PC graphics cards live and die on the strength of their benchmark performance, and the smallest advantage in those tests can sway customers to choose one brand over another. That’s why every manufacturer is desperate to present its wares in the best and fastest possible light, which in turn might be why MSI has been shipping review graphics cards clocked higher than its retail ones.
The discovery was made by TechPowerUp, who noticed that the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X card they were sent for review was running at faster GPU and memory clock speeds than the retail version. This was because the review card was set to operate in the OC (overclocking) mode out of the box, whereas the retail card runs in the more regular Gaming mode out of the box. The result? An unobservant reviewer might accidentally misrepresent the OC performance numbers as the stock results from the card, lending MSI’s product an unearned helping hand.
Looking back on its history of review products, the site found this was a recurring pattern with MSI stretching back for years. Fellow Taiwanese manufacturer Asus, in spite of having better global name recognition and reputation, has also shown itself guilty of pre-programming review cards with an extra overclocking boost.
Needless to say, the only goal of such actions is to deceive — both the consumer and the reviewer — though perhaps some companies have felt compelled to follow suit after the trend was identified among competitors.
American rival EVGA has seized the opportunity for some positive press off the back of the MSI and Asus news by reiterating its commitment for What You See Is What You Getgaming. The company promises that it only ever ships review units identical to the ones it puts on retail shelves, so any boosts or overclocking you see in reviews will also be present in the product you buy.
TechPowerUp revealed its findings on Thursday of last week, but as of writing today, there has not been any official response from either MSI or Asus.
Post a Comment