A graphics card that allows watching and recording TV programs and listening to your favorite radio stations, besides running 3D computer games? ATI Technologies answers “yes” with its All-In-Wonder family of graphics cards.

The family features the entire spectrum of GPUs – from value to top-end solutions. And they all have one thing in common – All-In-Wonder cards are all equipped with a high-frequency unit for receiving television and radio signals, thus transforming your PC into an all-purpose multimedia center.

At the end of the last year, we reviewed one such card, the GeCube All-In-Wonder 9600 PRO. That product was based on the RV350 GPU, which was later replaced by the RV360. The new version of the core can work at higher frequencies due to the improved low-k tech process. So, ATI Technologies and its partners revised their assortment and complemented it with the All-In-Wonder 9600 XT. Of course, we can’t wait for any revelations from this product, but let’s take a look at it anyway.

GeCube ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 XT: First Impressions

You may remember the All-In-Wonder 9600 PRO device we reviewed in the last year. It was manufactured by GeCube, a member of Gigabyte Group. The All-In-Wonder 9600 XT comes from that manufacturer, too. Unlike its ancestor, this card came to us in its gorgeous retail attire, with the Remote Wonder control included in the package. The box is painted in GeCube’s standard style: red, black and gold tones. The picture is too traditional for the company – a daemon or some other fantasy creature.

The box contained all the necessary cables, adapters and splitters as well as CDs with drivers and CyberLink PowerDirector 2.5 ME. Instead of the game (Delta Force: Black Hawk Down used to be included), we have a remote control called Remote Wonder and an antenna for receiving radio waves. Like the All-In-Wonder 9600 PRO, the new model doesn’t support DVI-interfaced monitors directly: the splitter only has two ordinary D-Sub connectors at the other end. This is not a disaster, but still an annoyance for the owners of TFT panels with the digital interface. The violet-color commutation unit is responsible for the attachment of external video and audio sources; its cable is well-screened and flexible.