Buying a video card can be a tricky thing. There are just so many on the market made by so many brands that it is very difficult to know which board is truly the best for your needs. Many cards are so similar to others that it can make your decision overwhelming. Add to that the fact that new cards are constantly being developed, making graphics devices one of the quickest computer components to become outdated. Most likely, the card you choose will already be outdated, unless you intend to spend hundreds of dollars on the current best thing. Though for most of us, a mid-level graphics card at a reasonable price will suit our needs just fine. And not very long ago, one of $150 was the best around. - TestFreaks

Zotac GeForce 9800 GT 512MB AMP Graphics Review

Zotac is currently producing dozens and dozens of video boards. This particular card was chosen for a machine that we would call a casual everything computer. And by that we mean that the machine running it occasionally does some video production, some gaming, some photo editing and the like. However, it doesn't do enough that it needs the world's best card. It's also not your grandma solitaire and email machine. Note that this is their AMP! edition of Zotac's GeForce 9800 GT, which means it is the overclocked version. And Zotac is just all about selling cards pushed beyond the stock frequencies with extra gaming performance.

The Zotac GeForce 9800 GT comes in a nice box, covered with specs and info. On a retail shelf, it would be really solid presentation and tell anyone who knows their specs a good bit about what's inside. The video card only requires one PCI Express power connector, which is on the far end. Their heatsink is black and it has a very bright orange light on the fan, which comes in handy as all my other lights on the case which it will be put into are orange. This graphics card is big, but not overly big. Most graphics card are rather large these days, and there are ones bigger than this for sure but some can still be surprised.

The board offers great performance for the price. It holds its own against cards of comparable prices and performs as just expected, while being quiet and power efficient. The difference between the standard GeForce 9800 GTX model and an overclocked GT are minimal, aside from the vast price difference that isn't worth it. This board is just dandy for its price range. These days, anything that requires only one power connection is just a double plus. Save yourself some power, save yourself some money, get some free bundled software and a mail-in rebate. For less than $100 after all is said and done, this card delivers at the level it should.

Being factory overclocked is a huge plus, and gives you performance that would have cost you quadruple the amount a year ago. The performance is still great, running all modern games at beautiful resolutions with no problem. Those with standard video needs should find this card sufficient and budget friendly. Straight up, if you're looking for a decent card good enough to get through some average load uses at a cheap price, pick this one up.