Derek Wilson of Anandtech...

[Kombatant]

As far as I am concerned, and please judge my respect to the engineers behind such products, but that any of this even works (and works as well as it does) is just PFM to me (Pure F*****g Magic). What they do with silicon based transistors is just amazing.

I've done Microelectronics in the Uni, and let me assure you; if you think where it all begins (0s and 1s, logical gates) and where it ends (the nice CPU/GPU you have sitting in your computer), the in-between is truly mind-boggling.

 

[neliz]

I've done Microelectronics in the Uni, and let me assure you; if you think where it all begins (0s and 1s, logical gates) and where it ends (the nice CPU/GPU you have sitting in your computer), the in-between is truly mind-boggling.

true, current hardware is lightyears from the stuff we made at school.. we were actually happy to create a circuit board with a small display and switches which added and subtracted.. it was still single digit but how long did it take? hours.. man hours.. drawing and designing the board by hand.. etching the circuit board in the machine and then applying all the resistors, capacitators and the ic itself..

 

[Kombatant]

true, current hardware is lightyears from the stuff we made at school.. we were actually happy to create a circuit board with a small display and switches which added and subtracted.. it was still single digit but how long did it take? hours.. man hours.. drawing and designing the board by hand.. etching the circuit board in the machine and then applying all the resistors, capacitators and the ic itself..

heh, yeah i know; those were the days

 

[Xmas]

I don't know, and I never in any way intended to imply that I do. But, if you look at all of the major sites and many of the minor ones, whenever SLi is brought up it seems none of the disadvantages are even mentioned, except the cost. I really do appreciate not only what JoshMST said, but the way he said it.

I don't read many reviews, but those I've seen do mention the drawbacks. They don't give them too much weight, though, which is understandable IMO. What sells SLI in the high end is the "coolness factor", having the fastest hardware. (Warning, car analogy ahead!) When you read reviews sports cars, they'll probably mention fuel consumption, low comfort, etc. But that's not what makes the product interesting, and it obviously doesn't bother potential buyers.

I don't think anyone installing a SLI setup is not aware of the drawbacks.

 

[Deathlike2]

I don't read many reviews, but those I've seen do mention the drawbacks. They don't give them too much weight, though, which is understandable IMO. What sells SLI in the high end is the "coolness factor", having the fastest hardware. (Warning, car analogy ahead!) When you read reviews sports cars, they'll probably mention fuel consumption, low comfort, etc. But that's not what makes the product interesting, and it obviously doesn't bother potential buyers.

I don't think anyone installing a SLI setup is not aware of the drawbacks.

I disagree somewhat. There will still be a portion of the buyers that are still uninformed only to find out the reality of those drawbacks that SLI has... It happens with any product.. kinda like the original Audigy "supporting 24-bit audio".. which isn't completely true. The basic idea of SLI is to increase performance and crank up AA/AF... but that is with some caviats... and most likely those buyers won't realize until they finally use it... most of these kinds of problems of perception are really marketing related though...

 

[nelg]

(Warning, car analogy ahead!) When you read reviews sports cars, they'll probably mention fuel consumption, low comfort, etc. But that's not what makes the product interesting, and it obviously doesn't bother potential buyers.

Also analogous to that is the amount of attention that high end cars get in the media compared to their market share. To further what DemoCoder wrote, the interest in high end products will always be far greater than their market penetration. From the media standpoint that is reason enough to write about them.

 

[Entropy]

Entropy, obviously there are a few things that I need to address.

I have been doing this reporting/reviewing thing for about 7 years now, so I have more than a little bit of experience here.

First off, yes, it is the PR's jobs to get the word out on their product. They need to do it in a professional and friendly manner. Now, while I deal with dozens of PR folks, I honestly can say that there are about 5 that I am actual friends with. This is not me wishing and hoping that "they will be my friend" but these are people who have gone well beyond their job descriptions in helping me, giving me information not normally passed on, as well as giving their honest opinion of the situation (and often times this opinion is not exactly positive towards the product or company in question). You are basically insunuating that I am some poor, friendless loser who takes in PR spin hook, line, and sinker. I have to disagree with you. PR and reporting are two jobs that interact with each other, and while it is almost always cordial (except when huge controversies happen and there is a lot of finger pointing) reporters typically know which PR people they can trust, and which ones are just "doing their job". Again, of the 50 or so PR folks I tend to work with every year, I honestly like and trust about 5 of them.

