[digitalwanderer]

I was just reading an x-bit labs round up of 9500 & 9700s vs GF4 ti4400 & 4600s that was good for comparing things, but it just seemed to lack something for me. It just didn't ever really "grab" me, it lacked soul or something.

I've been noticing this a lot more lately. The reviews are just become a couple of pages of the mandatory manufacturers buzzwords list, (which I HATE, but have had explained to me by a couple of friends who do it to the point of at least understanding why. I still just think a link to the manufacturers buzzword page would be just as good. ), followed by the mandatory 3dm2k1se graphs, followed by a game graph or a number of game graphs if it's a good review. Now I do know and understand the reasons for doing it this way, and think they're all valid and important reasons, but that doesn't mean you can't add a bit of subjectivity in there too!

Now, by 'subjectivity' let's be clear; I do NOT mean 'preferential'! I know there's a temptation there to use them two words interchangeably, but I am NOT using them that way. You can make subjective judgements about things without being preferential, or at least you can leave it up to the reader to render their own opinion on your bias.

I keep wanting to finally do an 8500 to GF3 comparison, but I just can't without doing it subjectively as well as objectively! Not and do it right! Do you think that including subjective opinions bias' a review or comparison too much? Or is it ok as long as you include some hard data too?

[ToshiroOC]

I think that being preferential or biased in any way is not good for people who get sent video cards for free to review The competitor to whomever they side with is going to not send cards in the future, and that would be a major problem. However, almost every review I have read is subjective. Reviews say if something is good or bad, simple as that, and that measurement of good/bad is going to be subjective no matter what. If you ask me, I think we should be given blind reviews where you read the review before reading the product name or manufacturer. It wouldn't work for CPU reviews, since everyone knows those too well, but it might work for motherboard and video card variant reviews...

[Zarathustra]

With these biased reviews they aren't not finding flaws, they are just leaving them out. Some companies will pretty much demand to look over the review and approve it before the site can post it. I know from first hand experience

[digitalwanderer]

..that's why I keep thinking I'll never get any free stuff. It'll keep me free to rant as I want.

[Zarathustra]

Well we are big enough here to be able to bitchslap around some companies. It's mainly the small sites that have to bend over.

[ToshiroOC]

I'm thinking of Van's Hardware right now... did anyone here like that site? I had a contribution that made the front page just weeks before they shut down

[JavaFox]

I've noticed what you're talking about, too, DW -- that video card reviews --or even reviews online as a whole-- tend to lack a certain je ne se quoi that makes them either boring or tedious to page through.

Some suggestions? Well, humor in a review is never a bad thing, I feel. Also, instead of merely covering issues of theoretical performance, why not have an emphasis on real-world ones as well? For example, I don't buy Creative because their drivers are atrocious. You could tell us which drivers were easier to install, or are less bloated. That may be important to people. Also, subjectivity can be a bad thing, but it can be an EXCELLENT thing when it is countered by the opposite opinion. For example, if we were writing political articles, I think an article where you and I duke it out every few paragraphs would be much more entertaining --if not informative-- than a simple one-opinion piece. In the same way, maybe you could, for example, review an ATi card, tell of a few of your bad experiences, and then have an ATi fan do the opposite.

Finally, have a strong conclusion. Sometimes readers aren't interested in reading page on page of statistical data. Have strong, clear statements like: "This card is unequivocably the best card for gaming" or "This card, quite simply, is not as fast as a Ti4600."

Hope you can glean one or two bits of worthwhile advice from all that rambling.

[Vampyromaniac]

Hey, I'd like to see a review co-done by opposite brand-fans, as long as they dont argue and just give an honest opinion good idea


Coming soon:
Intel Prescott review
by JavaFox & reno

imagine . . .

[JavaFox]

I'm glad you like that idea, Vamp -- I think it'd be a lot of fun to both write and read! Why, it'd be Hannity and Colmes of the hardware review world.

But don't you mean JavaFox versus reno?

[Zarathustra]

Hmmmmmm I think you guys are onto something here. You two write a review quick so we can decide if this is good or not

[digitalwanderer]

...has a GF3 & 8500 out there to play with too?

[Vampyromaniac]

as long as OReilly doesn't show up, it'll be great!