Scott Wasson on his way to AMD

[Arachnotronic]

Apparently, Scott Wasson is retiring from TR and will be taking a position at AMD.

http://techreport.com/blog/29390/into-a-new-era

I find this incredibly ironic, particularly given how AMD users/supporters seemed to think that Wasson was unfair/biased/NVIDIA shill/etc. for his testing methods.

It looks like AMD found his insights valuable enough to hire him. Congrats to Scott!

 

[Silverforce11]

Really smart move from AMD, to hire one of their biggest critics and indeed a very biased reviewer to work for them.

If you don't actually think he is biased, you just need to go back and read the Dirt Showdown saga and how Scott claims they will not be using it in their suite of games because DX11 Direct Compute Global Illumination was an unfair AMD tech that ran worse on NV GPUs (despite NV fixing it with a driver update, you know, AMD's open source features make that easy). Right, fair enough, discard biased games.

But when it comes to Project Cars... nope. None of those constant NV logos in-game tracks or the crippling performance on AMD GPUs makes it bias, according to Scott, it's fine, they include it in their suite of games and even do a lavish article showcasing the game.

Bias? You decide.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Really smart move from AMD, to hire one of their biggest critics and indeed a very biased reviewer to work for them.

If you don't actually think he is biased, you just need to go back and read the Dirt Showdown saga and how Scott claims they will not be using it in their suite of games because DX11 Direct Compute Global Illumination was an unfair AMD tech that ran worse on NV GPUs (despite NV fixing it with a driver update, you know, AMD's open source features make that easy). Right, fair enough, discard biased games.

But when it comes to Project Cars... nope. None of those constant NV logos in-game tracks or the crippling performance on AMD GPUs makes it bias, according to Scott, it's fine, they include it in their suite of games and even do a lavish article showcasing the game.

Bias? You decide.

I don't know much about those two games (I don't play racers) but was one game significantly more popular than the other?

 

[crisium]

Better frametimes incoming? Nice.

 

[coercitiv]

I don't know much about those two games (I don't play racers) but was one game significantly more popular than the other?

The reason invoked by TR was not game popularity, was it?

Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition review

We've added the latest entry in the DiRT series to our test suite at the suggestion of AMD, who has been working with Codemasters for years on optimizations for Eyefinity and DirectX 11. Although Showdown is based on the same game engine as its predecessors, it adds an advanced lighting path that uses DirectCompute to allow fully dynamic lighting. In addition, the game has an optional global illumination feature that approximates the diffusion of light off of surfaces in the scene. We enabled both the new lighting path and global illumination in our tests

This is a fantastic game, by the way. My pulse was pounding at the end of each 90-second test run.

Well, I suppose this is what happens sometimes when a GPU maker works closely with a game developer to implement some new features. Showdown simply runs better on Radeons than on GeForces, and it's not even close. We've seen lots of similar scenarios in the past where Nvidia took the initiative and reaped the benefits. Perhaps this is karmic payback.

GeForce GTX 660 review

We chose to exclude DiRT Showdown, since the results skewed the average pretty badly and since AMD worked very closely with the developers on the lighting path tested.

 

[Kallogan]

nice hiring a terrorist to bomb amd from the inside lol

 

[boozzer]

Better frametimes incoming? Nice.

hahahaahhaha omg :thumbsup: short, succinct, funny. damn, you are good.

 

[crisium]

hahahaahhaha omg :thumbsup: short, succinct, funny. damn, you are good.

He specifically cited frame times.

I got a phone call from Raja Koduri, who heads up the newly formed Radeon Technologies Group at AMD. Raja asked me if I'd be interested in coming to work at AMD, to help implement the frame-time-based testing methods for game performance that I've championed here at TR.

I'm not sure what your issue is.

 

[boozzer]

He specifically cited frame times.



I'm not sure what your issue is.

I think you misunderstood my post bro.

 

[Pariah]

The reason invoked by TR was not game popularity, was it?

Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition review



GeForce GTX 660 review

These are the results of 6 games tested in the first review you linked.

Nvidia = 680 AMP!
AMD = 7970Ghz


Nvidia +7.1%
Nvidia +2.8%
AMD +103.5%
Tied
Nvidia +60.3%
Nvidia +11.8%

Now take note, that the conclusion shows that AMD won the overall performance crown. So, someone please explain to me how that is an accurate conclusion based on Nvidia winning 4 out of 6 and tying in a 5th. Logically reason how TR's assertion that Dirt3 was unnaturally skewing the overall results and inaccurate statement.

 

[Tsavo]

No big surprise. TR seems to have been limping along for some time now. Ads money must be nothing like it used to be.

Not to mention, reviewing pc bits must get quite boring after a while.

 

[3DVagabond]

These are the results of 6 games tested in the first review you linked.

Nvidia = 680 AMP!
AMD = 7970Ghz


Nvidia +7.1%
Nvidia +2.8%
AMD +103.5%
Tied
Nvidia +60.3%
Nvidia +11.8%

Now take note, that the conclusion shows that AMD won the overall performance crown. So, someone please explain to me how that is an accurate conclusion based on Nvidia winning 4 out of 6 and tying in a 5th. Logically reason how TR's assertion that Dirt3 was unnaturally skewing the overall results and inaccurate statement.

