well, lets not forget how nVidia tried to silence Steve when he posted a review they didn't like.
I’m sorry but no way this is worth the score you gave it. Yeah it’s fast but it is one of the worst values ever for a gpu. EVER! You only take 10 points off for being such a horrible value. That is just straight up lame 😒
To be clear, Steve does not score products (he doesn't on HUB) but historically we've always scored products in TechSpot reviews (Steve's and others, for years), so that's an (always subjective) layer of editing after Steve wraps up his testing and before we publish the review.
With that said, I will add this...
* We usually score a product based on features, performance, value, competitors, innovation, etc.
* A 90/100 score doesn't mean everyone should buy it, but rather where we believe the product slots among its direct competitors.
* In the case of the RTX 4080, it's a very fast GPU, it's just too expensive for most. In terms of value it's not horrible, but it's not great either. As of writing, there is nothing else that delivers that level of performance (from the competition).
* It's up to the consumer to decide if they want it/can pay for it. If not, there are alternatives. You will see us scoring other products (GPUs or otherwise) lower if we think they don't perform where they should within its segment/intended market, if they are not well built, are buggy, etc.
* Needless to be said, we try to write fair reviews and don't play favorites with any company. If you don't like company A or company B, that's fine but we won't judge a product based on that kind of sentiment.
One last comment not related to the review but GPUs in general (current and next generation)... GPU makers got spoiled by mining and scalpers pricing. My hope is that kind of distortion won't return for the foreseeable future and if that happens the pricing and lifecycle of these products will have to change and possibly go back to where it was 3+ years ago. In other words, we'd nothing but love if these 4080/4090s and $1000+ GPUs become a thing of the past and we go back to the days where a mainstream GPU cost $200-250 and a high-end one would set you back no more than $500-600 (and less than that months after launch). But that's not true today.