China’s LeEco lays US ambitions to rest with massive layoffs

Several days ago, the CEO of Chinese corporation LeEco, Jia Yueting, resigned. While he remains chairman of the company, the move followed worrying announcements over the past six months: Growing so quickly it was running out of cash, selling the site intended for its Silicon Valley headquarters and backing out of a deal to buy Vizio. But today, the axe finally fell for its American operations as the company announced it’s slashing 70 percent of its US workforce due to lack of funding.

LeEco will continue to operate in the US but will focus on the narrower segment of Chinese-speaking households, a spokesperson told Cnet. This partial retreat isn’t surprising, as the company has been in such dire financial straits that it delayed paying its US employees back in April to buy time. But it does mean a severe rollback of its plans to seize some of the US market.

LeEco’s expansion into the US had been tenuous since Jia admitted in a letter back in September that the company had overextended itself without sufficient capital and funding to back up its growth. The Tesla-killer Jia was developing with EV maker Faraday Future might never happen as the latter scrambled for funding at CES lest it go out of business. The shaky automaker did state that its operations wouldn’t be affected by LeEco’s extensive US staff cuts.

Via: Cnet

Apple Files FCC Application to Test Next-Generation 5G Wireless Technology

Apple is planning to test next-generation 5G wireless technologies, according to an application document filed with the FCC and discovered by Business Insider.

Apple applied for an experimental license to test wireless technology on millimeter wave spectrum bands. Millimeter wave bands provide higher bandwidth and throughput up to 10Gb/s, but are limited by line of sight issues that cause problems in dense urban areas.

“Apple Inc. seeks to assess cellular link performance in direct path and multipath environments between base station transmitters and receivers using this spectrum,” Apple wrote in its application.

“These assessments will provide engineering data relevant to the operation of devices on wireless carriers’ future 5G networks,” it continued.

Apple will test the technology in two locations in Milpitas and Cupertino over a period of time that is not expected to exceed 12 months, using equipment sourced from Rohde and Schwarz, A.H. Systems, and Analog Devices. Apple will use the 28 and 39 GHz bands, which were among those opened up by the FCC last year for the purpose of next-generation 5G broadband.

It’s not entirely clear why Apple is planning to test millimeter wave performance or the purpose behind the testing. Cellular carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile are currently testing 5G networks in preparation to deploy the next-generation technology in the coming years.

Apple could perhaps be preparing its future iPhones to take advantage of 5G technology, or the company may have some other purpose in mind. As Business Insider points out, the 28GHz band in particular could be of interest as it has been earmarked for earth-to-space transmissions, an area Apple has been exploring based on recent hires with satellite expertise.

Tags: FCC, 5G
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Sky Dancer: A Temple Run-style game for all the dreamers out there (Review)

Overview

Endless runner-style games aren’t a novelty, but the poetically named Sky Dancer manages to distinguish itself from the slew of Temple Run alternatives out there.

Not only does Sky Dancer provide gamers with challenging gameplay, but it also creates a unique atmosphere thanks to its beautiful graphics and immersive music. Did I get your attention? Keep reading below to find out more.

Developer: Pine Entertainment

Price: Free

Impressions

If you’ve been playing Temple Run before, you’ll have no problem navigating the word of Sky Dancer. At first you play a character called Tharbadis, a martial arts experts of sorts, whose objective is to jump down platform, avoid obstacles and collect as many coins as possible.

There are actually 10 different Sky Dancers characters available and more will be coming with future updates. However, you’ll need to collect orbs of light and coins to unlock additional characters.

Game controls are quite simple. You keep running automatically and tapping on both sides of the display will make your character jump over an obstacle or from one platform to another. Tap left or right to control the direction of your character. In theory it sounds quite simple, but in reality it proves quite challenging.

Navigating through the air towards the next platform is probably what makes this game so hard to master. My strategy, after numerous failures – mind you, involves moving in the general direction of the platform while in the air, and making some last minute adjustments as the character reaches the platform.

