Packaging
Zotac didn’t waste any space with their packaging; the GTX 550Ti box isn’t much larger than the video card itself. This is a drastic change from just about every other manufacturer, including Nvidia, who use a box closer to the size of that of a motherboard. The smaller package may save some much needed space but could cause problems in shipping if the card isn’t boxed well or if the shipper practices kickball with it. The front of the box has a dragon breathing fire across the front, a little different than what we typically see with video cards. Across the bottom you have the model and RAM information along with their AMP! Logo giving you a clue that this card may not be your average GTX 550Ti reference design.
Around back things are fairly simple while continuing the black and orange theme. You have a two paragraph write-up on the GTX 550Ti along with three small photos with short explanations below them.
Inside, along with the video card itself, you have your manuals, a driver disc with a Zotac case sticker tucked in it, one molex-to-6 pin adapter cable, and one DVI-to-VGA adapter. It’s more surprising that they packed all of that into the relatively small box. Call me spoiled but it was a little disappointing to not find an HDMI cable included, however with a full sized HDMI port on the card it shouldn’t be a problem to find one around the house for most people.