Should Anand refuse to review 8800ULTRA?

[Pugnate]

They gave the 7800GTX 512 a very positive review, but turned out it was just a paper launch and websites were made pawn of Nvidia's game. They could refuse to review the 8800Ultra since it is looking to be a ghost card.

But I guess they can't because:

1. Nvidia hasn't officially announced the card will be in limited quantities. In fact they've found a solution by making the price so ridiculously high, that the 100 unit supply won't be an issue. In fact who knows if they actually supply it in large quantities and then websites who refused to cover will have egg on their face.

2. Hardware websites need Nvidia more than Nvidia needs them. I guess they have to let themselves be used, or perhaps be cut off?

3. They could review it, but just be very unfavorable in light of the true purpose of the card and its $1000 price.

 

[Genx87]

Using that logic they should refuse to review the R600 as well.

 

[jdoggg12]

It'd be better if they reviewed it, but made it abundantly clear that they only made it to show the public what they don't get to have. Essentially, a slap in the face to Nvidia for BS marketing gimmicks

 

[Lord Banshee]

they should review it either way.

Personally i like to see what crazy fast hardware is out there, i don't spring to buy every so often so i like to window shop no matter the price or availability. Also i think the 7800GTX 512 hurt nivida more when the x1900 and x1950 came out killing it at almost all benchmarks and good amount of money less.

I see this no difference when AMD and Intel having these FX series and Extreme CPUs for 1000 dollars and the next month or two you can get the same performance for half the price, well i guess the difference is there is plenty of stock of FX and Extreme CPUs compared to the stock the the 7800GTX 512 was.

 

[nullpointerus]

Originally posted by: jdoggg12
It'd be better if they reviewed it, but made it abundantly clear that they only made it to show the public what they don't get to have. Essentially, a slap in the face to Nvidia for BS marketing gimmicks

 

[Griswold]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Using that logic they should refuse to review the R600 as well.

I guess something ruined your day... *snicker*

 

[sandorski]

no

 

[imported_Wolfkin]

Of course they should review it if they get the chance.
But if the card cost close to a $1000 and only get a minor performance boost it should be pointed out and the rating of the card should be lowered and maybe slapped with a "don't buy" recommendation.
It will all depend on how the card performs, the price, availability.

 

[chizow]

Or the X700 series...oh wait.

AT has made it very clear they're going to be wary of paper launches and vaporware in the future. But then again they spend time and resources reviewing rare/expensive variants like the Sparkle Calibre and others with extravagant cooling solutions instead of focusing on tests people really want to see.

Anyways, I'd be more willing to publish a review of a slightly OC'd GTX before a problematic, oft-delayed R600 part going on "faith" alone without seeing any actual availability or intent to mass produce.

 

[fierydemise]

I don't see why they shouldn't review it, however I think if it proves to be an ebay card they should leave it off all future benchmark comparisons because that would be misleading.

 

[yacoub]

Originally posted by: jdoggg12
It'd be better if they reviewed it, but made it abundantly clear that they only made it to show the public what they don't get to have. Essentially, a slap in the face to Nvidia for BS marketing gimmicks

 

[Creig]

Just because it might be high-priced/low-volume is no reason not to review it. It is what it is. Some people will find the price of no consequence and buy two. Most other people will read the review for its technological merits and go out to purchase something a bit less expensive.

I'm looking forward to reading a review on it to see just how far Nvidia can push the G80 with (I'm fairly certain) binned cores and whether or not it will bring significant gains to framerates over a standard or manufacturer OC'ed GTX.

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Originally posted by: jdoggg12
It'd be better if they reviewed it, but made it abundantly clear that they only made it to show the public what they don't get to have. Essentially, a slap in the face to Nvidia for BS marketing gimmicks

 

[Pugnate]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Using that logic they should refuse to review the R600 as well.

The R600 was late but will be widely available. How is that anywhere near the same thing?

The only purpose of the 8800ULTRA like the 7800 512 is to win benchmarks. The item will be in extremely short supply, and has a difference in purpose to the R600.

I see this no difference when AMD and Intel having these FX series and Extreme CPUs for 1000 dollars and the next month or two you can get the same performance for half the price, well i guess the difference is there is plenty of stock of FX and Extreme CPUs compared to the stock the the 7800GTX 512 was.

Yes there is a massive difference. Those cards are released to be sold. If they go down in price, they still exist.

The 8800Ultra will have maybe a 100 pieces produced like the 7800GTX 512. And most of those pieces will be just be for reviewers.

The purpose of the 8800Ultra is shady. Those $1000 processors aren't sold to win benchmarks only.

It'd be better if they reviewed it, but made it abundantly clear that they only made it to show the public what they don't get to have. Essentially, a slap in the face to Nvidia for BS marketing gimmicks

That should be the way to go... Let's see if that happens or hardware sites just wet themselves.

