“ATI Video Products - User Review”

By Ron Stultz

25 February 2008

 Summary: have had several ATI video boards and all have had problems. Think twice before buying an ATI video card.

First of all, let me say in defense of ATI, that I have read that video card drivers are the most complex device drivers on a personal computer and secondly, I do understand that Microsoft’s operating systems are constant moving targets for any application or driver developer, but…..

Over the years, I have bought 4 different ATI video boards and have had driver installation problems with each and every one. So, in summary of what you are about to read, I am not sure I can recommend any ATI video product.

Examples? Why no recommendation? Think twice?

All-in-Wonder 7500. What a mess. This video card has a built in TV-tuner but install the software on the ATI provided CD and the system crashes. Remove all installed video software components and go to the ATI (now apparently owned by AMD), web site, download and run 6 different components and all appears well until I start the TV tuner and as soon as a TV screen appears, the TV tuner application crashes. Now I have searched and searched all sorts of Internet blogs for solutions as well as the ATI support web site and still no solution. Perhaps a recent Windows XP update changed some .dll but ATI should not abandon older product users.

Radeon 1650X Pro.  So, perhaps, maybe, although not happy about it, I can understand my current problem with the older ATI 7500 but there is no excuse what so ever for my most recent experience with a brand spanking new 1650 ATI, AGP, 512MB’s of memory on board, video card. Now, in general, I tend not to completely read the little to nothing instruction manual that comes with most PC devices, but with ATI, I have learned better. So in the 1650 user manual, it clearly states to remove all existing video driver software from your system before actually removing your old video card and replacing with the new 1650X. And so I do this, shut down system and physically install the new 1650X. I power up system and up comes Windows and almost immediately says new hardware found, looking for drivers, which my 1650 user manual says to cancel and so I do. I now follow the 1650X user manual directions and start the 1650X installation disk and what do you know, it says “Can not install driver. Try installing basic SVGA driver first.” Ok, cancel ATI install and have Windows XP find and install standard old SVGA driver, except, Windows will not install standard old SVGA driver! Catch 22 all over again. So, on a hunch, chance, I go to the AMD\ATI support web site and sure enough, there is an update available for the 1650 although I just bought it. Download the update, install it and now I am fine or so I hope, think. But a driver update before the ink is even dry on the retail box holding the product?

So why if I have had so much trouble in the past did I buy the 1650 recently? Because it was the only card I could find that met my requirements of AGP and 512MB of on-board memory. Stupid is as stupid does. No more. Not ATI ever again: just not worth the frustration trying to get their boards to work properly.