Really whats the point of the grapics charts?

[morbane]

One would figure they are to compare the performance of one GPU to the next. But seeing as the newer GPU's would be benchmarked on a newer platform and hence have a faster CPU it makes the figures for the newer GPU's completely useless in comparing to any of the older ones so really what is the point of these charts with useless information?

 

[Lee-m]

you couldn't put a nice new dual GPU card, in an old machine, the CPU would just bottle neck the cards performance.

The cpu power has to scale correctly with the class for card its tested with. Rival cards from nvidia and ati are tested on (as close as can be) the same system. So its pretty fair.

 

[morbane]

Yes and it should state that you need the CPU scaled with the GPU if you want to try and see comparable results if just for the lamans out there.

They also obviously want you to be able to compare the new GPU to the older ones otherwise why bother having GPU 2 or 3 years old in the chart then?

So if your going to have cards that need a current CPU in order to show any benefit over the older cards then they should say so as i'm suremany people have just looked at the charts and gone "hmmmm that 9800 is almost twice as fast as my aging 8800 so i think i'll get one since they arn't as expensive now!!!" but don't think that they might need to upgrade their CPU as well so wonder whats going on when they put it in and see a miniscule if any improvement.

They need to be more clear in what the charts are actually saying since saying things like they do in their latest chart "Featuring 101 different combinations of single, dual, three-way, and four-way graphics card configurations, We have five generations of cards covered here, So, whether you’re looking for the best value in graphics for your favorite game or investigating the benefit of multi-card rendering" i'm sure wouldn't imply to a laman that they need to also scale their CPU to obtain the results seeing they don't even mention anything about CPUs or platforms only graphics cards so it seems logical that average joe gamer who isn't an IT geek would look at the chart thinking if his system has an X and runs that benchmark at about the same speed then even though the CPU is 2years old if he gets a Y instead it'll run at about the charted speed as well since nowhere it says the improved performance is also reliant on an improved CPU as well.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

so really what is the point of these charts..?

It's a device to point out the n00bz in the forums who whine about them, that way we know to ignore you in the future.

 

[L1qu1d]

THG is secretly working for both companies and is trying to convince you to buy the old cards cuz they are as strong as 2 of the new ones

Its the latest trend