WTF is This?

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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I guess I missed this a couple of weeks ago, but it is worth a look if not a laugh.


Walnut, Calif – Aug. 25, 2008 – ZOTAC International, a manufacturer of NVIDIA based graphics cards, today kicks off NVISION 08 with the world’s first hardware overclocking controller designed to tweak and tune ZOTAC GeForce series graphics cards – the ZOTAC NITRO. NITRO is the premiere companion for ZOTAC GeForce graphics card owners, allowing users to overclock with the simplicity of pressing three buttons. Since the ZOTAC NITRO is an external hardware overclocking controller, users can dynamically overclock their ZOTAC graphics cards and experience immediate results with instant frame rate boosts during actual game play – there’s no need to exit out of the game to tweak and tune your ZOTAC graphics card.
Click to expand...
 
That's about as bad as that blank PCB with like 6 capacitors on it that HIS has been trying to sell as an 'interference reducer card'.
 
Once someone mods this to work with any brand beside Zotac, it will be interesting.
 
will it work on my SLOT-A AMD cpu.=p heh the good ole hardware overclocking days.
 
Well that's amusing. Also:

users can dynamically overclock their ZOTAC graphics cards and experience immediate results with instant frame rate boosts during actual game play – there’s no need to exit out of the game to tweak and tune your ZOTAC graphics card.
Click to expand...

So, you can push the button while you're playing and watch the computer crash? :D
 
Hi everyone. Let me introduce myself, I'm the North American PR representative for ZOTAC.

The item in question is our NITRO hardware overclocking controller. The device interfaces with your PC via USB and lets you overclock your graphics core, shader and memory clocks without having to exit full-screen games or applications. You can also monitor your GPU temperature and manually adjust the GPU fan speed as well.

Here's an image with the display on.

2854422416_b26fe02b38_b_d.jpg


Feel free to ask me any questions on the unit, or if email me if you'd like at tuan at zotac dot com.

Thanks.
 
Why would anyone want to overclock during a game? And if you get an itching need to do so, just alt-tab, overclock, and jump back to your game. You'll probably do it faster than that useless gadget.

A Logitech G15 with a mapped overclocking key would be more interesting.
 
While I recognize the usefulness, the ugliness makes the usefulness ultimately fade in comparison.
 
Aesthetically, it sucks. It looks like it's a toy.

As for the usability, who knows. I would only use it to find the sweet spot and leave it there never to touch it again. Take it up a notch until I get artifacts, then back down... Real time overclocking. Then, I'd be done. Maybe, if it was in a 3.5" bay and did more than just overclock (temps, fan control, overclocking, etc..), it'd be worth it.
 
They should have rotary knobs for clock / mem / shaders. And brushed aluminum. Then it might not suck as much.
 
It looks like it might just be a shiny USB device with some buttons and a display, while the cool stuff happens in software.

Assuming the calls to make clock changes are already known, which I assume they are since there are plenty of 3p video OC apps, it can't be that hard to adapt or recreate this...the latter would take more work, but at least it would hopefully produce a result that isn't neo-glow orange. :D
 
According to Hexus.net, this thing is going to be priced at €89, that's around $126.
 
GT2k said:
Hi everyone. Let me introduce myself, I'm the North American PR representative for ZOTAC.

The item in question is our NITRO hardware overclocking controller. The device interfaces with your PC via USB and lets you overclock your graphics core, shader and memory clocks without having to exit full-screen games or applications. You can also monitor your GPU temperature and manually adjust the GPU fan speed as well.

Here's an image with the display on.

2854422416_b26fe02b38_b_d.jpg


Feel free to ask me any questions on the unit, or if email me if you'd like at tuan at zotac dot com.



Thanks.
Click to expand...

And here I was thinking this device was Actually a remote controller that lets you overclock left and right.... Everything!!!!

I use it in my car.
I use in my cat.
I use it In my Boss(Until he crashes).
I'll even use it in my girlfriend!!!!

Poor old silly Me!!!

OOOOHH :sigh, The humanity!!!!:(:D
 
While the concept is interesting Zotek guy it should be bundled for free as an incentive to your video cards and not sold for $125. Why on earth would I buy this thing when for a little less convenience I can download rivatuner for free?
 
I think it is a good proof of concept and potentially a great product down the road.

Imagine if they expanded it to show all the system vitals and the ability to most overclocking aspects of your system on the fly: CPU, RAM, video, maybe even control fan speed.

