Have you guys seen this?...

[WaltC]

It's an article entitled "3d Graphics: Quality Matters" here:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1225676,00.asp

I have to say I've seen a few bizarre spins on 3d image quality, but I don't ever recall reading one quite as strange as this. Basically, the article takes a 9800P and a 5900U and decides that the best way to go about judging IQ is to pick arbitrary frame rates as targets and load the various cards with *different* IQ settings so that their frame rates normalize around these targets (well, as close as possible.) There are no screen shots or other examples of IQ anywhere in the article.

Now, in one case the GFFX is run at 4x FSAA/8x AF, and contrasted with the R9800P which is run at 6xFSAA/16xAF which brings the R9800P to ~ 110 fps and the GFFX to ~150 fps. The conclusion of the article states that the "3d quality" between the products in that game is a "draw." Nowhere is there a single screen shot illustrating why the author might have reached this conclusion, nor does he ever explain the methodology he used in making his decision (that I saw, anyway.)

Basically, I saw nothing in the article that might justify its title... IMO, it seemed the strangest attempt I have ever seen to communicate the PR concept of "little to any differences" between the 9800P and the 5900U. It contained nonsensical statements like "We were surprised at how we had to load up the 9800P to bring it down to our framerate targets." The idea that the image quality should be better on the 9800P at 6xFSAA/16xAF than it was on the GFFX at 4x FSAA/8xAF never seemed to enter the author's mind.... It's beyond me--but maybe I've missed something. Anyone else find it as strange?

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Just an indication of websites scrambling around to try and find an alternative way of reviewing cards now that the benchmarking rug has been pulled out from under them by Nvidia cheating and the Nvidia PR war.

They've obviously latched onto the idea of IQ being important, but they haven't managed to get this across in any kind of usable fashion.

It's the blind leading the blind really.

 

[ZoinKs!]

Someone started a thread on this already, but on the wrong forum.

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7492

At least the idea that iq matters is starting to sink in at some places. I'm glad they're willing to try something new and expect them to improve their methods as time goes on.

 

[WaltC]

Someone started a thread on this already, but on the wrong forum.

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7492

At least the idea that iq matters is starting to sink in at some places. I'm glad they're willing to try something new and expect them to improve their methods as time goes on.

Thanks, Zoinks...I'll continue over there (I looked earlier but missed it.) Seriously, though, I didn't see anything in the article about IQ except the title...

 

[hjs]

I liked the big FX ad on the right :?

 

[Hanners]

I actually quite liked the idea as an alternate way of testing cards... It would have been a good article had it actually had some screenshots to show image quality.