Is Zotac a quality brand?

[Hi-Fi Man]

Anybody have any experiences regarding Zotac with recent cards?

I just grabbed a brand new boxed Zotac synergy GTX 660 for $120 on ebay and I was wondering how good Zotac as a brand is.

F.Y.I. I'm not too worried about the heatsink/fan on this card as I'll most likely throw my Gelid Icy Vision v2 on it. Speaking of which does anybody know if it will fit? Looks like it will but not sure...

 

[blastingcap]

Zotac = sister company of Sapphire, which used shoddy fans for its Dual-x and Vapor-x fans for the HD7xxx and R9 28x series. I would go EVGA, ASUS, MSI, or GB for NV cards.

However, since you are going aftermarket you probably don't care. Sapphire/ZOTAC is ok except for the fans, so you are probably good there.

 

[Lyfer]

Yes if it's free.

 

[SlickR12345]

They are okay. Based in China, usually use cheaper stuff, but I'd say they are good enough.

I'd go for Gainward if I had the choice, seem like they use on average the best parts all round in their cards, though are generally a bit more expensive on their good cards.

They do have cheaper offerings though with lower stuff coolers and parts for countries with lower standards.

 

[RussianSensation]

Sapphire/ZOTAC is ok except for the fans, so you are probably good there.

I have a Fermi Zotac card and the fans are completely different from the cheap ones used by Sapphire. The only thing is if you buy a card used, unless it's XFX, the warranty is gone. So in this case, it's pure luck if a card breaks or not. By the time a 660 breaks, it will be too slow for games anyway. I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Gainward and PNY seem to have some of the best materials but zotac has always had very cool cards in my experience. Just slightly cheaper and more plastic.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Is it even a real Zotac?

 

[Stuka87]

Zotac = sister company of Sapphire, which used shoddy fans for its Dual-x and Vapor-x fans for the HD7xxx and R9 28x series. I would go EVGA, ASUS, MSI, or GB for NV cards.

However, since you are going aftermarket you probably don't care. Sapphire/ZOTAC is ok except for the fans, so you are probably good there.

I have heard you state this several times, but I have never seen anybody complain about them. This includes my own Sapphire cards.

Zotac cards are decent (just beware of knockoffs). But if I was going to get an nVidia card, it would be an MSI or EVGA.

 

[blastingcap]

I have a Fermi Zotac card and the fans are completely different from the cheap ones used by Sapphire. The only thing is if you buy a card used, unless it's XFX, the warranty is gone. So in this case, it's pure luck if a card breaks or not. By the time a 660 breaks, it will be too slow for games anyway. I wouldn't sweat it.

If Zotac uses different parts in general, I stand corrected. Although, Fermi was 3 generations ago so fans may have changed.. I didn't have any problems with my Sapphire HD 6xxx card, only HD 7xxx did things go downhill for me with three straight Sapphire cards developing fan problems within months of purchase brand new.

Also, XFX only unofficially lets you transfer cards with warranty; they don't do double-lifetime-transferable-warranty anymore though people say they will honor transfers if you whine enough. ASUS/MSI/GB allow you to claim warranty via serial number without receipt, as long as the manufacture date was not more than X years ago where X is whatever their warranty period is. If you have a receipt, the clocks starts ticking on the date of purchase rather than date of manufacture.

And to Stuka, ask RS what he thinks of Sapphire fans.

 

[aldamon]

No problems at all with my 770.

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

There seems to be a lot of debate about this and personally I usually go with EVGA but beggars can't be choosers. Is it just issues with fans or are they known for skimping on board designs too?

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

Is it even a real Zotac?

Interesting find! This seems to be a problem with sellers in China so I should be safe (seller is from Miami and has a good history selling cards). That and nothing else seems fake about it.