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Zotac 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition - In the Cool Zone

By Kenny Yeo - 26 Sep 2008

It's All about the Money

It's All about the Money

Performance-wise, the GeForce 9800 GTX+ can hardly be faulted. Across our tests, we found that its performance did indeed match that of the HD 4850, so therefore it should be an attractive alternative to the HD 4850. But it is not. The problem lies with its price. Allow us to explain.

While the GeForce 9800 GTX+ and HD 4850 can both be had for around US$199 in the United States on sites like Newegg, that pricing, sadly, has yet to be translated here on our shores. HD 4850 cards can be had here for around S$250, or if you look hard enough, S$230. GeForce 9800 GTX+ cards, on the other hand, are much costlier at around S$340 a pop. At that kind of prices, the choice is obvious, we think.

As for the Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition with its water-cooling system, be prepared to pay even more. Much more. At a recommended retail price of US$299 (S$423), the Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition is a whopping S$200 more than the cheapest Radeon HD 4850 we could find. Just how expensive is the Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition?

Let us put things into perspective. For starters, it's even more expensive than the Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition that we recently reviewed. Also, consider this, for around S$470, you could get yourself the more powerful GTX 260, or even a pair of HD 4850 for some sweet CrossFire action. Let us also not forget the additional space required by the Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX+ ZONE Edition's huge radiator.

The water-cooling system works, but it comes at an extremely hefty price-tag. And we can't help but think what'll happen once the novelty wears off.

All things considered, it is very hard for us to recommend this offering from Zotac. Although we have to concede that the water-cooling system does an exceptionally good job at keeping the card cool, its exorbitant price and hefty space requirements eventually put us off. Unless you are somehow really averse to heat, there are other cards out there that are better value for money. Sadly, these more exotically cooled graphics cards are still nowhere near a reasonable price range for its performance so they will continue to remain in its narrow niche market.

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