MSI has a deceptive download link on their site.

[Nardella]

I am both disappointed and slightly surprised to find that when I visit https://www.msi.com/page/afterburner there are multiple neigh identically formatted download links, the first one on the page is for an seemingly unrelated benchmarking software provided by what appears to be a third party, the correct download link is much further down the page. 

 

It is clear that the link is clearly intended to be disguised as the download link for MSI afterburner. I didn't fall for this deceptive link but if I had, I would not be surprised if MSI got paid for directing traffic to that third party. This marketing practice is contemptible and frustrating for less initiated users. It is unexpected on the website of such a reputable corporation, with good reason, using this tactic makes you look shady and untrustworthy, not a look that I imagine MSI wants to cultivate amongst its target demographic. However, by doing this, that is the exact look they are cultivating.

 

MSI you just got ranked down on my list of recommended companies. Congratulations! I wonder how many other people you have annoyed, probably not enough to verifiably affect your sales, which is unfortunate, because you deserve a small dip in sales.

 

Below you will find screenshots of the page and a description of why I believe that MSI is being deliberately deceptive.

In this image you see the very top of the page:

Spoiler

 

In this next image you see part of the setup for the deceptive link. These are clearly features of the MSI Afterburner program:

Spoiler

Next is the deceptive download link, it is encountered after pressing spacebar or page down 6 times on a 1080P display (7 times on 720p). If a user is only reading the headings they could be forgiven for assuming that "KOMBUSTER BENCHMARKING" is a feature of MSI Afterburner and that the download link is for MSI Afterburner.

Spoiler

The correct download link is only visible after scrolling 2 more times (3 on 720P). If MSI wants to avoid looking shady and untrustworthy, this is where the previous download link should be placed.

Spoiler

 

 

[I-r0k]

Shady software and marketing schemes are become a dime a dozen nowadays...

[glenalz81]

Pretty sure Kombustor is also published by MSI and often used for stress testing.

[Tristerin]

3 minutes ago, glenalz81 said:

Pretty sure Kombustor is also published by MSI and often used for stress testing.

This - I just downloaded it again the otherday (Afterburner) and saw the same thing you are OP - I don't see this as shady at all.  Now Pirate Bay?  That one is laughable for trying to get you to click just about everything but the correct links.

[DildorTheDecent]

Just now, I-r0k said:

Shady software and marketing schemes are become a dime a dozen nowadays...

>Kombustor

>shady software

>Doesn't know that it's a copy of Furmark but the doughnut is replaced with a MSI logo (I'll let you guess why)

>Doesn't know that ASUS have done exactly the same thing

 

Truly amazed.

[Guest]

Kombustor is made by MSI and is used in combination with MSI Afterburner. 

[Nardella]

1 hour ago, DildorTheDecent said:

>Kombustor

>shady software

>Doesn't know that it's a copy of Furmark but the doughnut is replaced with a MSI logo (I'll let you guess why)

>Doesn't know that ASUS have done exactly the same thing

 

Truly amazed.

At no point did I say that Kombustor was shady. I said that the practice of tricking people into downloading something they don't intend to is shady.

1 hour ago, glenalz81 said:

Pretty sure Kombustor is also published by MSI and often used for stress testing.

Then why is the link to geeks32.com a domain registered to a different company?

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

This - I just downloaded it again the otherday (Afterburner) and saw the same thing you are OP - I don't see this as shady at all.  Now Pirate Bay?  That one is laughable for trying to get you to click just about everything but the correct links.

How is it not? It is clearly deceptive, why is the first download link on the page for MSI afterburner for something other than MSI afterburner?

1 hour ago, RorzNZ said:

Kombustor is made by MSI and is used in combination with MSI Afterburner. 

It appears to be simply reskinned furmark, thus not made by MSI, as for being used with MSI afterburner, I can use any software with MSI Afterburner that doesn't make what they are doing okay.

