ATI VGA Wonder XL
The VGA Wonder XL got the Sierra HiColor RAMDAC which added support for 15-bit colour in 640 x 480 @ 72 Hz and 800 x 600 @ 60 Hz.
Cards tended to come with 256 KB 80ns DRAM soldered-in with a further 768 KB capacity in DRAM sockets. These accepted 70ns DRAMs.
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Released | May 1991 |
| Bus | ISA 16-bit | |
| Chipset | ATi 28800-6 | |
| Standards | Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA, and SVGA | |
| Memory | 256 KB, 512 KB or 1 MB DRAM (70ns or 80ns) | |
| Ports | 15-pin DSUB (RGB analogue) VESA Feature connector |
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| Part # | 109P014310 | |
| FCC ID | EXMVGAXLV1 | |
| Price | At launch: $229/$349/$399 (256K/512K/1MB), Aug 1991: $259 (512K), Feb 1992: $169/$229 (256K/1MB), Jun 1992: $169/$219 (256K/1MB) | |
| See Also | VGA Wonder+, VGA Wonder 1024D, VGA Edge series, VGA Basic-16 |
Board Revisions
No details are known on different revision of this card.
Competition
No details are known on the competition this card competed against.
In the Media
The VGA Wonder XL is the only board in this roundup to provide flicker-free 72-Hz screen refresh at all resolutions, even with a large, expensive, flicker-free monitor.
If you use PowerPoint or AutoCAD, however, you might want to consider a faster board. In our PowerPoint speed tests, the VGA Wonder XL fell far back in the field. In the AutoCAD benchmarks, it consistently ran in the middle of the pack.
The ATI VGA Wonder XL is an excellent board to have around as flicker-free high-resolution monitors get cheaper. It's a truly switchless board and has the smoothest driver installation of the bunch — a boon for those who frequently switch between DOS applications.
It's a distinct Best Buy, especially if you don't already have a mouse."
PC World, August 1991
Setting it Up
No configuration is required for the VGA Wonder XL, with its auto-switching capability. The card came with a utility to force the display mode if necessary.
Downloads
Operation Manual Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
Original Utility Disk Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
Wonder XL VGA BIOS ROM Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
DOS Drivers ATI VGA Wonder Series drivers for DOS. Includes utilities, a VESA driver, a mouse driver and software drivers for WordStar 3.31, 4.0 and 5.0, WordPerfect 4.1, 4.2, and 5.0, |
Windows 3.1 Drivers ATI VGA Wonder Series drivers for Windows 3.1. |
More Pictures
General pictures (unknown credit)
