The AIW X1900 puts in a strong showing here, edging out the 7800 GTX

The value proposition for the All-In-Wonder X1900 is quite good, all things considered. The card's performance in 3D graphics matches up well against NVIDIA's GeForce 7800 GTX, and the GTX is currently selling at online retailers for about $489. At $499 list, the AIW X1900 looks like a steal by comparison. The only reason I can think to buy the GTX instead is if you hope to upgrade in the future to a multi-GPU config; the GTX can do SLI, but the AIW X1900 can't participate in the ATI's CrossFire scheme. Beyond that, all of signs point to the All-In-Wonder X1900 as the smarter choice. Not only can the AIW pump out fluid 3D graphics and gaming at high resolutions for that price, but it also packs a TV tuner, all manner of video input and display options, a programmable RF remote control, and software to tie it all together. These extras and the video card would almost certainly cost more if they were purchased separately (although that's a very theoretical argument until ATI delivers a less expensive version of the Radeon X1900.)

The AIW 1900 also moves the overall AIW concept ahead with the addition of ATI's latest GPU, the incorporation of the Remote Wonder Plus with its superior button layout and Windows Media Center mappings, and the inclusion of Adobe's Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements. All of these things represent progress for a product line that's totally unique and has very little competition from NVIDIA or anyone else.

Yet I can't escape the impression that the AIW X1900 isn't all that it could-and should-be. ATI's Multimedia Center is dreadful compared to Windows MCE or even Snapstream's Beyond TV. The EazyLook interface desperately needs more work, especially more integration with the program guide, before any AIW product can bill itself as truly suitable for the living room. Even then, the AIW X1900 probably shouldn't be pitched as an HTPC-type solution. With current games, this big, hot GPU is overkill for any common TV resolution except maybe 1080p, and its cooler makes too much noise for the living room. We might be willing to overlook those things if the AIW X1900 had hardware-assisted MPEG2 encoding, but it doesn't. Add in the bugs we found in the Remote Wonder software and the Media Center encoder, and the AIW X1900 just doesn't make sense outside of a more traditional desktop PC.