An EVGA GTX 460 SC review using a midrange system
Yes, there are benefits to writing graphics card reviews with zero CPU limitation. I know what they are, you know what they are, etc...
However, for the performance segment I don't think it's the best thing to do. This market demographic (for the most part) does not have i7 systems running at 3.9 ghz with 12 GB RAM. IMO when they look a review for a video card that's in their market segment they should see what the card can do in something that's like their system.
My reviews over the years have reflected this opinion.
I thought I would let you guys know that I published a GTX 465 review for NV News on release day. I used a mid-range AMD setup, and the compare cards were a GTX 465 and an HD 5830. The review is located at:
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=152967
Yes, it's a forum link. For right now, NV News reviews are being published through vbulletin. That certainly does not make it an "unofficial" review though. Just as other review partners do, I had a Webex meeting/presentation with Bryan Del Rizzo of NVIDIA, and was able to utilize an NVIDIA-written review guide as well as some other review partner-only info. NV News has been in the review game for a long time, and though we've slowed down a bit, we still cover major releases like this one (I/we also reviewed a GTX 465).
Is this review as good as those by the Big Boys? No. But it does IMO convey some interesting points, and addresses some of the wishes and wants of the performance segment via some information that I collected from various hardware forums by doing some informal pre-release surveys. It is also unique for its use of a real mid-range system. To be honest this review ended up being the most exciting I have done for NV News. I've been reviewing for them since 2003, and honestly I've never had a better bang-for-the-buck video card in my system (FX 5900 XT and Geforce 6800 Vanilla were close but didn't match the completeness and value of the GTX 460).
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the review. PM me or reach me at NV News, [H], PC Perspective, Rage3D, Beyond3D, Guru3D, techpowerup, Tom's, elitebastards or here if you have any questions. :)