At first, when you make the plunge it’s quite complicated to approximate the location of the platform and sometimes you end up moving the character too far to the left or right, only to see it get swallowed up by the void.  But after numerous trials, I finally managed to get the gist.

Gamers can gain more points by completing Challenges like Dive across a chasm or Survive for 30 seconds and Perform a precise jump right after a perfect landing. The majority of missions are accumulative and can be completed after multiple attempts.

But to be frank, it’s not the game play that drew me to the game, but its almost-dreamlike atmosphere. You see, the game is dominated by an eerie sentiment, as the world of Sky Dancer seems remotely distant from our own with its peculiar geography and spectacular sunsets and exponentially large moon. Atmospheric effects allow you to start the game at sunrise or sundown and as to advance through the levels watch the moon rise in the distance.

There’s not much of a story to backup game play in Sky Dancer, but for me this proved to be a positive feature, as it allowed me to create my own narrative – one involving an alien race descendant from humans, fighting for survival on a distant planet.

While the app is free to download and play, but you should be aware there are in-game purchases that can get you coins or new characters. The game is also ad-supported, so expect a few annoying ads to pop up while  you’re navigating the game’s settings or such.

Video ads are also present – but the good news is that they are hidden behind an optional button that appears when you die. Even so, the ads do not disturb game play in any way, so you can expect a seamless game experience.

I couldn’t finish off this review without mentioning the game should run fluidly on most devices. I didn’t have a problem playing it on my average-specced Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) – no random freezes or slowing down of game play involved.

Conclusion

The game’s developers freely admit they have created Sky Dancer out of their passionate love for Temple Run. Still Pine Entertainment took things to the next level with Sky Dancer by placing the gamer within unearthly world full of mystery and wonder. The simple controls and engaging playing style also contribute to the unforgettable experience that is Sky Dancer.

Download Sky Dancer from the Google Play Store

Instagram takes another page from Snapchat’s book with Location Stories

Why it matters to you

If you want to find the best Instagram Stories happening in your neck of the woods, Location Stories may help you do just that.

You know how you can search for Stories with particular tags on Snapchat now? Well, you are going to be able to do the same on Instagram, too. As the two photo-sharing social media apps continue to find ways to edge out one another, they’re taking cues for the competition at a clip, with Instagram rolling out Location Stories to its Explore tab just a few weeks after Snapchat introduced a similar feature itself.

TechCrunch first reported that Instagram was testing Location Stories last week. At the time, users could find various Stories tagged with a location sticker (say, Miami Beach), but only by going to that particular location’s Instagram page or by clicking on said sticker from another user’s Story. Now, it’s become far easier to access these images. Instagram has begun to highlight Location Stories in the Explore tab’s Stories section, right at the top of your screen. Some users will see Locations alongside Stories from other popular users, and while this feature is not yet live for everyone, it is likely to roll out to the masses quite soon. (At time of posting, we started noticing the feature popping up in our Explore tab.)

Of course, we’ll now have to wait and see whether or not Instagram will allow you to to search for Stories (as Snapchat does). After all, if it wants to compete, it’s going to have to show that everything Snapchat can do, it can do better (or just as well).

As it stands, it doesn’t look as though you have to volunteer to have your Instagram content appear in a Location Story, as long as it’s tagged with a location sticker and is public. It’s unclear if this policy would hold if a search feature were ultimately implemented.

So get excited, friends. Soon, you may be able to post the same content to Instagram as you do to Snapchat and have it discovered the same way, if you don’t already.

The best graphics card you can buy

Whether you’re upgrading your old rig, or putting together a new one, every gaming PC needs a graphics card.

The trick is, graphics cards are inherently hard to recommend because user needs vary so wildly. Everything from monitor resolution, power and thermal requirements, and even game preference will dictate how much you spend, and what you spend it on.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for GPUs, but we hope this guide will push you in the right direction

Our pick

Why should you buy this: The GTX 1060 3GB strikes the perfect balance between price and performance.

Our Score

The best

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition

With 3GB of memory and solid performance, the GTX 1060 is a great fit for most PC gamers.

$279.92 from Amazon

$249.99 from Newegg

Who’s it for: Gamers looking to improve their gaming quality without breaking the bank.

