ZOTAC was on hand yesterday at NVISION '08 to introduce the world's first hardware-overclocking controller.
The device, dubbed NITRO, is designed to allow users to tweak and tune their ZOTAC-branded GeForce graphics cards at the touch of a few buttons.
It may look like a child's toy, but it's supposed to be an enthusiast's wet dream. It'll plug into your system via USB, and allow you to dynamically overclock your ZOTAC graphics card in 5MHz increments using the three simple buttons. It'll provide instant access to your GPU core, shader and memory-clock settings, without having to quit your desktop application.
Should your system begin to struggle under the load of titles like Crysis, hit a few buttons and you'll squeeze out that extra bit of power - that's the idea, at least.
It isn't all about overclocking, though, as NITRO also provides the ability to adjust GPU fan speed. In addition, core, memory and shader speeds are all displayed on the well-presented VFD, along with fan speed and temperature.
Carsten Berger, marketing director at ZOTAC International, said:
NITRO allows our customers to extract every ounce of performance from their ZOTAC GeForce graphics card without the hassles of using unsupported third-party software. Overclocking has never been easier with the intuitive NITRO.
He might be right, but what we really want to know is will NITRO work with any GeForce product, or just those of the ZOTAC variety? That remains unknown, but we'll find out soon enough as NITRO is thought to arrive in November at a retail price of €89.
Official press release: ZOTAC Unleashes NITRO at NVISION 08