| ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AMP! HDMI Video Card |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Saturday, 23 February 2008 | |
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Page 14 of 14
GeForce 8800 GT ConclusionLike nearly all GeForce 8 series of graphics cards, the product presentation is inviting and informative to the consumer. Plainly stated on the retail box is everything from the basic features to the advanced details and specifications. ZOTAC has done a great job of packaging the ZT-88TES3P-FCP (PN:188-01N40-020ZT), and the colorful design (and fire-breathing dragon) add to the excitement. I consider the entire pre-G92 GeForce 8800 series to be very attractive as a whole, primarily because of the double-height heatpipe cooling. While the general appearance of the ZOTAC 8800 GT AMP! Edition video card is attractive, I especially like the orange LED that colors the cooling fan during operation. Combined with the illustration atop the cards cover, it becomes a humoring visual effect. I once owned the GeForce 8800 GTX, but after a errant SATA cable swiped off one of the capacitors, I learned that perhaps I was better off with a graphics card using a smaller footprint. Unlike the higher-end 8800 series GeForce products, the 8800 GT does not expose any electronic components. ZOTAC has constructed the ZT-88TES3P-FCP to sustain above-average abuse, and since there are no exposed components there is very little chance that you'll have to RMA a product that falls apart on you. The fully covered 8800 GT will work very well in cramped environments where the video card will be in contact with cables and components. In regards to performance and functionality, the praise due to the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AMP! Edition HDMI output video card is well earned. Almost half the size and power consumption, and at a third the cost, ZOTAC offers a product that easily out-performs an extremely overclocked GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB version graphics card and on select few occasions beats the GeForce 8800 GTX. If that wasn't enough, this video card comes factory overclocked to the point that risking your stability with your own hardware tweaks becomes unessary. Presently ZOTAC is an just beginning to enter the US marketplace after a successful introduction at CES'07 and brand name launch at Cebit 2007. When you consider that the entire 8800 GTS series still sales for more the $360, the value becomes clear in a product like ZOTAC's 8800 GT AMP! Edition. I suspect this will be the next video card of choice, especially since the ZOTAC 8800 GT AMP! Edition HDMI video card is currently on sale at NewEgg. Certainly a lot of product for a very fair price, which gives the budget gamer a chance to run with the best of them. To summarize: full HDMI audio and video output, nearly 8800 GTX performance in most tests, excellent cooling, and tremendous value. It comes as no surprise then that I can give my full recommendation to the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AMP! Edition HDMI video card. If you're building an HTPC, this is the graphic platform for you. If you're a gamer, get one as soon as you can. Pros:
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