Zotac's Nitro OC Controller Review

The Zotac Nitro is an interesting piece of kit, but one with a massively limited appeal. A lot of that comes down to the price, which really is a lot when you think about what you're getting, but then if you're questioning how much it costs, it probably isn't the product for you. At over £75 though, there is no denying that this is an expensive e-peen pill to swallow.

But that isn't all that limits the unit's appeal -- it only works properly with Zotac graphics cards and we couldn't get the overclocking profile system working at all. The former is completely understandable and expected, but the latter isn't as forgiveable. Without the overclocking profiles, you're forced to go into the Nvidia Forceware control panel (or another third-party overclocking tool) to force your overclocking settings at start up. While that's not a problem in isolation, Zotac itself has said that the device is targeted more at the user who doesn't know their way around these types of applications and it's intended to introduce overclocking to a new group of users.

On the positive front, the Nitro allows you to tweak your graphics card's clock speeds on the fly while you're playing games, which may or may not be something that interests you. If it isn't then you're going to think the Nitro is a complete waste of money and, with that in mind, it's hard to recommend the Nitro as a standalone device.

However, when Zotac starts bundling it with select graphics cards, it might be worth considering for the warranty nugget the company throws at you. Ultimately, that is going to come down to price though because it's unlikely that Zotac will give the Nitro away for a nominal amount.