How much will it cost: $200-$300

Why we picked the Nvidia GTX 1060:

The GTX 1060 might not be the cheapest card, and it might not be the most powerful, but it offers a solid balance of the two that will appeal to most PC gamers.

It also hits the sweet spot for graphical memory. The GTX 1060’s 3GB of GDDR5 should be just the right amount for 1080p gaming, although higher-resolution textures may push up against that limit. It’s also tied for the least expensive card certified for virtual reality, at least until Oculus’ minimum specification program starts.

The result is a card that has no trouble playing well optimized games like Battlefield 1 or Fallout 4 with the settings cranked. Even at 2,560 x 1,440, we saw average performance of 60 frames per second, or higher. It’s a tough battle between the GTX 1060 and AMD’s similarly priced RX 480, but ultimately we gave the Nvidia option the nod for beating the Radeon in terms of performance at the $200 price point.

That said, it isn’t going to deliver top performance in every game. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is by far the most demanding game we’ve tested, and the GTX 1060 delivered just 37 frames per second on average while running at ultra settings in 1080p. This video card is great in most situations, but at $200 to start and no more than $280 for the fastest incarnations, it’s not the most powerful available. If you want that – read on.

Our full review

The best graphics card for 4K

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: You want to play the latest games at the highest frame rate and resolution.

The best graphics card for 4K

Zotac GeForce GTX 1080Ti AMP

Without dropping over a thousand dollars for a GPU, the GTX 1080 Ti offers the best performance available to PC gamers today.

$479.99 from Sears

$719.89 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: 4K monitor owners and PC gaming enthusiasts.

How much will it cost: $500+

Why we picked the Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti:

Unlike the GTX 1060, there’s nothing budget-friendly about the massive GTX 1080 Ti. Aside from the Nvidia GTX Titan, which is absurdly expensive and not that much faster, the GTX 1080 Ti is the most powerful consumer offering in Nvidia’s arsenal, and it shows in its gaming performance.

This card can hit an average of 60 frames per second in many games, even in 4K. While there were similarly priced cards in the previous generation, such as the AMD R9 Fury series and the GTX 980 Ti, even they couldn’t capably handle 4K gaming on their own.

Without a serious competitor from AMD in this generation, the GTX 1080 Ti is an easy choice for anyone with deep pockets and a need for speed. Basic cards start at $700, and reach over $800 when packed with high-end features like liquid cooling loops and impressive overclocks.

Our full review

The best entry-level graphics card

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: You want to turn a PC without a GPU into a certified gaming rig.

Our Score

The best entry-level graphics card

MSI GeForce GTX 1050 2G OC

Compact and lightweight, the GTX 1050 packs a surprising punch at 1080p, without breaking the bank.

$110.00 from MSI

Who’s it for: Casual and occasional gamers.

How much will it cost: $100+

Why we picked the Nvidia GTX 1050:

If you’re looking to buy a current generation graphics card (and you should) there are only two options at the $100-ish price point: the AMD RX 560 and the GTX 1050. The latter takes home our recommendation for best entry-level card by providing the best performance at that price point. Simple enough.

Like the GTX 950 we reviewed last year, the GTX 1050 pumps out 60 frames per second, or close enough to it, at 1,920 x 1,080, even with the settings turned up. Most models will also feature a shortened PCB and simple cooling, typically without an external power connection. That means the slim card will fit into compact cases, as well as pre-built systems with total power as low as 300 Watts.

Of course, the tradeoff for the GTX 1050’s bargain price means it likely won’t last as long as other GPUs. While that GTX 1080 is still firing on all cylinders a few years down the road, the GTX 1050 might start looking a little sad. At least at $110, your wallet won’t hurt too much having to pick up the tab.

Our full review

What about AMD?

Fans of the red team will not doubt notice we didn’t include any AMD picks in this best-of list.

That’s a problem with best-of lists: they’re about what is the very best, and don’t leave room for second place, even if it’s a very close second. And AMD’s offers are indeed very, very close. The Radeon RX 580 and Radeon RX 570 are highly competitive with the GTX 1060.