First off, I'm sorry if I offended you with my simplistic description.
Suffice to say that we all want positive relationships with those who we work with, and that in some cases we are obviously going to find ourselves with people we really appreciate. What I was saying on a personal level was that it may not be wise to invest too much in professional relationships, particularly with people whose job it is to develop good relations. Enough there, we're both aware of the grey zone, and you're an adult.

The more important point was that technical journalists/reporters have a more personal real life relationship with representatives of the commercial interests, than with their largely faceless readers.

"The examples are less important than the principle - those who sell kit and those who report on those products to the public have significant common interests.

Being chummy with the ones you're supposed to report on just drives the nails in all the deeper."

I really take offense at this comment. While we do have common interests, and in many ways we are two dogs eating at the same bowl, but to throw a blanket statement saying that we are basically in collusion with each other to hoodwink readers and users is pretty insulting.

Your interpretation is your own. I pointed out two of these three points, and since you added the third yourself, I won't avoid it
1. The commercial interests and the press (including online) have largely common interests in keeping the attention of consumers/readers.
2. Representatives of the press have a more intimate relationship with the commercial interests and those whose actions they report on than with their readers.
3. Who pays your bills? This was the blunt point I didn't bring up, but since you made some referral to it yourself, I can add it. And it really is a major point as far as ultimate loyalty is concerned.

Given this, anyone is free to draw their own conclusions as to whose interests trade reporters ultimately serve.

Now, the picture isn't as pitch black as all that, because as you quite correctly point out the readers are important to the press because their numbers determine ad revenue.

Here is the deal... reporters are far more responsive to our readers then we are with manufacturers. Our readers are our bread and butter, and it doesn't matter how much material we get from manufacturers, if we don't have readers we soon become inconsequential. Once that happens, everyone abandons us. No readers = no advertisers, and no traffic = no manufacturers willing to send "kit". So, while we may have a cozy relationship with manufacturers (source of products and information) without readers we would be nothing. To keep readers we have to develop trust with them, and to do that we can't afford to act as shills for these manufacturers. I know of a couple of places where the reporters/editors did in fact "sell themselves out" and those sites are now marginalized and have little traffic.

Heh. I note that you say that you are more responsive to your readers than to the manufacturers and conveniently avoid mentioning the advertisers.
Be that as it may, your comment above is a fair point.

In truth, what I wanted to get at is that too much of the discussion of websites and their reporting is about whether they report fairly on nVidia vs. ATI, AMD vs. Intel, et cetera. What I would like readers to do is be more aware and active in the more fundamental relationship sellers vs. buyers. Rather than ask themselves or you the question "which is best, X or Y?". I'd like readers to go "these things that X and Y are pushing - are they really something I should care about?" or "both X and Y seem to want to sell me variations on that but what I would really want is this. I want to you to put the light on this issue!".

In short, I don't blame the world for being what it is, I just want people to be aware of it so that they don't get fooled by unreasonable expectations, and might actually use their knowledge to push it in a more fruitful direction! The readers should more aware of, and active with, their ultimate power - their mouseclicks and their money, and never support that which doesn't really work in their best interests.

Entropy, you seem like a very pessimistic person, I am curious... where are you from? Don't get me wrong, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing, and it keeps us from being fooled all the time. But you present your argument like there is some kind of conspiracy between reporters and manufacturers, and that every PR person is a malicious entity that's only reason for existing is to promote the good of their product over every other consideration (mind, their job is to promote their product, but I hardly think they are evil for doing that). I am curious about your background.

You misrepresent my position a bit.
My background is in science (computational chemistry). I am seriously middle aged. (Old and bitter )
No, they are not evil for that. But they serve the interests of the seller. Not the buyer.
And in this business, I belong to the consumer group, and in this case I argue from that perspective.

 

[martrox]

I am seriously middle aged. (Old and bitter )

I have some good news, Entropy......at some point senility will set in, then you'll be old and happy.....