Final Words

ATI took everything that was done right with the AIW 9600 Pro, and carried it over to the AIW 9600 XT. Naturally, the newer VPU means gaming performance is a little better this time around, without sacrificing image quality. The new Remote Wonder II will appeal for those who wish to use card as part of a central entertainment hub, and the increased range of the RF remote will expand your options for the HTPC's placement.

Along with the new remote, ATI has corrected their previous omission of the FM radio antenna. This antenna is now included, and this will save you a trip to the local Radio Shack. I did not test from every room in my house, but the reception was acceptable from our corner office, even when attaching the antenna to an inner wall where I have a number of active power outlets.

For those sweating if the Dual CRT capabilities would be dropped, you can breath easy as the AIW 9600 XT maintained this feature. It's useless for gamers, but for A/V authors and designers, a dual display is a common setup among this crowd. I have never been a fan of ThruView, and I prefer extending my desktop across two screens, and using the TV window on my secondary display while working on my primary.

Gaming performance is excellent, depending on your chosen resolution. 1024x768 resolution is the sweet spot for most of today's action games, and in some cases, with AntiAliasing and Anisotropic Filtering enabled. For Pre-2003 games, 1280x1024 is very playable, though your mileage will vary when AA/AF is enabled. The same can be said for 2004 titles though, and in the cases of UT2004 and FarCry, if multiplayer action is in the plans, I highly recommend 800x600.

Image quality in games is excellent, as we've come to expect from ATI. Texture popups were rare, and only occurred at high resolution with maximum AA/AF (and even then, it didn't happen often). However, I will have to give the nod to nVidia, as some newer games (FarCry specifically) look more realistic and less washed out than it does on the ATI card.

TV and movie playback was very strong, and if you're planning to watch these on a high-res monitor, you'll be very happy. By the same token, I can't really say the same for the TV-Out. Although the TV and movie playback quality is acceptable, the 2D quality is quite weak. It's no worse than what I've seen with other consumer level cards, but I wouldn't try surfing the net from your couch.

The FM-Tuner will still cause issues with small form factor PCs. Considering that a SFF is a popular option for those who build HTPCs, it would be a good idea to investigate in the proper forums if the card is physically compatible with your favorite SFF.

Retailing at about , the price is fair, and in my opinion, worth the money. However, this model does not fall in the same bargain category that the AIW 9600 Pro fell under. There isn't any Half-Life 2 voucher this time, and although the Remote Wonder II is included, the voucher for the remote was included with the previous card. If you can find it, I would still lean towards the AIW 9600 Pro as it has similar gaming performance, lower price and the free HL2 voucher.

That being said, the AIW 9600 Pro is effectively discontinued, so finding it won't be very easy these days. Out of the current crop of multimedia cards, for the best balance of gaming performance and A/V, the AIW 9600 XT is a better option than most.

Pros: Good gaming performance, excellent 2D and good 3D image quality, TV-Tuner, dual CRT display, cables, antenna and Remote II included.

Cons: FM-Tuner will cause problems with some SFF barebone PCs, average TV-Out quality. No Half-Life 2?

Bottom Line: If you already have the AIW 9600 Pro, this isn't an essential upgrade. If you're in the market for a gaming/multimedia card, I would still lean towards the AIW 9600 XT rather than the AIW 9800 Pro. Unless you're a hardcore gamer (in which case a dedicated gaming card may be a better option), the AIW 9600 XT is a better value for the money.

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