Why would you choose them instead of the Nvidia card? FreeSync is one good reason. AMD’s version of adaptive monitor sync is available in a wide selection of affordable monitor. If you’re not familiar with it, read up on the technology here.

The AMD cards also tend to perform better in games built specifically for DirectX 12. There’s not many games like that so far, but if you’re playing such a title — like Ashes of the Singularity — you’re better off with a Radeon.

How we test

When we test graphics cards, we tend to focus on three major factors: feature set, performance, and price.

Feature set is often determined by brand and platform, which we always consider as we review a card. It’s not just about whether it can handle a virtual reality headset, or how many monitors it supports. We check out graphical standard and API support, and special features like Nvidia’s Ansel, or AMD’s WattMan overclocking software.

Of course, performance is key. We run review units through a series of synthetic and real-world benchmarks, even beyond those we report. We keep detailed records of frame rate trends, frame times, and any anomalous activities, like noise, heat, or artifacts.

Ultimately, it all comes down to cash. With so many GPUs, board partners, and differences in clock speed and memory, there’s no shortage of options, and it’s all too easy to overpay. We check the price of each individual card, and even help determine availability at launch.

Updated 5-22-2017 by Jayce Wagner: Added Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti as the best card for 4K. 

Samsung’s stretchable 9.1-inch screen will make its public debut in L.A.

Why it matters to you

Stretchable smartphone screens are almost here and they could be a standard feature among all high-end phones.

Samsung has been developing flexible displays for years, but it is finally ready to take the wraps off a prototype. On Monday, the company announced it would exhibit a bendable, stretchable screen at the upcoming Society for Information Display 2017 conference in Los Angeles.

Samsung’s new display, which measures 9.1 inches diagonally and uses organic light-emitting diode technology to display images, can be flexed, bent, rolled up, and dented up to 12 millimeters without losing its original shape. Samsung sees it being used in wearable displays, Internet of Things products, and car infotainment dashboards.

“While current flexible OLED is able to be transformed in only one side, this stretchable OLED can be transformed — whether curved, bent, or rolled — in both sides, above and below,” a Samsung Display spokesperson said in a statement.

It could be bound for a future phone, too. In April, ET News and the Investor reported that Samsung produced a limited number of Project Valley, a prototypical dual-screen phone with a pair of flexible 5-inch, nearly bezel-less OLED screens joined together by a hinge. Samsung plans to make between 2,000 and 3,000 units in the first half of 2017, ahead of a pilot test with “tens of thousands” of prototypes during the second year.

In addition, Samsung’s reportedly developing a smartphone with a “wraparound” screen that reaches all four edges of the handset’s sides. But the company’s run into problems with its lamination process — wrapping the screen on all four sides of the phone creates a “blind side” on each corner that will not respond to touch.

Meanwhile, the competition isn’t lying in wait.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, the successor to last year’s Mi Mix, boasts a 93 percent screen-to-body ratio and both ZTE’s Nubia Z11 and Oppo’s R9s both have screen-to-body ratios above 74 percent. At an event in June 2016, Lenovo showed off a concept phone that uses a flexible phone that folds into a wristwatch. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, LG Display showed off a prototype 18-inch screen that rolls up like a sheet of paper.

Flexible and curved screens are a burgeoning business. Analysts at London-based research firm IHS estimate that flexible display sales will hit $15.7 billion in 2020, up from $5.3 billion in 2017.

Samsung is showing its flexible display alongside a 5.09-inch, 3D panel that displays three-dimensional objects without the need for glasses (like Nintendo’s 3DS), and a 1.96-inch UHD (3.840 x 1,260 pixels) display intended for augmented reality, virtual reality, and hologram applications.

Samsung’s stretchable 9.1-inch screen will make its public debut in L.A.

Why it matters to you

Stretchable smartphone screens are almost here and they could be a standard feature among all high-end phones.

Samsung has been developing flexible displays for years, but it is finally ready to take the wraps off a prototype. On Monday, the company announced it would exhibit a bendable, stretchable screen at the upcoming Society for Information Display 2017 conference in Los Angeles.

