ATI's All-in-Wonder 9200, 9600, and 9600 XT - Wal-Mart dabbles in a bit of ATI
by Andrew Ku on May 17, 2004 12:05 PM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
ATI's All-in-Wonder 9200 - Wal-Mart takes the bait
Of course, with the biggest retailer from coast to coast picking up All-in-Wonder cards to sell, this is no small news. And as expected, ATI is making as much out of it as possible. Considering the sheer selling capacity of Wal-Mart, it comes pretty much expected that they choose ATI over NVIDIA and others. After all, the All-in-Wonder line has proved tried and true (granted with some trial and error), but it also means that ATI has the benefit of experience, maturity, and recognition to leverage.Since Wal-Mart sells products to the value-oriented buyer, it really comes as no shock that the All-in-Wonder 9200 is the only card of the line that they have plans to shelf currently. Plus, the alternative choice to the All-in-Wonder, the true king of multimedia, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, is way too expensive, considering the type of products that Wal-Mart traditionally sells in large volumes.
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Considering the fact that ATI is going to enjoy the sales push of the Wal-Mart Corporation, they were more than willing to rework the retail box a bit for this special hallmark. Note that ATI has a "window view" in the back side of the package for prospective buys to get an idea of what they are actually getting.
Click to enlarge.
This is as much practical as it is for aesthetics. Going into any Wal-Mart store and walking up and down the aisles, you are bound to come across open boxes, due to curious people wanting to find out what is inside. Computer components are more expensive than your average box of crayons, so this helps Wal-Mart shows customers what they are getting and avoids them sending back "damaged" inventory.
Click to enlarge.
Because it is a more price-target product than ATI's All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, it utilizes a VGA port instead of a DVI-I. ATI drives the price of the All-in-Wonder 9200 down even further by departing from their tradition of including a version of Remote Wonder with their AIW card. The only things included with the card are the manuals, drivers, software bundle (Pinnacle Studio 8.0 and Matchware Mediator 7.0), video in cable, video out breakout box, and a 50% off coupon for Remote Wonder to be purchased through ATI.
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PerfMan - Thursday, May 20, 2004 - link
Article says 9200 is not DirectX 9... but Walmart link says it is DirectX 9... So which is it?vedin - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - link
Oh, and I agree with the other guys..Wally World blows chunks for trying to buy anything for a computer other than if you REALLY need to have a CD/DVD drive or something RIGHT THEN. Well, they're decently priced on media too. umm...that's about it.vedin - Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - link
I hate to nitpick but..I just saw this..."Yes, it is on red PCB, but this is one of those aesthetics that helps give the allusion that it is worth more than..."
You guys mean "Illusion" right? I ask because I didn't find a story that was meant to compare or explain anything in the article.
Revolutionary - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 - link
bpt8056 said:But one thing that bothers me about Wal-Mart is that the consumer actually believe that they are buying computer components at a value price when they're not. I just walked into a Wal-mart nearby and they were still charging $178 for a GFX 5200 Ultra. The Radeon 9200 AIW was going at $149.
It's not just Walmart that pulls that crap. Almost every brick-and-mortar is up to that game. Go to Staples sometimes, ostensibly a purveyor of technology products, and look at their selection. The local here in Fairfax, VA (not small-town-USA) still sells Rad8500s for $159. The same is true of OfficeMax and Office Depot, and most Circuit City and CompUSA stores although the latter 2 usually offer the latest tech, just at huge premiums. (rant: BTW, CompUSA is for tools. They haven't offered a good deal, ever.)
bpt8056 - Tuesday, May 18, 2004 - link
I understand that the average joe at Wal-mart probably never understands computer components. But one thing that bothers me about Wal-Mart is that the consumer actually believe that they are buying computer components at a value price when they're not. I just walked into a Wal-mart nearby and they were still charging $178 for a GFX 5200 Ultra. The Radeon 9200 AIW was going at $149. Ouch!ChuckvB - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
How about a little more information on the "HDTV addin" We've all heard about the HDTV addin card coming from ATI but why will it only work with 9600 and above. I assume this is a pass through setup like other HDTV cards so why would the main card matter?darkjedi1066 - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
as far as windows in packaging goes, EVGA puts windows in theirs and Visiontek makes transparent plastic boxes, EVGA's are for content verification and Visiontek's are just cool to look at.It was a light slap at 5200 Ultras, Asylum was singled out because it was once (still is?) a Wal Mart Vendor...however, I had a Visiontek Radeon 9100 that would run neck and neck with a 5200U and cost 30% less...
WalMart doesn't always get it's way with vendors' pricing, either....ever noticed your favorite Coke or Pepsi product is usually cheaper at the local 7-11?
BTW, was there any criticism of BFG when they were a walmart vendor? I've seen 3DFx VooDoo5500s, PNY gf4ti4200's, 5200s and 5600s by BFG...XFX is selling low-end GF2MX400s and GF4MX4000's at the Wal Mart's in Tennessee ...they have windows in the boxes, too.
Oglethorpe - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
Sorry about the duplication. Still learning the login process.It is valid to bash Wal Mart I think. Wal Mart makes demands on its vendors. Asking ATI to put a window on the packaging is not the end of Wal Mart's special requirements. They are known to demand cheaper prices, which initially makes the vendor more efficient, but later makes them cut into their quality.
ATI might have to turn into a two tier operation, one tier to compete on quality against Nvidia, the other tier to produce cut rate for Walmart.
Oglethorpe - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
nserra - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
Here is another ATI market. Multimedia Card's.Graphics chips market:
Multimedia - Best Ati.
Notebook - Best Ati.
Desktop Low end - Best Ati/Nvidia.
Desktop Middle end - Best Ati.
Desktop High end - Best Ati/Nvidia.
Professional/Workstation - Best Nvidia.