ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO

The ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO is a single-slot AGP 8x graphics card from AMD, built on the 150 nm R300 architecture with 110 million transistors on a 215 mm² die. It targets the All-In-Wonder (9000) generation, combining 3D acceleration with integrated video capture and output features, and it sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, indicating a mid-pack standing in historical performance terms.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK lists no synthetic benchmark scores for the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO, and its average benchmark score is recorded as 0. Consequently, the analysis must rely on its architectural specifications and the percentile ranking rather than direct numerical comparisons. The card’s 50th percentile placement suggests that, within the database’s historical GPU population, it outperforms roughly half of all recorded graphics processors and lags behind the other half—a balanced, mid-tier position for a product from its era.

The raw throughput figures provide the foundation for this standing. The card delivers a pixel rate of 2.600 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 2.600 GTexel/s, both driven by 8 texture mapping units and 8 ROPs. These equal rates indicate that the card is balanced between pixel fill and texture fill, which is typical for a GPU designed to handle DirectX 9.0 (9_0) workloads without a dedicated bottleneck in either direction. In practical terms, this means that for games of its generation, the card can sustain consistent fill rates across varying scene complexity, though it lacks the headroom of higher-tier parts that would appear in the upper percentiles.

The absence of a base or boost clock in the FACT PACK means that clock-speed-driven analysis is not possible. However, the memory clock is specified at 310 MHz, with an effective data rate of 620 Mbps. This memory speed, combined with the 256-bit bus width, yields a bandwidth of 19.84 GB/s. Bandwidth is often a limiting factor for resolution scaling, and this figure places the card in a range where 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 gaming would be feasible, but higher resolutions with heavy filtering or anti-aliasing could strain the memory subsystem. Compared to the 50th percentile baseline, the card’s fill rates and bandwidth are consistent with a mid-range performer—capable but not class-leading.

Memory Subsystem

The ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO is equipped with 128 MB of DDR memory, connected via a 256-bit bus. This bus width is substantial for the card’s generation, allowing the memory controller to move large amounts of data per clock cycle. The effective memory speed of 620 Mbps, combined with the 256-bit interface, produces a bandwidth of 19.84 GB/s. For high-resolution workloads, this bandwidth is the key constraint. At lower resolutions, such as 1024x768, the bandwidth is sufficient to feed the 2.600 GPixel/s pixel rate without stalling. As resolution increases to 1600x1200 or beyond, the demand for texture data and framebuffer access grows, and the 19.84 GB/s figure becomes a limiting factor, potentially causing frame rate drops in texture-heavy scenes.

The 128 MB capacity is another consideration for high resolutions. While adequate for the era’s typical game textures, larger textures or higher depth buffers (e.g., 32-bit color with stencil) could exceed this capacity, forcing the card to use system memory over the AGP 8x interface, which would reduce performance. The 256-bit bus partially mitigates this by providing high bandwidth per clock, but the total capacity remains a ceiling for very demanding titles. The DDR type is standard for the period, and the 310 MHz clock is moderate, so the card does not benefit from the higher speeds seen in later GDDR variants. Overall, the memory subsystem is well-matched to the GPU’s compute capabilities, but it is not designed for extreme resolutions or future-proofing.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The FACT PACK does not list any ray tracing cores or tensor cores for the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO. This is consistent with its DirectX 9.0 (9_0) and OpenGL 2.0 API support, which predates hardware-accelerated ray tracing by many years. Consequently, the card offers no dedicated ray tracing acceleration, and any ray-traced effects would have to be computed via shaders on the general-purpose pixel pipeline, which is not a practical approach for real-time workloads. The absence of tensor cores also means no AI-accelerated features such as DLSS or similar upscaling technologies; the card relies entirely on traditional rasterization.

The feature set is instead defined by its API support. DirectX 9.0 (9_0) is the primary graphics API, enabling programmable shaders (pixel shaders and vertex shaders) that were the foundation for early 2000s game visuals. OpenGL 2.0 support provides an alternative for titles that used that API, though the feature level is limited compared to later OpenGL versions. There is no Vulkan support, which is expected given the card’s 2003 release and end-of-life production status. For video-centric tasks, the All-In-Wonder branding implies integrated video capture and output capabilities, with display outputs including 1x DVI and 2x S-Video, allowing connection to both digital and analog displays or TV output. The card is a single-slot design, requiring no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 200 W, reflecting its relatively low power draw for the era.

How It Compares

The FACT PACK lists no nearest rivals for the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO, and its benchmark array is empty. Therefore, direct numerical comparisons against specific competing cards cannot be made from the data provided. Instead, the comparison must be framed around its percentile position and architectural characteristics relative to the broader GPU population.

Against the typical mid-range GPU of its generation, the card’s 50th percentile ranking indicates parity—it is neither a standout performer nor a laggard. Its 8 TMUs and 8 ROPs are modest counts, but the balanced pixel and texture rates suggest that it handles standard DirectX 9 workloads with acceptable efficiency. Cards in the upper percentiles would likely feature more TMUs or higher clock speeds, resulting in higher fill rates and better scaling at high resolutions. Conversely, lower-percentile cards would have fewer resources or narrower memory buses, making the 9700 PRO a reasonable step up.

The 256-bit memory bus is a point of differentiation, as many mid-range cards of that period used 128-bit interfaces. This wider bus gives the 9700 PRO a bandwidth advantage, which could translate to better performance in memory-intensive scenarios like large textures or multi-sampling. However, the 128 MB capacity might be a drawback compared to rivals that offered 256 MB at similar price points (though pricing is not part of this analysis). The lack of a launch MSRP in the FACT PACK prevents any cost-based positioning.

In the absence of rival names, the conclusion is that the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO occupies a defensible middle ground: its fill rates are competent, its memory bandwidth is solid for its class, and its feature set aligns with the DirectX 9 era. It is not a high-end part, but it is also far from entry-level, making it suitable for mainstream gaming and multimedia use in its time.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO?

A: The card has a 256-bit memory bus with DDR memory running at 310 MHz (620 Mbps effective), yielding a bandwidth of 19.84 GB/s.

Q: Does the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists no ray tracing cores, and the card’s DirectX 9.0 (9_0) and OpenGL 2.0 API support predates hardware ray tracing, so it cannot accelerate ray-traced effects.

Q: How many texture mapping units and ROPs does the card have?

A: It has 8 texture mapping units and 8 ROPs, producing a texture rate of 2.600 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 2.600 GPixel/s.

Q: What is the card’s production status and release date?

A: The production status is end-of-life, and the release date is 2003-01-21.

Q: What display outputs are available on the ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 PRO?

A: The card provides 1x DVI and 2x S-Video outputs, supporting both digital and analog displays or TV connections.

Q: What power connectors does the card require, and what PSU is suggested?

A: The card requires no power connectors, and the suggested PSU is 200 W. It is a single-slot design.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size of the R300 chip used?

A: The R300 chip contains 110 million transistors on a die size of 215 mm², fabricated on a 150 nm process at TSMC.