Asus and MSI have been accused of sending graphics cards with higher clock speeds out of the box to reviewers. This issue was first reported by folks over at Hardware.fr, which was then confirmed by TechPowerUp. According to both sources, graphics card samples sent from both Asus and MSI to reviewers boasts slightly higher clock speeds compared to what consumers are getting out of the box.
To put it simply: certain graphics cards from Asus and MSI that are supplied to reviewers ship with “modified” BIOSes to give the respective cards higher clock speeds; which may affect the overall benchmark of the respective graphics card. It’s worth mentioning that – according to both sources – the clock speed differences between the review sample and the retail graphics cards may be considered negligible (~26MHz difference) to some.
As mentioned by TechPowerUp, the MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X ships to reviewers with the “OC mode” preset out of the box; meanwhile, consumers are getting the same graphics card, but with the “Gaming mode” preset applied out of the box instead. The fact that both Asus and MSI are allegedly intentionally shipping cards with different presets/clock speeds seems rather odd.
Of course, a ~20MHz difference in clock speeds isn’t going to bring much of a difference when it comes to gaming, but Damien Troilet of Hadrware.fr brings up an interesting point regarding this matter:
Obviously, Asus and MSI have made the calculation that getting these small gains brought more benefits than criticism among some troublemakers. Sure, after all, so these bios boost perhaps the performance of the cards by 1%, but that’s no reason to look elsewhere! After 1%, it will be what? 2%? Then 3%? Then widespread cheating contest?
One would think that this practise of providing graphics cards with higher clock speeds to reviewers is something that occurs only recently, but TechPowerUp’s findings tell a different story. According to the reputable review site, MSI’s review cards were found to be clocked differently for quite some time now, while it’s believed that Asus has just begun following suit.
Both Asus and MSI did not release any statement regarding this matter at the time this article was made. We’ll keep you updated should there be any response by either companies.
(Source: Hardware.fr, TechPowerUp, VideoCardz)
(Featured image credit: VideoCardz)
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