Samsung’s new display, which measures 9.1 inches diagonally and uses organic light-emitting diode technology to display images, can be flexed, bent, rolled up, and dented up to 12 millimeters without losing its original shape. Samsung sees it being used in wearable displays, Internet of Things products, and car infotainment dashboards.

“While current flexible OLED is able to be transformed in only one side, this stretchable OLED can be transformed — whether curved, bent, or rolled — in both sides, above and below,” a Samsung Display spokesperson said in a statement.

It could be bound for a future phone, too. In April, ET News and the Investor reported that Samsung produced a limited number of Project Valley, a prototypical dual-screen phone with a pair of flexible 5-inch, nearly bezel-less OLED screens joined together by a hinge. Samsung plans to make between 2,000 and 3,000 units in the first half of 2017, ahead of a pilot test with “tens of thousands” of prototypes during the second year.

In addition, Samsung’s reportedly developing a smartphone with a “wraparound” screen that reaches all four edges of the handset’s sides. But the company’s run into problems with its lamination process — wrapping the screen on all four sides of the phone creates a “blind side” on each corner that will not respond to touch.

Meanwhile, the competition isn’t lying in wait.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, the successor to last year’s Mi Mix, boasts a 93 percent screen-to-body ratio and both ZTE’s Nubia Z11 and Oppo’s R9s both have screen-to-body ratios above 74 percent. At an event in June 2016, Lenovo showed off a concept phone that uses a flexible phone that folds into a wristwatch. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, LG Display showed off a prototype 18-inch screen that rolls up like a sheet of paper.

Flexible and curved screens are a burgeoning business. Analysts at London-based research firm IHS estimate that flexible display sales will hit $15.7 billion in 2020, up from $5.3 billion in 2017.

Samsung is showing its flexible display alongside a 5.09-inch, 3D panel that displays three-dimensional objects without the need for glasses (like Nintendo’s 3DS), and a 1.96-inch UHD (3.840 x 1,260 pixels) display intended for augmented reality, virtual reality, and hologram applications.

Juiced, an affordable electric longboard, is made for commuting on a budget

Why it matters to you

Commuting is usually the least interesting part of someone’s day. This electric longboard should change that.

For people who work in the city, the commute to work usually involves bumper-to-bumper traffic or public transportation packed like a can of sardines. Bicycle skateboards are faster than walking, but they leave people sweaty before they even get to work. The answer is Juiced, an affordable, electric longboard built for city commutes.

A variety of settings makes Juiced one of the most accessible boards available for riders both old and new. Acceleration, top speed, and braking all adjust to the riders’ comfort.

Each board features high-quality deck materials like maple and bamboo but maintains its affordability by trimming the fat.  “An affordable, elegant and powerful electric skateboard simply didn’t exist,” says founder and CEO of Juiced Boards, Matti Deacon. “Other boards on the market may have more tech features such as apps, or lights, etc. Ours is designed clean and simple. On purpose.”

However, this doesn’t mean the board is cheap and lacks features. To keep the design sleek, the powerful motors have been tucked away inside each wheel hub. As an added benefit, this keeps the Juiced board weatherproof from any dust or water. The motors are strong enough to keep going strong uphill and operate via a small remote control.

One small, but very important perk is that the Juiced board becomes a traditional longboard if the battery runs dry. This means that commuters can still get where they are going even if they forgot to charge it. Additionally, while most boards can recharge themselves going downhill, the Juiced board won’t come with the resistance found on others.

The Juiced electric longboard’s design focuses on the most important aspects of any board. “The combination of powerful hub motors, quality design and accessible price point will position the Juiced board as the go-to for electric skateboards,” says Deacon.

The Juiced has officially launched its IndieGoGo campaign as of Tuesday. Boards are available starting at $399 with shipments going out as early as July.

Close to the Metal Ep. 44: New 2-in-1s breach the surface, but are any winners?

