Like many of you, we spent money on the GeForce 9800 series thinking that our choice would be free of buyers remorse for at least a year. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that the GeForce 8800 series landed itself atop the competition and reigned supreme for well over a year. So it seemed logical that when NVIDIA launched their GeForce 9800 series, that things would somehow remain the same. So this is where we break some painful news to owners of premium top-end GeForce products, there's a new king named GeForce GTX 280 and it's not just a bigger, better, version of something we've already seen. The new GeForce GTX 280 presents a completely new core design. - Benchmark Reviews

Zotac GeForce GTX 280 AMP! Graphics Board Review

Hot on the heels of a rapid succession GeForce 9800 GX2 and GeForce 9800 GTX launch only two short months ago, and NVIDIA has recently launched the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 260 video cards. Both the GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 products position themselves at the most elite segment of the GeForce product line, so just imagine how much more powerful the GeForce GTX 280 could become after Zotac give it their special AMP! edition treatment. The very recent Radeon HD 4870 launch may have shown how close ATI can get to NVIDIA's bar of performance, but the AMP! edition raised that bar much higher.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 comes in just one color, namely black. All the GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 products are currently identical to NVIDIA reference versions, with manufacturers simply branding their allotment of video cards with a decal. Although it is uncertain, NVIDIA may eventually offer their add-in card partners the engineering information necessary to create working modifications so that unique varieties of the GT200 based graphics card can be independently designed. And utilizing a glossy piano black shell to encase the GT200, the delicate electronics inside are kept safe from accidental damage.

At first, the Zotac GeForce GTX 280 AMP! edition graphics card could be easily mistaken for the older GeForce 9800 GTX. The GeForce GTX 280 uses a dual slot design with improved clearance around the fan for optimal cooling and airflow. The board is cooled with an exceptionally quiet on-board smart blower fan even when playing the most graphics intensive 3D games. The GeForce 9800 GTX remained at a hushed level that would cause no real interference to my concentration. When we launched NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 280 last week, a new king greeted the public wearing clothes but they aren't exactly new.

In regards to performance and functionality, NVIDIA has redefined the graphics card space. Beginning with 240 processor cores, the GeForce GTX 280 is everything that previous products has not been, being parallel computing ready. Without question, the GeForce GTX 280 has earned the top position for NVIDIA's video card product lineup. The core, shader, and memory clocks are at the launch-date reference level, so it might be a short while before drivers are stable enough to gain stable overclocks. The long overdue 512-bit memory bus calls upon the PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth opportunities.

The future of gaming might let you play the game with an older graphics solution, but it doesn't make any promises on enjoyment. So if you're a competitive hardcore gamer on with an appetite for the absolute best, Zotac's GeForce GTX 280 AMP! version is the undisputed champion of graphic cards. If you're not so extreme, than the Zotac GeForce 9800 GX2 still performs just as well.