ATI All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro: Multimedia Refresh
by Andrew Ku on October 16, 2003 11:38 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
ATI's All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro
As the name implies, the All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro is based on the Radeon 9600 Pro, but compared to past AIW cards, the AIW 9600 Pro takes a few strides that we haven't seen before.Traditionally, ATI has tried to match the wits of an AIW card to its graphics only counterpart, as the AIW uses the same graphics processor unit. Recently, the clock speeds for AIW cards have been able to keep up with the clock speeds of graphics-only cards. Now though, for the first time, we see an AIW surpass the clock speeds of its counterpart. While the Radeon 9600 Pro is clocked at 400MHz core clock and 600MHz memory clock (effective), the final clock of the All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro was at 400MHz core clock and 650MHz memory clock (effective). The 50MHz memory clock increase seems to be the result of time that ATI has taken to go over and tweak out the remaining juice, something that wasn't originally planned. The result is performance that will run between the Radeon 9600 Pro and the Radeon 9600XT, though definitely leaning toward the former than the latter.
Click to enlarge.
The AIW 9600 Pro also features a new analog tuner from Philips, which has become dual purpose. The tuner still maintains its TV functionality, but now adds FM tuner support for stations between the ranges of 87.5MHz and 108.0MHz.
Because of dual monitor support, ATI has been forced to rearrange the connector layout scheme. Considering the alignment of the TV tuner, it would have been impossible to place two display outputs (DVI and/or VGA in any combination) and I/O ports on a single slot. For this to be accomplished, ATI would have had to use a riser for a two-slot design, similar to what ABIT has done with their OTES cards. Though this would be considered bulky and odd for the mainstream market, the other option was to redesign the I/O layout. VGA and DVI are outputs, so naturally, combining this with the traditional output connectors into a single cable makes perfect sense. By this method, ATI is able to keep I/O cables separate and still make room for the tuner — in this case, the TV and FM tuner.
Click to enlarge.
The All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro uses a new video out interface that is secured via screws, which we preferred over the clip method that we saw on the first batch of Personal Cinema 2 cards. Component output is supported by the VGA to YPrPb component adapter, which needs to be separately purchased. The All-in-Wonder 9700 Pro and 9800 Pro are the only All-in-Wonder cards that will be equipped with in-box component adapters.
Click to enlarge.
A/V input still comes via the traditional purple breakout box. Meanwhile, the Theater 200 chip, which we looked at in our ATI All-in-Wonder 9700 preview and review, continues its life cycle in the All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro.
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Anonymous User - Friday, October 17, 2003 - link
Your prices are alittle off, I bought my AIW 9800pro a month ago for 370 at newegg, thats alot different than the 449 you listed.Anonymous User - Friday, October 17, 2003 - link
#14... from what I have heard, the AIW 9600 Pro should perform similar to the 9700.Also, has anyone actually put this card in a Shuttle mini? I'd like to know before buying one.
Anonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
AT should take notes from tweaknews.netAnonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
Heres a much more in-depth review we would of expected from AT. It has benches and detailed look at the bundle, which the AT article lacks. It is much more enthusiastic than the Andrew was.[L=Tweaknews review of the 9600 AIW]http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/aiw9600pro/[/L]
Anonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
Why did Andrue fail to mention that besides the great bang for the buck, there is also the same coupon for free copy of HALF-LIFE 2 download once the game is released. And this is for the FULL game, with multi-player. And also their is a free upgrade coupon for the newer Remote Wonder 2.0. Of course for both of these you have to pay shipping and Taxes, but this adds even more value to an already 'Steal of a Buy.' And the article seems kind of lukewarm feeling, for the 9600AIW. And yes, seeing new gaming benchmarks is kind of necessary as the AIW version of the card is not clocked the same speeds as the standard 9600 Pro.I would love to have this card, BUT....... I have a Power Color 9700 NON-pro, and I don't think I would want to take the performance hit going with the 9600 core. Now I get 16,010 3DMark2001SE and 4480 2003 Marks; and this is all for my card that is not OCed at all running @ 277/270 speeds. But my 2.4c P4 is OCed to 3.07Ghz, so maybe this inflates my 3DMark scores a bit.
But If I had to get a new Video Card today, I'm 99% sure I would get the 9600 AIW, you just can't beat the value you get with this card. I guess the only downside for me is that I don't have cable, so I would have to hook up a old school 'Rabbit Ears' type antenna. (Would this even work, or do I need cable only for TV functions?)
Still one of the best products ATI has ever come out with, a much better value than the 9700 or 9800 AIW's And thats my lengthy $0.02
Anonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
The card is more than just a Radeon 9600 Pro with multimedia features. The AIW 9600 Pro runs at 400/650 while the Radeon 9600 Pro runs at 400/600. FiringSquad benchmarked the card and found it to be a few percentage points faster than the Radeon 9600 Pro.http://firingsquad.com/hardware/ati_all_in_wonder_...
The card does fit into Shuttle XPC cases, as well as other small form factor cases.
Anonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
This card kicks arse! ATI is the coolest company on the planet!Anonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
any of the aiw 9600 ever come with dvi, i love my lcd monitor, and got it because i have a dvi out ,mmm dvi need dviAnonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
#7 No, the AIW 9600 pro will not fit in Shuttle XPCs in particular because the positioning of the FM connector conflicts with the AGP/PCI support bracket on the back of the chassis. This issue was first noted online by another site, The Firing Squad, and I confirmed via email with ATI Tech Support that this is an issue. I guess you could cut the bracket, insert the card, then solder/weld the piece back on, but those that don't want to mess around with their cases are currently out of luck.It's possible that the card may fit in non-shuttle XPCs, I think the MSI Mega was mentioned, but I'm not familar with other brands SFF PCs.
Anonymous User - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - link
#7 I don't know, but would like to. I read on a link to another site that I believe was in HardOCP's daily news section that it would not. The FM antenna would not allow the card to be placed in the slot. They even had pictures, however, it didn't look like they were trying very hard. Then MaximumPC came out this week recommending it for a Shuttle XPC entertainment center. They even described how to install it with pictures included. I tend to trust MaxPC over whatever site tried this.