There’s been a bit of a dry spell for new 2-in-1 systems, particularly after going so long without a Surface Pro update. This morning, that all changed, as three new Windows-powered convertibles came to light, the Samsung Galaxy Book, the Huawei Matebook X, and of course, the Microsoft Surface Pro.

As we’ve learned all too well, building a 2-in-1 is really tricky business, and even one wrong move can render a system near-unusable, and far from earning a recommendation for us. Microsoft has managed to refine the pattern over several generations and different products, and at this point, we’re confident in its ability to put together a minor update to the Surface Pro line.

Huawei and Samsung, on the other hand, have more to prove. Samsung’s last effort at the 2-in-1 game left us unimpressed, with an overly ambitious OLED display that brought some tinting issues with it, and an overall chintzy design. Huawei made a decent effort with the previous Matebook, but it was marred by a flimsy design and expensive peripherals.

So which one is the right 2-in-1 for you, if any of them? Join us on today’s episode of Close to the Metal as we break down each device, and try to decide on a winner for the category.

Close to the Metal is a podcast from Digital Trends that takes a deep dive into computing and PC gaming topics. Each show, we’ll focus in on one topic, and leave no stone unturned as we show off the latest in hardware and software. Whether it’s the latest GPU, supercomputers, or which 2-in-1 you should buy,  we break down the complicated jargon and talk about how user experience is affected in the real world. Please subscribe, share, and send your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We broadcast the show live on YouTube every Tuesday at 1pm EST/10am PST.

Zotac GeForce GTX 1080Ti AMP! review

Research Center:
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080Ti AMP

While AMD focuses on fleshing out the budget-friendly GPU category, Nvidia continues to push top-end performance to new levels. The GTX 1080 Ti, starting at $680, packs in a whopping 11GB of memory, 3,584 CUDA cores, and a massive 250-watt power draw.

But that’s just the beginning of what the GTX 1080 Ti can offer. Nvidia’s hardware partners produce their own takes on the GPU, such as Zotac’s GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Edition. Its price generally hover around $720, though it can dip as low as $700, depending on the retailer and any applicable sales. It includes a full backplate, decent overclock, and an open-air cooler with a double set of large fans. It competes directly with the likes of the MSI Armor GTX 1080 Ti we previously reviewed, which generally sells for $700 – along with a dozen other cards from various manufacturers.

Most users simply don’t need that sort of roof-shattering performance, but for those who do, a GTX 1080 Ti is the only option. Does Zotac’s GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Edition stand out from the crowd, or are there better offerings in the GTX 1080 Ti family?

Big Body

This wasn’t the first chance we’ve had to spend time with Nvidia’s highest-end offering. The MSI Armor GTX 1080 Ti we reviewed previously set the bar high for performance, and kept quiet doing it, but its cooler provided less coverage, which didn’t do the oversized PCB any favors. Be sure to swing over to our review for that card for more information on the GTX 1080 Ti in general, as well as its place within the larger Nvidia ecosystem.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Zotac sets the AMP! edition card apart with several special features. The cooler is Zotac’s own Ice Storm open fan design, with two generously sized fans fitted into a shapely, dark grey and black housing, not unlike MSI’s GTX 1080 Ti. It’s an attractive option that looks right at home alongside similarly high-end components. It’s on the large side, which we also saw with MSI’s GTX 1080 Ti, extending well past the standard PCB bracket — an increasingly common trend for non-reference cards. That’s not the only thing Zotac has seen fit to add to the GTX 1080 Ti, as it also has an attractive metal backplate spanning the length of the card.

Under the hood, the GTX 1080 Ti has been pushed far outside of the Founders Edition’s already-lofty numbers. Zotac bumped the base clock from 1,480MHz to 1,569MHz and the boost clock from 1,582MHz to 1,683MHz, a healthy overclock that’s even higher than the $720 MSI Armor GTX 1080 Ti. For video outputs, Zotac includes three DisplayPort, one HDMI, and a lone DVI-D, a standard set of connections for any modern GPU.

