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MSI and ASUS Send VGA Review Samples with Higher Clocks than Retail Cards

Disco_P said:
To be honest it's a non issue. You install the program, press the option and it runs at those speeds. Much like the advertised RGB feature on many cards requires the installation of a program, or to even get any performance out of a card you need to install the driver.

If required a BIOS flash it would be worth making some noise about as that is above what is expected of an end user.
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It isn't a non-issue when a review sample is not as the review, and it isn't just a one off, but consistent higher values.
 
The real story here is not how the cards will perform but how incompetent the review sites are.

290X review samples if anyone remembers that.:D
 
I have an m.s.i 390. All the reviews were very clear about the software app, what it did and how it affected speed.

Its not a secret how the software works or how you get the advertised o.c.
 
efish said:
I have an m.s.i 390. All the reviews were very clear about the software app, what it did and how it affected speed.

Its not a secret how the software works or how you get the advertised o.c.
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They are talking about the BIOS not the software. They are using the software reference to illustrate the point.

Anywho... back to more fighting about N vs A and more waiting...
 
Scougar said:
It isn't a non-issue when a review sample is not as the review, and it isn't just a one off, but consistent higher values.
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Eh, it's arguable that it's still entirely representative because it is one of the 'modes' of the card that come with it.

Frankly, I'm not sure how an OC mode only adds 30Mhz, though. That's piddling and nobody would ever notice an actual difference in performance.

Anyways, this is worth informing people about, but I'm not sure if it's anything to get upset over though no doubt plenty will, as finding things to be outraged over seems to be a hobby of some.
 
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Scougar said:
They are talking about the BIOS not the software. They are using the software reference to illustrate the point.

Anywho... back to more fighting about N vs A and more waiting...
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I got that. The bit I can't understand is why reviewers did not notice. You need the software to get the advertised o.c. the card comes with. Reviewers know this. They also know that retailers use the o.c figures.

If they were given cards in advance, did not have the software and thought they had been sent the card in gaming mode why review the card without enquiring as to what the o.c mode was, what gaming mode was and what silent mode was?

A trip to msi 's web site for example lists all three figures.
 
http://cdn.videocardz.com/1/2016/06/MSI-GTX-1080-review-vs-retail.jpg
As you can see, the retail card's boost clock is at 1823MHz, whereas the review sample's boost clock is at 1848MHz. At first, it looks obvious that MSI has given a "modified" card to the reviewer. However, if you look at MSI's website, the card is advertised to have a 1847MHz boost clock: https://us.msi.com/Graphics-card/GeForce-GTX-1080-GAMING-X-8G.html#hero-specification TechpowerUp's card is 1MHz within MSI's own specifications. The card's "OC mode", which enables the higher frequencies, is a feature present on ALL MSI cards, from the 1080 all the way back to the 780: https://us.msi.com/Graphics-card/N780-TF-3GD5OC#hero-specification

MSI and Asus aren't alone in this. As you can see, there is clearly a gaming and OC mode for Gigabyte's 980 Ti G1 and 1080 G1: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5472#sp http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5915#sp

There is nothing "questionable" about these features. The cards are guaranteed to run within the OC mode frequencies, and any one that doesn't is probably defective. If you have an MSI 1080 Gaming X but don't want to use MSI's OC software, feel free to overclock the card manually in order to reach the OC mode clock frequencies. Your card will still run within specifications.
 
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This is really a non issue , all 1080's are boosting past whats on the box anyway LOL :p

My MSI 1080 Gaming X boosts out of the box to 1936Mhz instead of advertised 1822Mhz

and in OC mode it's running at 1976Mhz instead of 1847Mhz it's just Boost 3.0 :)
 
I think it is an issue. I suspect manufactures may have to come up with a more transparent moron bios mode that allows the card to be operated by a idiot for review purposes.
 
Yeh I discovered this with my MSI 390X last year. Was confused as to why my clock speeds were 1080Mhz instead of the 1100Mhz advertised on OCUK and in the reviews.

I then discovered that the 1100Mhz clock was only present on the reviewer's card's BIOS's - if they give reviewers custom bioses, then it's also likely that those GPU's are binned aswell etc, where does it all end?
 
Dave2150 said:
Yeh I discovered this with my MSI 390X last year. Was confused as to why my clock speeds were 1080Mhz instead of the 1100Mhz advertised on OCUK and in the reviews.

I then discovered that the 1100Mhz clock was only present on the reviewer's card's BIOS's - if they give reviewers custom bioses, then it's also likely that those GPU's are binned aswell etc, where does it all end?
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I would say "independent reviewers picking up the slack" but youtubers have proven to be incredibly immoral as well as amateurish.
 
titaniumx3 said:
Really? I think someone is over reacting.
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Dabbled in journalism a while back and had to deal with this kind of thing, it also left me with high expectations of journalistic integrity etc. Basically a red haze descends and I dissolve into apoplectic rage. I accept that based on most people's barometers it might be an overreaction, but that's how my ethics works. I figure when journalism is untrue it's ethically equivalent to deliberately lying to thousands of people, one by one by one.
 
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philo-sofa said:
Dabbled in journalism a while back and had to deal with this kind of thing, it also left me with high expectations of journalistic integrity etc. So based on your barometer such a reaction MSI subtly lying to its customers and reviewers might be an overreaction, but that is how my ethics works. I figure when journalism is untrue, it's ethically equivalent to deliberately lying to thousands of people, one by one.
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How is it lying to customers? MSI just want the card to be reviewed in the OC mode which is a factory guaranteed overclock. The reviewer(s) can also review the card in gaming mode or silent mode if they want to by using the MSI software.
 
Dave2150 said:
Yeh I discovered this with my MSI 390X last year. Was confused as to why my clock speeds were 1080Mhz instead of the 1100Mhz advertised on OCUK and in the reviews.

I then discovered that the 1100Mhz clock was only present on the reviewer's card's BIOS's - if they give reviewers custom bioses, then it's also likely that those GPU's are binned aswell etc, where does it all end?
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So you couldn't activate OC mode to obtain 1100 clock?
 
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