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Today's review has been our fourth look at an aftermarket RTX 3090 Ti, and the Zotac RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme Holo has proven to be a solid addition to the mix.
Regular readers may well have got a dose of deja-vu when seeing the shroud and RGB implementation, as it is near identical to the RTX 3090 Amp Extreme Holo that we reviewed last year, but that is no bad thing. I personally think it is an attractive design, with the holographic section being particularly eye-catching, while the multi-zone RGB lighting will be sure to please those looking for a bit of bling in their systems.
Performance from the card is pretty much what we'd expect, too. Zotac didn't go with the most aggressive factory overclock we've seen, yet the Amp Extreme Holo was trading blows with the MSI Suprim X in every single game we tested. In short, this RTX 3090 Ti delivers RTX 3090 Ti performance, so we can have no complaints there.
Its cooler is also a solid performer. It's not the absolute best we've tested in terms of noise-normalised thermals – for an air-cooled card, the MSI Suprim X does offer lower GPU and memory temperatures – but the differences are small. Its Quiet BIOS is very easy on the ears however, so you won't be disturbed by fan noise if you do opt for that BIOS mode.
Speaking of the BIOS situation, that is my one real complaint for the Amp Extreme Holo. The card does feature dual-BIOS, but it is only accessible through Zotac's FireStorm software – there's no physical switch on the card. This does mean you don’t have to open up your case every time you want to switch between the two BIOS. But I'd argue one of the main benefits to a dual-BIOS switch is that you can manually flick over to the other BIOS if one became bricked, and that is just not an option here.
Additionally, the only difference switching between the Amplify and Quiet BIOS is the fan speed, so I’m not sure why a user wouldn’t just manually change the fan speed instead of switching BIOS, which itself requires a system restart.
That one quirk aside, the Zotac RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme Holo is a solid all-round performer, with no major weaknesses in terms of its gaming performance, thermals or noise levels. If you're looking for an RTX 3090 Ti and like the HoloBlack design, it will serve you well.
We found it on sale for £1898.99 on Overclockers UK HERE.
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Pros
- Smart design with attractive holographic section.
- Eye-catching RGB implementation.
- Just as fast as any other RTX 3090 Ti.
- Solid thermal and acoustic performance.
Cons
- No physical dual-BIOS switch.
- MSI's Suprim X is slightly cooler-running when noise-normalised.
KitGuru says: Zotac's Amp Extreme Holo looks good and performs well. The software-only dual-BIOS implementation is an interesting quirk, but it's still worth buying if you're in the market for an RTX 3090 Ti.
