which 9800pro 2 buy?

[globalempire]

im lookin at gettin a 9800pro but i also want a TV tuner card...i found the SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800PRO for $229 +Leadtek TV2000XP/EXPERT for $55 =$284 ...or should i get the ATI 9800pro AIW for $341...which comes to $57 diff..so is the AIW worth $57 more or should i got with the other deal of the 9800pro and the TV tuner card?

 

[Megatomic]

My philosophy is to get the separate cards unless you are space constrained. That way if one component fails you don't lose both.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
My philosophy is to get the separate cards unless you are space constrained. That way if one component fails you don't lose both.

i agree, also in the future when u upgrade the video card, you already have the tv tuner

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: shady06

Originally posted by: Megatomic
My philosophy is to get the separate cards unless you are space constrained. That way if one component fails you don't lose both.

i agree, also in the future when u upgrade the video card, you already have the tv tuner

I agree with this too, this is the other reason why I bought a separate TV tuner card.

 

[Dman877]

TV tuner technology stays the same, video cards obviously don't. I agree with everyone else, spend 50 on a decent tv and be done with it.

 

[Salvador]

Is that all a 9800 PRO AIW is? A 9800PRO with a tv tuner card built into it?

I'm struggling with the same decision right now. I thought that it would be a better idea to get an AIW card for a couple of reasons. One reason is that AIW cards seem to be more desirable and have better resale than the regular cards because they have the additional features. Also, you can put the AIW in another system later that doesn't have to have the latest technology for gaming.

I don't know.. You guys sure make a good case for not going with the AIW. Can you get all the features that an AIW card has by just getting a good tv card or would there be anything missing?

Sal

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Salvador
Is that all a 9800 PRO AIW is? A 9800PRO with a tv tuner card built into it?

I'm struggling with the same decision right now. I thought that it would be a better idea to get an AIW card for a couple of reasons. One reason is that AIW cards seem to be more desirable and have better resale than the regular cards because they have the additional features. Also, you can put the AIW in another system later that doesn't have to have the latest technology for gaming.

I don't know.. You guys sure make a good case for not going with the AIW. Can you get all the features that an AIW card has by just getting a good tv card or would there be anything missing?

Sal

yup. an all in wonder card is identical to the non AIW counterpart except it has a tv tuner

 

[Salvador]

yup. an all in wonder card is identical to the non AIW counterpart except it has a tv tuner

There is one thing that I noticed that's different just by looking at it. The AIW card only has a DVI connector and you have to use an adapter to use a VGA monitor. The regular 9800PRO card has both the VGA and DVI. I'm still trying to find out if I can do a dual monitor set up with the AIW as well as with the regular 9800PRO. I'm still not sure how that works with one VGA and one DVI connector on the 9800PRO card.

Sal

 

[Alptraum]

Originally posted by: Salvador

yup. an all in wonder card is identical to the non AIW counterpart except it has a tv tuner

There is one thing that I noticed that's different just by looking at it. The AIW card only has a DVI connector and you have to use an adapter to use a VGA monitor. The regular 9800PRO card has both the VGA and DVI. I'm still trying to find out if I can do a dual monitor set up with the AIW as well as with the regular 9800PRO. I'm still not sure how that works with one VGA and one DVI connector on the 9800PRO card.

Sal

I own a 9800pro AIW so I'll tell you what I know. By default you can not run two monitors with the 9800 AIW. You can run a monitor and TV though. I think you can buy some sort of adapter or splitter to run two monitors though.

With a regular 9800 pro you can run two monitors by default, though obviously no TV. One each of DVI and VGA. Though you can of course buy an adapter to run two DVI.

 

[Salvador]

With a regular 9800 pro you can run two monitors by default, though obviously no TV. One each of DVI and VGA. Though you can of course buy an adapter to run two DVI.

I'm asking because I would like to run a couple of identicle LCD's. If I buy the adapter to convert the VGA to DVI, would the picture look the same on both monitors?

What exactly would I be giving up with the AIW? A built in tv tuner card or are there special video editing features? I'm asking because one of the reasons why the AIW is appealing to me is because I have a new Sony minidv camcorder. What's strange though is that the AIW card doesn't even seem to have a firewire port, so what makes it so special for video editing? I'm still just a little confused about what I can do with the AIW card.

Thanks again.

Sal

 

[Pete]

You'd be giving up dual monitors with one card, and the freedom to upgrade your video card without having to repurchase a tuner.

I don't think you need a tuner card to edit or import MiniDV video, just a firewire port.

The big deal with AIW and any tuner card is the ability to use it like a cheap TiVO. If you want to know exactly what an AIW offers, start reading some of the many reviews. I know both Anandtech and Extremetech reviewed AIW cards. Neoseeker.com should help you find more reviews.

 

[hytek369]

get a refurbed AIW from newegg for $240

 

[PCTweaker5]

What exactly is a TV tuner for? I dont know but am quite interested.

 

[SneakyStuff]

haha FOR TUNING TV! no, they're for recieving t.v. on your pc.

 

[PCTweaker5]

Lol! Really so I could watch the SuperBowl on my PC?