rebates. Looks like the 9800p is going up for sale.

 

[HDTVMan]

Nah. Always prefered seperate cards to a AIW.

AIW usually dont overclock well either without messing up the Tuner portions timings.

 

[jelifah]

Thank you so much!

Placed the order, free shipping!

 

[Creig]

No problem. Glad I could give you some useful info plus save you a few $.

 

[RollWave]

its a GREAT card. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tuteja1986]

See if you can get X800XL All in wonder because i heard it was faster than X800XT but i could be wrong.

 

[gac009]

Originally posted by: jelifah
Hey gac009:

Why are you saying in one sentence that you saw benchies showing the 9600 AIW comparable to the 800 AIW, and then your very next sentence says it performs well in benchies? Which is it?

I said I saw an article where both the 9600 AIW and the x800xt AIW were compared to each other. I mentioned this since they both use the same chip for their tv tuner and that when they were compared the 9600xt AIW actually come out on top, barely. I am only speaking in terms of the AIW functions being benchmarked.

 

[JBT]

Originally posted by: tuteja1986
See if you can get X800XL All in wonder because i heard it was faster than X800XT but i could be wrong.

your wrong.

 

[Valkerie]

Get it if you want:

a new GFX card
AIW capabilities
no PCI's slots available

If you just want a Radeon alone, get a cheap one at www.monarchcomputer.com
but don't get the $333 card if you just like AIW for the heck of it.

 

[Busithoth]

I've been eyeing this deal for a while, and think I'm going to pick one of these up.
that's a reversal from their past strategy (I've had AIW8500DV, 9700ProAIW) the 8500DV was the hobbled version (slower core/mem speed)
I've also read people's results from overclocking these cards past XTPE speeds.

as soon as that OT paycheck comes in next week, I think I'm going to get one of these bad boys.

 

[rbV5]

The AIW X800XT is far from junk, its the cream of the crop and a very good value for the performance at that pricepoint.

Even though the Theater 200 chip is not ATI's newest multimedia chip, its 12 bit ADC's and advance hardware filtering make it > than the vast majority of the rest of the TV solutions in the market. It has a decent software package for multimedia stuff, and X800XT 3D performance at a somewhat "bargain" price. The extra features are a huge bonus.

I've never heard of overclocking affecting multimedia performance unless perhaps improving shader performance slightly which may give a slight boost to some video shader functions (never noticed myself), or maybe running the AGP too far out of spec. If you are overclocking to the point of affecting multimedia functionality, its not the only thing affected negatively.

 

[jelifah]

Card arrived last night! Due to family stuff I could only open the cardboard box and stare at the beautiful shrink-wrapped box. Hopefully tonight I can perform the swap.

Again my wallet does a big fat thank you to Creig. You saved me $50 just by taking the time to post the info.

$287 - $187 for old card, on eBay, means a jump from the BFG 6800 to an ATi x800xt AIW. whoa

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: zendari
If you need the AIW features its a great buy.

 

[TurtleMan]

I bought the card, was reading about that the memoy is underclock, so I was wondering has anyone overclock it up to 600mhz ?

 

[Snakebitten]

My memory overclocked well but my core wouldn't budge much.

I'm running 510core, 555memory. Seems to be my sweet spot.

I've heard many other people getting better overclocks on their X800XT AIW so I think mine was just one of the unlucky ones.

 

[Busithoth]

I haven't tried to overclock mine yet, but I'm pretty amazed by the difference in HL2 from the 9800XT to this. Worth the scratch paid, I think. (that means the next-gen cards are coming out in a month, right?)

now for the 2405...