Then just change the looks (color and shape) a little bit to make it sleeker and I would buy the product just to have it on my desk showing off my OC.
 
costs 25 bucks less than my video card... That alone would kill it for me. 956 million transistors and 512mb of high speed DDR3, or a little screen and buttons that interface with some software through usb. I appreciate that zotac is trying to do something cool for the overclockers but selling us something we get for free is going to be hard unless you can make the added gimmick seem worth the money alone.
 
I think it's kinda cool. I prolly wouldn't buy one, but take a look at how may scions have been sold.

There will be a lot of boutique builders who will include something like this and lil johnny will love it. I don't think we should dismiss anything that is new....personally, I have always craved an external system control device (fan, speeds, voltage, etc), but I think the right way to implement this is a touch screen sideshow device that is a little more interoperable.

I like the initiative though....

J
 
I'd consider buying one for $10. For $130, I'll be satisfied with Alt-Tab.
 
I think there will be a market for it. Not me, or hardly anyone who visits sites like [H], but there will be kids who do not feel competant to use software like Rivatuner for free.
 
When I first looked at it I thought it was some cheap handheld game. But no... it does what you can do for free with your video card's own overclocking utility...
 
I just don't get it.

There has been software out there for years that let's you create profiles and use hotkeys to overclock your graphics hardware, without having to alt-tab out of your favorite game or application. All functions infinitely more useful than this thing. The fact that someone spent time and dollars developing this 'gizmo' is mind boggling.

But alas they will probably sell a fair share to clueless wannabe 'modders' and the like. It's surely a different 'enthusiast' market now than it was in the good old days.
 
I like the idea, and would not mind seeing this for ATI stuff as well.

Actually as dumb as I is becoming, I really need this for CPU usage (anyone got a clocking guide for my current M/B.one that has ALL steps, including stuff that has to be turned off?)

Last thing I O/c was the 300a
 
wow,

lately seem plenty of why? in a [H] forum, that is what I really find mind boggling, I said to that why not?

looks neat and haven't seen this done before, I bet price and different designs(to match different cases, etc) will follow, with more added features, maybe even added just for bying top of the line video card,

sam
 
$130 for just the video card in a horrible orange looking remote thing...make it black, fit in a 3.5" bay, display other vitals and maybe control CPU and RAM as well, then drop the price by 50-60% and we are talking a product.

I get the USB angle, target more main stream folks that don't wanna crack there box, but A. they are buying your card, so they're gonna have to crack there box or play someone else to do it and when they do that stick this thing in and B. either the person putting this in your card is going to tell them not to use that (hence sold separate) or the mainstream idiots that buy this are going to fry their card and wonder why the screen went black.
 
GT2k said:
At launch it'll be tied down to ZOTAC graphics cards only, for now ;).
Click to expand...

Interesting idea, especially for something targeting the mainstream. However here are a couple of suggestions that could vastly improve marketability.

1) Color - Orange doesn't sell except on muscle cars and even then it is questionable. White, Black, Blue and to a degree Red are colors that would sell far better. Black would be the best choice since it is going to sit on the desk and most people have a black or silver monitor. You gotta consider aesthetics when marketing something like this.

2) Need to make it compatible with more then just your video card. Single card compatibility lowers your market penetration and then your penetration is lowered even further as only a percentage of owners will even want the device.

3) Design - When folks have a spiffy looking device that sits on a base they want the illusion of wireless. Connect the usb through the base bottom and have the device mount similiar to how an mp3 player mounts. A big ugly usb cable coming out the side of a "slick" device is a major No No.

4) Push a few "Tester" devices out to major hardware sites like HardOCP and a few more via contests or what not to individual users. The traffic driven from these sites and word of mouth for a few hundred dollars worth of units is on par with thousands in regular advertising.

I think the concept of what you have here is pretty interesting. It is targeted squarely at the mainstream market of users who might be interested in OCing but do not have the technical savvy to do it. Make a few changes to the device and you can make it have a fairly large appeal. I believe your price point is fine, I know many people that would easily drop a mere $130 for something like that if it was a little closer to the criteria I mentioned above. Right now as it stand though, as harsh as they sound I wouldn't even consider dropping more then $40 the way it currently looks.
 
Clearly, no one is going to spend the money on this device. Anyone that overclocks is usually some sort of [H]ard core computer guy.

I'm sorry, but this is a device that no one needs and doesn't perform any functions that are not already done for free... What I'm really suprised at is how a company got the budge to make this a real product!

Great that you are trying but, I can count 126 ways to spend my money better!


Sorry for being so harsh
 
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