Gaming:

Although the X800XT AIW target audience is the multimedia aficionado, ATI didn't forget that they may be gamers as well. The X800XT AIW isn't a stripped down X800XT, if you ask me it's a beefed up X800XT. It uses the same memory, core etc as the normal X800XT but goes a step further to include all of the multimedia features.

I didn't do a "full gaming benchmark" on this card since I wanted to focus on the multimedia features, but I did want to show that you don't have to give up performance for functionality. All gaming benchmarks were done by actually playing games and using FRAPS to record the FPS. Synthetic benchmarks are fine, but I feel they don't give you a true representation of what the card can or can't do. I played all games at two resolutions, display options on high and with different AA/AF settings, 1024 x 768 and 1600 x 1200 both with no AA/AF and with 4XAA/8XAF. When it comes to gaming, people don't buy high end video cards to play at low resolutions with all the eye candy turned off so they were not tested.

Games used were Doom 3, Half-life 2, UT2K4 and FarCry.

I decided to start off the gaming benchmarks with FarCry, it was one of, if not the first "graphics card killers" to be released in the past couple of years and even with the release of games like D3 and HL2 it is still a VERY good test subject due to it's intense graphics and fast paced game play. As mentioned before my benchmarks are from actually playing games. I used Fraps to record FPS. I first played FarCry on a 9600 pro that required all the settings to be toned down quite a bit in order to be playable at 1024 x 768, I was looking forward to seeing the difference in game play. I tried to play thru the same area to test each setting to keep things as consistent as possible. All results are average frame rates for the levels I played on, naturally YMMV depending on level, map etc.

Playing FarCry at 1024 x 768 I don't recall ever seeing the framerates drop below 30, even on intense levels like volcano where there is a lot of movement onscreen. At 1600 x 1200 I had flashbacks of playing on my 9600 pro in some places. The game IS playable at that resolution, but you may need to turn down the eye candy to keep it as smooth as possible.

For UT2K4 I first ran the "benchmark" a few times and got insane FPS, like 190+, I wanted to get actual game play performance so I started up a server, loaded it up with bots and joined in.

There was not a single map in UT2K4 that was unplayable at 1600 x 1200 with everything turned up on high

Half life 2 is one of those games that needs to be played on a good graphics card in order to fully appreciate. I'm not a fan of the actual gameplay (It is still Half-life only with better graphics) but the graphics are spectacular.

HL2 played really well at all resolutions, which isn't surprising to me since it was touted as being built to play on ATI cards. Like FarCry, HL2 is one of the games you have to play at high settings and max details in order to experience the true beauty of the graphics.

Doom 3 is probably the most severe of the graphics card killers put out recently. With textures over 512MB in size (in ultra mode) it will push any graphics card to it's limit.

Doom 3 is kind of odd when it comes to the performance settings, it is such a dark game that using AA/AF or not really doesn't make a whole lot of difference that you can actually see. Sure if you look for it you can see the difference in quality, but some levels will still be unplayable if you insist on running at 1600 x 1200 with everything set to max detail. 1600 x 1200 with no AA/AF was very playable and due to the darkness of the game it was worth it, at least to me to pick up an extra 30-40 FPS.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion:

There are a lot of video cards out on the market as well as a lot of TV tuner/multimedia add ons. ATI have been combining the two for years. Each new release is a step up from the previous, bringing more features, more power and ultimately more performance.

From a multimedia standpoint, the X800XT AIW is an amazing card. Whether it is video editing or creating your own multimedia presentation this card does it all. The features of the card combined with the bundled software make for an outstanding package. The inclusion of the remote wonder II makes this a complete package.

For the gamer the X800XT AIW has plenty to offer, as mentioned before ATI didn't strip down their regular X800XT to make the AIW. All of todays current games played well and if you are a gamer looking for a little more out of your video card, or a multimedia guru that plays an occasional game this is an exceptional card.

Image quality was excellent across the board. When capturing video from an outside source (live TV, VHS etc) there is a small loss in quality, but nothing that in my eyes would be a deal breaker for this card. Watching DVD's or TV picture quality is slightly better on a CRT than on a TV, but again not by a HUGE margin. If you plan on using a television as a monitor you will need to set the resolution for Windows very low in order to be able to read anything in Windows, even at 600 x 400 text is blurry.

All in all ATI has produced a card that appeals to the multimedia crowd AND the gamer crowd. In the past there has been a trade off in performance when it came to multimedia cards, and as of recent high-end ATI offerings, this no longer appears to be the case.

Pros: Impressive all inclusive bundle (software, remote etc.), outstanding performance both gaming and multimedia functions

Cons: AGP Interface limits options.

Bottom Line: Whether you are a gamer looking for a little more out of your video card, or a multimedia enthusiasts that has had to give up gaming performance in the past for a top of the line multimedia card the X800XT AIW deserves a serious look.