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: Pugnate
They gave the 7800GTX 512 a very positive review, but turned out it was just a paper launch and websites were made pawn of Nvidia's game.

Actually it was the opposite of a paper launch as people were able to buy the card a few days before the reviews came out. (Search the Hardocp forums).

It did go out of stock quickly and restocks sold out just as fast, but it was NOT a paper launch.

Maybe people should refuse to review the Nintendo Wii since it's never in stock.

 

[fierydemise]

Originally posted by: Wreckage

Originally posted by: Pugnate
They gave the 7800GTX 512 a very positive review, but turned out it was just a paper launch and websites were made pawn of Nvidia's game.

Actually it was the opposite of a paper launch as people were able to buy the card a few days before the reviews came out. (Search the Hardocp forums).

It did go out of stock quickly and restocks sold out just as fast, but it was NOT a paper launch.

Maybe people should refuse to review the Nintendo Wii since it's never in stock.

They sold out quickly because they were in incredibly short supply, no it wasn't a paper launch but it wasn't really a hard launch either. The point is including a card that for all intents and purposes can't be purchased in a benchmark round up is misleading.

 

[coldpower27]

Originally posted by: fierydemise

Originally posted by: Wreckage

Originally posted by: Pugnate
They gave the 7800GTX 512 a very positive review, but turned out it was just a paper launch and websites were made pawn of Nvidia's game.

Actually it was the opposite of a paper launch as people were able to buy the card a few days before the reviews came out. (Search the Hardocp forums).

It did go out of stock quickly and restocks sold out just as fast, but it was NOT a paper launch.

Maybe people should refuse to review the Nintendo Wii since it's never in stock.

They sold out quickly because they were in incredibly short supply, no it wasn't a paper launch but it wasn't really a hard launch either. The point is including a card that for all intents and purposes can't be purchased in a benchmark round up is misleading.

I would say it was a hard launch, but the issue was the availability wasn't sustained.

 

[Munky]

They should review it right along with an OC'd gtx, and whatever other video card(s) can be had for close to the price of the ultra. Then people can make their own decision. And definitely make a note of it if it will be a limited edition card.

 

[coldpower27]

Actually with an MSRP of 999, it would probably not be unfeasible to compare it to SLI'ed 8800 GTS 640's. Since the MSRP of that setup is 900USD after all and 100US should be enough to buy an SLI motherboard anyway.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: coldpower27
Actually with an MSRP of 999, it would probably not be unfeasible to compare it to SLI'ed 8800 GTS 640's. Since the MSRP of that setup is 900USD after all and 100US should be enough to buy an SLI motherboard anyway.

I've thought of these comparisons as well previously, problem is it'd only hold water in best-case scenarios. The only problem is the glue that makes it work, SLi. Its just too inconsistent and buggy right now to make it a valid comparison. That's why I've refrained from making any recommendations or comparisons with 2 x 320MB GTS in SLi compared to a single GTX since they're essentially the same price and have been since launch. The 320MB GTS also has problems with frame buffer size at higher resolutions, which is where SLi would actually make sense, but you get the idea.

 

[terentenet]

What do you call a paper launch? Limited availability or NO availability? Because I have the opportunity to buy 2 Ultras'. All that's holding me back is the water cooling setup. If the 8800 Ultra maintains the same layout as the GTX so I can fit the EK blocks and the performance increase over GTX will make the Ultra worthy, I will take the plunge on 2 of those.

 

[SexyK]

Of course they should review it. Price and availability are just factors that should be included in the review. Same goes for R600... if the XTX turns out to be completely unavailable or overly power-hungry I would still expect a review, with those caveats clearly delineated. Either way, there are plenty of premium products that hard to find - in fact in many cases that's part of the attraction.

 

[jdoggg12]

Originally posted by: terentenet
What do you call a paper launch? Limited availability or NO availability? Because I have the opportunity to buy 2 Ultras'. All that's holding me back is the water cooling setup. If the 8800 Ultra maintains the same layout as the GTX so I can fit the EK blocks and the performance increase over GTX will make the Ultra worthy, I will take the plunge on 2 of those.

proof? not saying you're lying, i just wanna see the channels you're going through

 

[terentenet]

Through a friend of mine who has good connections and got me some of the components in sig. Some before official release date. I'm not giving names or brands but trust me, i'm 80% sure I can get 2 Ultra cards by mid May. I just need to know if the layout is similar to 8800GTX so I can move the waterblocks.
If this Ultra card turns out to be a limited quantity card, there won't be many waterblocks available, if any. That's my main concern.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Griswold

Originally posted by: Genx87
Using that logic they should refuse to review the R600 as well.

I guess something ruined your day... *snicker*

Yeah? What was that?