Micro Center recently showed a clear bias against AMD graphics cards in a blog post on the topic of choosing hardware for your PC build. The company's CEO has since apologized, claiming that the post doesn't reflect how Micro Center feels about AMD's graphics cards.
As spotted by Twitter user MeyerTechRants, the post argued that while AMD graphics cards are cheap, they require owners to carry out modifications or regular upkeep to keep them working as intended.
The post went on to say that Nvidia graphics cards are plug-and-play, like video game consoles. It's ironic, considering that Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 3090, RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3080 graphics cards are the ones that benefit from a thermal pad swap.
Here's the excerpt from the post:
"Typically AMD graphics cards are more affordable but can require some modification or regular maintenance to keep working as intended. On the other hand, Nvidia graphics cards function much like video game consoles and essentially work in a plug-and-play fashion. The ease of use and stability of Nvidia GPUs have made them the most popular choice among gamers and streamers. Nvidia cards also support Ray Tracing and DLSS, which work together to provide gamers the highest quality graphics possible without sacrificing frame rates."
After the receiving backlash, Micro Center's President and CEO Rick Mershad issued a public apology on the company's website.
"Incorrect information pertaining to AMD graphics cards was inadvertently published on our website. This was published without properly vetting the information within, and we deeply apologize for the error," he said.
Mershad added that AMD Radeon graphics cards do have good things going for them, like their "top-of-the-line performance" and features, including ray tracing and the latest FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) technology, AMD's response to DLSS.
"AMD graphics cards offer top-of-the-line performance, including ray tracing and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (AMD FSR) for maximum visual performance, as well as easy installation, with no upkeep beyond standard driver updates. We are proud partners of AMD and will continue to offer their cards as a premium component for all custom PC builds," Mershad wrote.
We do wonder if there was any reasoning behind Micro Center's original post, such as RMA data. But for the normal consumer, driver maintenance is probably the only thing on the to-do list for the first couple of years of owning the graphics card. Eventually, the topic of repasting the GPU or replacing the thermal pads can come up, but that's normal for any graphics card, whether it be Radeon or the best graphics card from Nvidia.
