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.
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.)
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!
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?
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.
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.
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.
People that shop at Mal-Wart for their PC stuff probably don't want or need anything close to high-end. If a Radeon 9200 or an FX5200 Ultra lets them play Diablo II faster than Intel graphics, who are we to criticise that? However, they are dumb for not researching things first if they don't.
Why the jab specifically at BFG's card? If I was to buy a 5200 Ultra (which I probably never will)it would be a BFG because of the warranty and tech support.
lot of gratuitous Wal Mart bashing here...personally, I would rather buy cheap online or at a discount store like Wal Mart, than an extra $50 or so at CompU$A or Be$t Buy....
Why no criticism of ATI, other than Edge3D's stupidly flippant comment? Half of this business decision was theirs...
All things being equal...if it's 3am on a Sunday morning and I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket and the little voices are telling me to buy a video card at Wal Mart, I'd much rather buy ATI than those crap Asylum FX5200 Ultras...
Octol said: So, Walmart's now getting its hooks into ATI. I wonder how long it'll be before ATI products start sporting the "Made in China" logo like the rest of Walmart's products?
I hope you are joking...You are joking right? Have you looked at ATI retail boxes lately? You might just find that "Made in China" has been around a while for ATI cards.
Octol, in my experience, people don't want reality in their reality shows ..
I've always shopped at local businesses, myself, or failing that regional ones. Money that goes into the local economy circulates, so I'm more than willing to pay a few extra bucks for groceries or parts or whatever.
So, Walmart's now getting its hooks into ATI. I wonder how long it'll be before ATI products start sporting the "Made in China" logo like the rest of Walmart's products?
More to the point, I wonder how long it'll take Walmart to start curtailing its North American operations because all the money and jobs have moved to Asia?
How about a this idea for a new "reality" show: put some webcams at Walmart entrances so we can all watch our fellow Americans rush to sell their children down the Destitution River tomorrow for a few pennies' savings today.
"Since it has been some time since ATI released the All-in-Wonder 9200, the price has already gone down at Wal-Mart and last time we checked, it was at $130.94, making it a cheaper card than the All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, ironically."
I'm not the type to yell at people for certain uses of the word ironic, but I thought it would be worth noting that the 9000 Pro's faster than the 9200. 9200's just an AGP 8X 9000, no real performance increase.. since 9000 Pro is upclocked, it's better.
Also, you guys know you can get an All-In-Wonder 9700 for $229 online, right? That's eight bucks more than what the 9600XT AIW costs online. Seems worth it to me.
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19 Comments
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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.
ViRGE - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
Error: On page 3, both images are titled "9600XT"; only the top one is the XT, the lower one is the 9600 plain.MDE - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
People that shop at Mal-Wart for their PC stuff probably don't want or need anything close to high-end. If a Radeon 9200 or an FX5200 Ultra lets them play Diablo II faster than Intel graphics, who are we to criticise that? However, they are dumb for not researching things first if they don't.Why the jab specifically at BFG's card? If I was to buy a 5200 Ultra (which I probably never will)it would be a BFG because of the warranty and tech support.
darkjedi1066 - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
lot of gratuitous Wal Mart bashing here...personally, I would rather buy cheap online or at a discount store like Wal Mart, than an extra $50 or so at CompU$A or Be$t Buy....Why no criticism of ATI, other than Edge3D's stupidly flippant comment? Half of this business decision was theirs...
All things being equal...if it's 3am on a Sunday morning and I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket and the little voices are telling me to buy a video card at Wal Mart, I'd much rather buy ATI than those crap Asylum FX5200 Ultras...
SilentRunning - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
Octol said:So, Walmart's now getting its hooks into ATI. I wonder how long it'll be before ATI products start sporting the "Made in China" logo like the rest of Walmart's products?
I hope you are joking...You are joking right? Have you looked at ATI retail boxes lately? You might just find that "Made in China" has been around a while for ATI cards.
SDA - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
Octol, in my experience, people don't want reality in their reality shows ..I've always shopped at local businesses, myself, or failing that regional ones. Money that goes into the local economy circulates, so I'm more than willing to pay a few extra bucks for groceries or parts or whatever.
Octol - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
So, Walmart's now getting its hooks into ATI. I wonder how long it'll be before ATI products start sporting the "Made in China" logo like the rest of Walmart's products?More to the point, I wonder how long it'll take Walmart to start curtailing its North American operations because all the money and jobs have moved to Asia?
How about a this idea for a new "reality" show: put some webcams at Walmart entrances so we can all watch our fellow Americans rush to sell their children down the Destitution River tomorrow for a few pennies' savings today.
Visual - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
you could also get a AIW 9800SE quite cheap, and softmod it, although there's the chance it wont work...i want to ask, does the 9600XT AIW have DVI or just the analog ports? in the pictures you only showed what must be the adaptor port...
Edge3D - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
They are selling Radeons at Wal-Mart now??Wow. Now we KNOW they are junk. :-P
SDA - Monday, May 17, 2004 - link
"Since it has been some time since ATI released the All-in-Wonder 9200, the price has already gone down at Wal-Mart and last time we checked, it was at $130.94, making it a cheaper card than the All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, ironically."I'm not the type to yell at people for certain uses of the word ironic, but I thought it would be worth noting that the 9000 Pro's faster than the 9200. 9200's just an AGP 8X 9000, no real performance increase.. since 9000 Pro is upclocked, it's better.
Also, you guys know you can get an All-In-Wonder 9700 for $229 online, right? That's eight bucks more than what the 9600XT AIW costs online. Seems worth it to me.