The Radeon 9000: A Cut Above The Rest
Written: Dec 24 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great graphics, good resolution, and vibrant colors.
Cons: Multiple displays are a difficulty.
The Bottom Line: This card is well worth it for the gamer, mediaphile, or geek-of-all-trades. If you need it, buy it. If you don't, stick with the Radeon line nonetheless.
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| dokool's Full Review: ATI RADEON 9000 PRO, (128 MB) AGP Video Card |
For a long time, I have been a proud user of ATI products. Starting with the ATI All In Wonder 128 (with the Rage chipset), I eventually upgraded to the All In Wonder Radeon. As somebody who uses his computer for a plethora of tasks, from gaming to web surfing to video editing, I needed a card that was both powerful and versatile.
After a hard drive disaster, I was forced to upgrade many of my components after fear of a motherboard burnout. As I was under the impression that my AIW Radeon had been lost in the incident, I looked to purchase a new graphics card. My Pinnacle Studio 7 board meant that I no longer required a TV tuner, so I was looking for a card that could work well with video (especially MPEG2) as well as look good for games. Eventually, I walked out of the store with the Radeon 9000, 128MB version.
Installation
Installation for the Radeon is as would be expected for any video card. Take out your old AGP card, pop in this one, close the case. Windows XP automatically detects the card and installs drivers. After that, one should go to ATI's website at www.ati.com and make sure you have the latest drivers.
Basic usage
Colors genuinely seemed brighter as I used my computer after installing the Radeon. Since I'm home for the holidays, I decided to experiment. The Radeon offers two ports, one for a standard monitor and one for a digital flat-screen monitor, plus RCA video-out. I happened to have my flat-panel monitor and my old CRT monitor, so I plugged both into the card. After some fiddling with settings (which was frustrating, but possibly because of my Creative Dxr3 card), I had dual displays. With this, my desktop is extended onto both monitors. I can have two windows open at the same time, move icons and folders from one side to another, and so on. This makes using programs such as Adobe software easier, as I can keep all of the toolbars on one monitor, and keep my workplace on the other.
Gaming
Unreal Tournament 2003 flies on this card. The game would definitely have not played this well on my All In Wonder Radeon. As the UT2K3 engine is the new "standard" for gaming, even having been used for the America's Army game, it would be wise for gamers to buy a card that can handle it. With UT2K3, I was able to put all of the video settings at their highest, with no lag.
Software
ATI's software is easy to use, from the file player to the DVD software. The drivers also come with Hydravision, which I haven't had a chance to use. In the taskbar utility, you have the option of rotating the view, which means that you can literally make the screen turn upside down. A great prank to pull on a friend, but very disorienting.
Intangibles
The built-in MPEG2 Decoder performs admirably, and TV-out is a useful feature. Drivers are easy to configure, and the card supports OpenGL and others. 128MB of VRAM is a good thing.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 125
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Epinions.com ID:
dokool
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Member: Danny Orlowitz
Location: Melrose Park, PA
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 0 members
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