Zotac has a truly superb offering with their Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP. What it gives up in shear performance and overclocking potential is more than made up for in the noise department. Pardon the pun… but we were blown away with how silent this card was. This took us most by surprise as this card is not that large and in fact is down right compact compared to the last generation AMP edition. Nice surprise or not, its combination of low noise, ease of installation, and very good performance is a winning one. To be perfectly candid, the Zotac RTX 2070 AMP really is the card we have been waiting for. We have made it quite clear our opinion on NVIDIA’s Founder Edition models and have done our best to offer much more sensible alternatives for our readers. The Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP on the other hand makes a very persuasive case for why people should opt for it over a last generation GeForce GTX 10-series card.
Firstly is the asking price. With an online asking price of just under $600 (USD) the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP actually costs a little bit less than a typical factory overclocked GeForce GTX 1080 card. This in combination with usually better (the higher the resolution the better) performance means that taking a leap of faith on the RTX features – which are not all that useable right now – actually makes sense. While we doubt Ray Tracing will become a ‘big deal’ before the next generation NIVIDA GeForce RTX series hits the scene, NVIDIA’s Tensor core DLSS abilities do have potential. So much so that if it does take off it could allow average buyers the luxury of using a card a lot longer than previously thought possible.
Yes there is probably going to be a minor to moderate image quality impact from using DLSS, but if it comes down to being able to play a modern AAA title game in 2021 or 2022 with this card or having to upgrade (as would usually be the case)… its not even a hard decision. This baked in potential ‘future proofing’ with good performance now makes a lot of sense.
This combination of course is not limited to the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP but unlike most the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP is not only reasonably priced but also is rather easy to work into a build. Yes it does not have the cooling potential of its predecessor, but arguably the Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 AMP! edition was overbuilt and oversized for its class. Instead of being oversized, the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP offers a persuasive combination of good enough cooling, very good noise levels, with great case compatibility. This makes the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP perfect for numerous builds… including smaller form-factor ones. This ‘every man’ design is not something to sneeze at as sometimes better cooling is trumped by the fact a monster sized card will not fit in your case.
If you are looking for a relatively reasonably price GeForce RTX 2070 series card that can be used in a wide range of builds and offer good performance the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 AMP should be on your short list. As long as you understand that it will not have the same overclocking headroom as its predecessor, but instead trades some potential performance for better case compatibility you will not be disappointed with what it has to offer.
The Review
Zotac GeForce RTX 2070 AMP
Zotac really has been able to ‘do more, with less’ and it shows in its overall performance… and value. With that being said this new AMP RTX 2070 is meant for higher resolutions – the higher the better. To be blunt it is an excellent 1440P card and surprisingly potent at 4K resolutions. So if you are looking for a 1080P card, it may not be right for you.
