ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro: put more zip in your video.(Product/Service Evaluation)

Is your computer's video engine a Yugo or a Lamborghini? Does the video on your computer monitor lag as you change from one program to another? Do you need more resolution, more zip, more oomph from your computer video? Maybe it's time you added a new video card.

It's dot difficult. Most new computers have a video card located in either a PCI or AGP slot on the computer motherboard. Essentially, it's just a matter of opening up your computer, pulling out the old card, replacing it with the new one, and then installing the new software. Even if you have a budget computer that uses video from a chip on the motherboard, you should still be able upgrade to a newer and faster video card that uses either the PCI or AGP bus slot.

Not only can a new video card make watching video on your computer screen more vibrant and realistic, top-of-the-line video cards can also add features, such as quicker refresh for game playing, support for multiple monitors, video capture for video editing, as well as Personal Video Recording (PVR). PVR capabilities (found in products like TIVO and Replay) not only allow you to watch and record television on your computer but also provide time-shifting and online television-guide types of features.

There are numerous makers of add-on video cards out there, including companies like Matrox, nVidia and ATI. In this article, we will look at the new ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro, maybe the most powerful (and most expensive--$449 list) add-on video card on the market. Unlike most video cards, the 9700 Pro is available for both Windows and Macintosh computers.

What's So Wonderful About it?

The ATI All-In-Wonder Pro is the top of the line of ATI's video cards and is designed for those who are interested in an ultimate multimedia experience on their PC. According to ATI, this includes people who enjoy the benefits of a high-end performance graphics card by playing video games, making and editing movies, watching television, …