Churning along

That’s enough ogling the card. It’s time to get into performance specifics. We tested the GTX 1080 AMP! in our high-end test right, with an Intel Core i7-6950X, 16GB of RAM, and an Intel 600 Series SSD. It’s no slouch, and should be a fitting, if slightly overkill setup for the powerful GTX 1080 Ti.

We ran it through a set of 3DMark synthetic benchmarks, as well as real-world gaming tests at 1080p and 1440p, where most users are still playing. While we’d love to test at 4K, the number of cards capable of anything near smooth gameplay, combined with a lack of gamers playing at the resolution, makes it a bit unfeasible.

The two GTX 1080 Ti’s tested with just a one point difference between them, which is surprising considering the Zotac’s higher base and boost clock. Still, the card produces one of the best single-card scores yet, and should perform accordingly in real gaming tests.

While the two GTX 1080 Ti renditions trade blows across our test, the Zotac AMP! edition generally wins out, if only by a few frames per second on average. We didn’t expect a world of difference between two versions of the same card, and the narrow performance boost we do see helps the Zotac’s case, considering its cheaper price point.

Both cards completely thrash the previous generation’s 980 Ti and Radeon Fury X, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the standard GTX 1080’s performance level. With framerates well over 100 in a number of modern games, the GTX 1080 Ti is more than powerful enough for high-refresh 1080p and even 1440p panels.

Warranty information

Our Zotac GTX 1080 Ti AMP! comes with a two-year warranty against manufacturer defects. This tends to vary by brand, but MSI’s Armor only carried a one year warranty, while the Asus Strix RX 580 had a full three-year warranty. Two years is more generous than most, and there’s a third year extension available.

Zotac GeForce GTX 1080Ti AMP Compared To

Asus Strix Radeon RX 570 OC 4G

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Armor 11G OC

MSI GeForce GTX 1050 2G OC

AMD Radeon RX 480

AMD Radeon R9 380X

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950

Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan X

Nvidia GeForce GTX 980

AMD Radeon R9 295X2

NVIDIA DualTV MCE

ATI All-In-Wonder X1900

MSI RX800 XT

MSI GeForce FX5700-VT2DR256

ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256MB

ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 9800 Pro

Our Take

Nvidia’s GTX 1080 Ti is the most powerful consumer GPU ever, and Zotac’s AMP! edition refines that edge with premium features and solid overclocking, all for $720 (or less) at most retailers. It’s easily the best equipped card at the price, which makes it a strong contender for those seeking the absolute best performance possible.

Is there a better alternative?

That doesn’t mean the case is closed, and Zotac’s offering is far from alone. Nvidia’ reference GTX 1080 Ti typically sells for $680, which gives it a minor price savings over the Zotac’s AMP! Edition. However, the Zotac model has an overclocking and a solid cooler, so we think it’s worth the extra cash.

Of course, most buyers will be comparing the Zotac GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Edition to other customized models – and it still holds up well. Zotac’s overclock is competitive with other cards in its price bracket. And while it’s very large, the Zotac model is as gargantuan as some models from Gigabyte (though, to be fair, Zotac does offer a massive top-end AMP Extreme model).

We do recommend the Zotac over MSI’s Armor edition. While we liked that card well enough, its design was uninspired, and it was barely overclocked over stock. Zotac’s take offers more.

EVGA’s GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC Black Edition is probably the Zotac’s fiercest competition. EVGA has a strong reputation, in that card is priced almost identically. However, the Zotac AMP! Edition does offer a marginally faster overclock. We have not tested EVGA’s option, but we think choosing between it and the Zotac will likely come down to which is on sale at the time you make your purchase.

How long will it last?

By spending as much as possible on a GPU, users are essentially ensuring that this graphics solution will stand the test of time. The performance is more than enough for most modern, high-refresh rate monitors, which leaves plenty of room to go as game demands do the same. Zotac also covers all its graphics solutions for two years, which is better than most cards, and only falls short of offerings from more expensive board partners.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Zotac’s AMP! series cards have always presented a great balance of performance, high-end features, and modest overclocking, and the GTX 1080 Ti rendition is no different. It does so well under the price of competing cards, and there isn’t much else you could ask for when it comes to selecting a GPU.