For the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $199, the A-I-W 2006 is in an interesting spot in ATI's Multimedia lineup today. If you're looking for a video card with the highest performance in this price range, there are other cards with higher performance. However, A-I-W cards are not just about gaming. I believe the A-I-W 2006 is an excellent value for the money, offering so much more than simply a video card.
Feature-wise the A-I-W 2006 fully supports Shader Model 3.0, HDR and is the equal of it's bigger brother, the X1800 in most respects. The inclusion of Adobe's Premiere Elements is a $99 value, and is an excellent video editing program. A Remote Wonder is not included but you can get one sent to you by ATI for no cost. ATI has outdone themselves with the A-I-W 2006, you get a television, a DVR, an FM radio, a graphics card, and the top video editing program for $199.
ATI has had a rocky 2005 in many respects, with light at the end of the tunnel with the release of the X1K family. Next year should be very interesting for several respects. First is the release of Microsoft Vista and the video cards that will support the new Shader Model 4.0 in DX 10. Second, ATI will announce their R580 refresh of the R520 sometime early next year, likely bringing them the performance crown.
