Zotac 9800GT

Full Review

Zotac’s Geforce 9800GT might be the least powerful card in our Top 5 but it is also the cheapest. And on top of that it draws the least amount of power and also runs the coolest of all the cards we tested for our Top 5.

Since it’s a cheaper card, Zotac has decided not to bundle much with the 9800GT. Although, there are still the basic adapters, connectors, CDs and manuals, we missed the extra stuff that came with the other cards. Also, unlike the other Zotac cards we tested, the 9800GT didn’t have an external plastic casing covering the front but rather just a heat-sink and a fan. But since it does not generate too much heat, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

In our performance tests, the 9800GT scored 13,388 marks in 3D Mark ’06 and 3,804 marks in High mode in 3D Mark Vantage. In Crysis, at 1680x1050, at High settings with 4xAA, the card managed 21fps. At the same settings at Very High mode in Far Cry 2, the card was able to get 29fps. In H.A.W.X., the card scored 25fps, and in World in Conflict and Company of Heroes the card was able to churn out 26 and 104 frames per second. Overall, although the scores aren’t as high as the other cards in the Top 5, the hit in performance is more than justified by the card’s price.

The Zotac 9800GT costs Rs. 5,700. It makes it into our Top 5 because of the amount of performance it brings to the table at an affordable price.

Bottom Line

The Zotac is the cheapest card in the top 5- almost Rs. 2,000 cheaper than the next in line. It manages to come up with decent performance figures too and rounds it all up with a very quiet fan that keeps temperatures very low. The 512MB Zotac 9800GT is a part of our Top 5 thanks to the cheapest price-tag and decent performance.