The Zotac GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Extreme Core Edition we previously reviewed was a superb and fast graphics card. However the GTX 970 was only good for 1080p up to 1440p resolution, how about the for 1440p resolution with max out the graphics settings or even for 4K UHD monitors? What’s the current best graphics card for 1440p and 4K monitors? Today, we are going to take a look at and review the Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Edition graphics card. This isn’t the company’s flagship model, Zotac has five variants of the GeForce GTX 980 Ti namely: GTX 980 Ti reference, GTX 980 Ti ArcticStorm, GTX 980 Ti AMP!, GTX 980 Ti AMP! Omega and GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme. The last one is their flagship model with a base clock speed of 1253MHz and 1355MHz boost. But we are going to “Push the Limit” of the GTX 980 Ti AMP! that we got here and match the speed of the Extreme one. So how’s the performance of the Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP? Let’s find out in our review below.
Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Edition Review
By now, I’m sure you are most probably aware of the different features that the NVIDIA Maxwell micro-architecture has to offer. We have outlined the common features of the current GTX 900 series graphics card in our Zotac GTX 970 and GTX 950 reviews. In a gist, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti features the following NVIDIA technology: Dynamic Super Resolution, MFAA, PhysX, GameWorks, GameStream ready, G-Sync ready, SHIELD ready, GPU Boost 2.0, Adaptive Vertical Sync, Surround, SLI ready and CUDA. In addition, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built to handle 4K UHD resolution and is also VR Ready. I, for one, am very excited about this whole Virtual Reality thing – think Sword Art Online (SAO). I know it’s not even close to what the gamers experienced on that popular anime series, but it’s one step closer.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! graphics card features a base clock speed of 1051MHz with a boost clock speed of 1140MHz. Like most of Zotac’s current GTX 900 series graphics card, this one also features IceStorm Cooler with Freeze technology. IceStorm is basically a marketing term for its aftermarket cooler and Freeze technology basically means that the fans will stop spinning when the graphics card is idle or at low temperature, resulting into a silent operation.
The Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP! also features Carbon ExoArmor, somewhat similar to the GTX 970 AMP! Extreme Core Edition. However, the back plate on the 980 Ti AMP! wraps around the card and it looks definitely better. Let’s not forget the FireStorm – Zotac’s software utility for tweaking and tuning a graphics card’s clock speed, fan control and GPU monitoring functions.
Below is a specifications table of the reference GTX 980 Ti, this graphics card and Zotac’s flagship model. After that, let’s proceed to the next page of this review and take a closer look at the Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP! Edition.
Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Specifications
| Product Name | NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti | GTX 980 Ti AMP! | GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| SKU | ZT-90501-10P | ZT-90503-10P | ZT-90503-10P |
| GPU | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce GTX 980 Ti |
| CUDA cores | 2816 | 2816 | 2816 |
| Video Memory | 6GB GDDR5 | 6GB GDDR5 | 6GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 384-bit | 384-bit |
| Engine Clock | Base: 1000 MHz Boost: 1076 MHz |
Base: 1051 MHz Boost: 1140 MHz |
Base: 1253 MHz Boost: 1355 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 7010 MHz | 7010 MHz | 7220 MHz |
| PCI Express | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Display Outputs | 3 x DisplayPort 1.2: 4K @ 60Hz HDMI 2.0: 4K @60 Hz DL-DVI: 2560×1600 |
3 x DisplayPort 1.2: 4K @ 60Hz HDMI 2.0: 4K @60 Hz DL-DVI: 2560×1600 |
3 x DisplayPort 1.2: 4K @ 60Hz HDMI 2.0: 4K @60 Hz DL-DVI: 2560×1600 |
| HDCP Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Muti Display Capability | Quad Display | Quad Display | Quad Display |
| Recommended Power Supply | 600W | 600W | 600W |
| Power Consumption | 250W | 250W | 258W |
| Power Input | 6-pin 8-pin | 6-pin 8-pin | 2 x 8-pin |
| DirectX | 12 API feature level 12_1 | 12 API feature level 12_1 | 12 API feature level 12_1 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Cooling | Blower | Triple Fan | Triple Fan |
| Slot Size | Dual Slot | Dual Slot | Triple Slot |
| SLI | 4-way | 4-way | 2-way |
| Slot Size | Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista | Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista | Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista |
| Card Length | 266.7mm x 111.15mm | 315mm x 111.15mm | 328.2mm x 133.1mm |
| Accessories | DVI-to-VGA Adapter Dual 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe adapter Dual 4-pin MOLEX to 6-pin PCIe adapter Driver Disk User Manual |
DVI-to-VGA Adapter Dual 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe adapter Dual 4-pin MOLEX to 6-pin PCIe adapter Driver Disk User Manual |
DVI-to-VGA Adapter Dual 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe Adapter x 2 Driver Disk User Manual |
