Zotac Demos New Nvidia GeForce Graphics Cards And Mini PCs At Computex
While visiting Zotac's booth at Computex 2015, we took a good look at the company's new products, which include several graphics cards based on Nvidia's GeForce GTX 980 Ti GPU (GM200) and two mini-PCs.
Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP! and AMP! Extreme
Zotac's GTX 980 Ti APM! card features a cooling solution (IceStorm and Carbon ExoArmor), which uses carbon fiber material in order to be lighter. The cooling system utilizes three 90 mm fans and the card takes over a 1.5 slot, allowing the installation of multiple VGAs on the same mainboard. The GPU is slightly overclocked (51 MHz higher) compared to the reference clocks, while memory is at stock speeds (1700 MHz). The card's ports include three DisplayPorts 1.2, one HDMI and a single dual-link DVI (2560 x 1600 max resolution). The max power consumption is 250 W, according to Zotac.
The 980 Ti AMP! Extreme is clocked much higher than the plain 980 Ti AMP!; to be more specific, its GPU is at 1253 MHz while the RAM runs at 1802.5 MHz. This VGA has exactly the same ports as the AMP! Edition and Zotac recommends a 600 W PSU since the card's max power consumption is slightly increased at 258 W.
Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP! OMEGA Edition
Zotac's AMP! OMEGA edition features a beefier cooling system, which takes over 2.5 slots and promises up to 20 degrees Celsius lower temperatures at full load, compared to the reference cooling system of the 980 Ti. The EKO fans with specially designed blades offer better cooling at lower RPMs, keeping the output noise low.
In addition to the Carbon ExoArmor, the card also features a Power Boost system, which increases performance since it filters the voltage rail that feeds the GPU allowing for higher overclocks, according to Zotac. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the GPU and RAM speeds.
Zotac GTX 980 Ti ArcticStorm
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Zotac's ArcticStorm model features a hybrid cooling system, which in addition to air cooling also uses water to remove the heat. Strangely enough, Zotac didn't provide a notable overclock to the GPU, which runs at only 25 MHz higher than the stock speed; and the RAM isn't overclocked at all. When we asked Zotac about this the reps said that they didn't want to steal the joy of overclocking from the future buyers. The available connections remain the same as with all of the above mentioned Zotac's 980 Ti models.
ZBOX-EN970
Zotac is paying much attention to mini-PC products, and its latest offering addresses users who want a highly capable gaming PC with the smallest possible dimensions. The ZBOX-EN970 seems to be a really good choice since it packs an Intel i5-5200U CPU and an Nvidia GTX 970M GPU. It can take up to 16 GB of DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM, leaving space for two 2.5-inch drives. There is also an M.2 slot on its mainboard so users can add a third storage solution as well, should they need increased capacity.
In the networking section, this mini-PC features dual Gigabit Ethernet ports along with 802.11ac connectivity. It also has two pairs of USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, four HDMI 2.0 ports that support up to 4K resolution with 60 Hz refresh rate and Zotac also added a card reader, which can come in very handy. The PLUS version is equipped with 8 GB of RAM and a 120 GB M.2 SSD.
ZBOX-C1521 nano
The ZBOX-C1521 nano is a compact, passively cooled PC with zero noise output under any conditions. It is based on an ultra-low voltage, dual-core Intel Core M-5Y10C with only 4 W to 6 W TDP, which is supported by 8 GB of DDR3 memory. Besides the dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, this small PC also includes Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac connectivity. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the front and two USB 2.0 ports on the back, while the display connections include an HDMI 1.4 and a DisplayPort 1.2. Internally, there is space for only a single 2.5-inch drive, but the mainboard can take an M.2 SSD in case there is need for more storage capacity. The PLUS version of this model comes with a 60 GB M.2 SSD pre-installed.
Update, 6/4/15, 12pm PT: Article updated to correct the information that Zotac's GTX 980 Ti APM! card is a 1.5 slot instead of a single slot, and the OMEGA edition fits a 2.5 slot, instead of a 2 slot.
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skit75 Zotac is a brand that has generally been off my radar. I must admit, the quality looks to be on par with the "big guys".Reply -
TechyInAZ ReplyZotac is a brand that has generally been off my radar. I must admit, the quality looks to be on par with the "big guys".
Lol, same here. Zotac, and other unseen companies like XFX seem to be upping the quality on their products. -
uglyduckling81 If those fans were superior aircraft would use it. I guess it could be they don't provide efficient effect to counter their weight but in a situation where weight doesn't matter it works. That does kind of rule out the carbon fibre weight reducing bullcrap though.Reply -
CGx64 Haha, Single Slot :) I thought like, wait a minute.. is there maybe another classification or is it really this flat.. :DAPM! => AMP! :) (Amplify your gaming experience with..; http://www.zotac.com/z-zone/editions/zotac-amp-edition.html / http://www.zotac.com/z-zone/editions.html)Reply
Zotac always had very good and high quality products atleast in the mini PC section! I would even say, some "big guys" might not even be on par with Zotac cause of the experience Zotac has! -
ammaross ReplyIf those fans were superior aircraft would use it. I guess it could be they don't provide efficient effect to counter their weight but in a situation where weight doesn't matter it works. That does kind of rule out the carbon fibre weight reducing bullcrap though.
There's an aftermarket for GPU support brackets for a reason. Making the GPU lighter and retaining a good rigidity is a good thing in my book.