Well, comparing an O/C'd 680 to reference 7970GHz the 680 won. The reference 680 didn't. Even then they basically traded blows except 2 games. Dirt SD and Batman AC. If Dirt SD skewed the results to AMD so did Batman AC for nVidia.

 

[coercitiv]

Now take note, that the conclusion shows that AMD won the overall performance crown. So, someone please explain to me how that is an accurate conclusion based on Nvidia winning 4 out of 6 and tying in a 5th. Logically reason how TR's assertion that Dirt3 was unnaturally skewing the overall results and inaccurate statement.

Did you at least try to follow the conversation?

1. Forum member says TR pulls Dirt3 due to it skewing results, then later does not do the same with Project Cars.
2. Other forum member suggests game popularity might have played a role.
3. I come in and point out that only result skewing was cited for Dirt3 hence in this case discussing game popularity is moot.
4. You come in and start discussing as if any of the posters above considered Dirt3 should have been used even if it skewed results. What exactly gave you that idea?

But just to humor you, based on your own derived data:

Nvidia +7.1%
Nvidia +2.8%
AMD +103.5%
Tied
Nvidia +60.3%
Nvidia +11.8%

When we consider the +100% as an outlier, shouldn't we do the same with the +60% one? Where do we draw the line?

 

[Pariah]

Did you at least try to follow the conversation?

1. Forum member says TR pulls Dirt3 due to it skewing results, then later does not do the same with Project Cars.
2. Other forum member suggests game popularity might have played a role.
3. I come in and point out that only result skewing was cited for Dirt3 hence in this case discussing game popularity is moot.
4. You come in and start discussing as if any of the posters above considered Dirt3 should have been used even if it skewed results. What exactly gave you that idea?

But just to humor you, based on your own derived data:

When we consider the +100% as an outlier, shouldn't we do the same with the +60% one? Where do we draw the line?

Just as expected. Didn't answer the question.

As for 2nd question. 60% could be considered an outlier,. 60% is about 50% off the average if both outliers are removed, Dirt3 is about 110% off the average meaning Dirt3 is twice the outlier that Arkham City was. If you remove Dirt3, AMD goes from winning, to losing big. If you remove Dirt3 and the Arkham, Nvidia still wins so it also doesn't change the results.

 

[Pariah]

Different review which contains Project Cars. Results have been scrambled from the order in the review.


Nvidia +25.2%
Nvidia +8.3
Nvidia +15%
Nvidia +16.3%
Nvidia +27.4%
Nvidia +28.9%
Nvidia +14.5%
Nvidia +63.7%


Which result is Project Cars?

 

[coercitiv]

Just as expected. Didn't answer the question.

Are you really having that much difficulty understanding that I consider Dirt3 to be an outlier, hence should be excluded from a "who's better on average" benchmark?

 

[NTMBK]

Smart hire; Scott's done a great job of improving the state of the art when it comes to benchmarking. Their GPU reviews are still the gold standard. Hope he does well in his new job!

 

[AtenRa]

Hope he does well in his new job!

What is his new job ???

Never mind,
"Raja asked me if I'd be interested in coming to work at AMD, to help implement the frame-time-based testing methods for game performance that I've championed here at TR."

 

[SPBHM]

What is his new job ???

Never mind,
"Raja asked me if I'd be interested in coming to work at AMD, to help implement the frame-time-based testing methods for game performance that I've championed here at TR."

he is going to teach AMD how to use fraps?

just joking, there is probably more than that, good luck for him and AMD, you normally just hear about people leaving AMD these days, so it's positive and he is very knowledgeable with the whole PC hardware media and benchmarking stuff, which AMD could use some help with for sure.

 

[guskline]

Excellent move by Raja Koduri. Focus on Graphic performance!

 

[Techhog]

Just as expected. Didn't answer the question.

As for 2nd question. 60% could be considered an outlier,. 60% is about 50% off the average if both outliers are removed, Dirt3 is about 110% off the average meaning Dirt3 is twice the outlier that Arkham City was. If you remove Dirt3, AMD goes from winning, to losing big. If you remove Dirt3 and the Arkham, Nvidia still wins so it also doesn't change the results.

I love how you just completely ignored the other reply to your post and how you're trying to make it into a binary winner/loser scenario.

 

[ShintaiDK]

No big surprise. TR seems to have been limping along for some time now. Ads money must be nothing like it used to be.

It was very clear when he asked people for subscriptions.

 

[railven]

Was confused, because I was thinking of TechPowerUp for some reason haha. Clicked link, all complaints made sense.

Kudos to Wasson. AMD must really be trying to clean up it's media perception. It hires on one of it's biggest critics, it black outs questionable sites, and it's giving users products to increase word of mouth.

See how it works for them in the long run.

 

[maddie]

How goes that old quotation?

Keep your friends close ....................:sneaky:

 

[Flapdrol1337]

I find this incredibly ironic, particularly given how AMD users/supporters seemed to think that Wasson was unfair/biased/NVIDIA shill/etc. for his testing methods.

Looks like they're still going at it.