Final Thoughts and Conclusion

ZOTAC has produced a solid card with the GeForce GTX 280. I’m still divided on where I stand with the GPU powering it. The card does perform well in all our tests, but its price is a little steep. When you consider the 9800 GX2, things get a little more muddy. Really, we’re left running down the particulars.

The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 280 is a decent package. The numbers posted in our tests are definitely faster than any card I’ve tested thus far. Add to that the fact that it makes Crysis playable, and this card does become more desirable for many gamers. The retail package is well equipped, and the addition of a current, full version game for free is an awesome touch.

Unfortunately, ZOTAC can’t avoid the potential shortcomings of the chipset powering this video card. It isn’t their fault; that lies squarely on the shoulders of NVIDIA. From many accounts, the 9800 GX2 and GTX 280 come quite close to each other in performance. That becomes a concern when you look at the price tag; the GTX 280 is more expensive then the 9800 GX2. How much more depends on where you go. Also, this is a base model GTX 280 and the addition of the game is the only thing that differentiates it from other base model GTX 280 packages.

Luckily the pricing issue has worked itself out in the market place. As I was writing this article, NVIDIA announced price drops for the GeForce GTX 280. Though this was more a response to ATI and the pricing models for their latest cards, it had the nice side effect of bringing the GTX 280 down to the same price range as the 9800 GX2. The added benefit is that the GTX 280 only has a single physical GPU, which generates less heat and is easier to setup in SLI.

So where does that leave us? Well ZOTAC has put together a great basic package for the GTX 280. The card may not be overclocked, or come with some elaborate gold and velour heatsink, but it does what it’s supposed to do. With the addition of a game that many are singing the praises of is only icing on the cake. If I were in the market for a GeForce GTX 280 card, I would have little hesitation in going with this package.

The Good

• Complete retail package
• Brand new full game included
• Included HDMI-to-DVI convertor
• Performance is more than decent, makes Crysis playable

The Bad

• Performance similar to previous 9800 GX2 card
• Need to shop around to find reduced pricing

Overall Rating: 9.0/10.0

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