[Nardella]

1 hour ago, DildorTheDecent said:

>Kombustor

>shady software

>Doesn't know that it's a copy of Furmark but the doughnut is replaced with a MSI logo (I'll let you guess why)

>Doesn't know that ASUS have done exactly the same thing

 

Truly amazed.

The website for Asus GPU Tweak has the download link for GPU Tweak at the top of the page and has no other download links, has this been different in the past? If so, when? I would like to see using an archive!

[glenalz81]

2 minutes ago, Nardella said:

I said that the practice of tricking people into downloading something they don't intend to is shady.

It's hardly a trick if it's clearly labelled, which it is.

 

Seems to me that your gripe is with the fact that the Afterburner download link didn't jump out of your monitor and slap you on the face the very second you landed on the page.

[Tristerin]

11 minutes ago, Nardella said:

At no point did I say that Kombustor was shady. I said that the practice of tricking people into downloading something they don't intend to is shady.

Then why is the link to geeks32.com a domain registered to a different company?

How is it not? It is clearly deceptive, why is the first download link on the page for MSI afterburner for something other than MSI afterburner?

It appears to be simply reskinned furmark, thus not made by MSI, as for being used with MSI afterburner, I can use any software with MSI Afterburner that doesn't make what they are doing okay.

You = upset with this, and why we will continue to disagree

Me = Been seeing this for so long Im not upset at all

 

That's likely why I have zero beef with this.  I learned LONG LONG LONG ago not to click something, unless you know where its taking you.  Do I think its shady?  No, I think this is a company trying to make money, and this is one revenue stream potentially.  Its up to the User to know what its clicking.  Deceptive?  No its labeled what it is, no?

 

My opinion (that's all we can use here) is that this comes as zero, to no surprise, and does not at all give me a good or bad feeling about MSI products.  Their products do.

 

EDIT - OP No one is "wrong" here or can be "wrong" - opinions are going to be what they are. 

[Tristerin]

Just now, glenalz81 said:

It's hardly a trick if it's clearly labelled, which it is.

 

Seems to me that your gripe is with the fact that the Afterburner download link didn't jump out of your monitor and slap you on the face the very second you landed on the page.

THIS.  THIS.  THIS.  Users always want to blame something or someone...cause they get so excited they click willy nilly.  Maybe it was my years at the Pirate Bay that taught me better long ago.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Nardella said:

It appears to be simply reskinned furmark, thus not made by MSI, as for being used with MSI afterburner, I can use any software with MSI Afterburner that doesn't make what they are doing okay.

 reskinned by MSI

 

[Nardella]

Just now, RorzNZ said:

 reskinned by MSI

 

What is your point?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Nardella said:

What is your point?

MSI kombuster is reskinned and made to work in combination with MSI afterburner, the two programs link together, it only makes sense their download links are together. It is also not uncommon for a company to advertise their products on their own website.

[Nardella]

6 minutes ago, glenalz81 said:

It's hardly a trick if it's clearly labelled, which it is.

 

Seems to me that your gripe is with the fact that the Afterburner download link didn't jump out of your monitor and slap you on the face the very second you landed on the page.

Well kind of, yes, other companies, like Asus, can do a decent job of making their download link easy to find and impossible to mistake for another program.

[Nardella]

2 minutes ago, RorzNZ said:

MSI kombuster is reskinned and made to work in combination with MSI afterburner, the two programs link together, it only makes sense their download links are together. It is also not uncommon for a company to advertise their products on their own website.

Okay, that is actually pretty cool. Might have been nice if they had explained that on the site for MSI Afterburner. But, if it is an MSI product why does the download link lead to geeks3d.com?

[Tristerin]

5 minutes ago, Nardella said:

Okay, that is actually pretty cool. Might have been nice if they had explained that on the site for MSI Afterburner. But, if it is an MSI product why does the download link lead to geeks3d.com?

They likely get a deal from that.  And make a little spare change.  Business is business - I cant guarantee that but I can say that it makes sense.  It gives Geeks3d traffic.  They likely pay MSI for it.

[flibberdipper]

1 minute ago, Tristerin said:

They likely get a deal from that.  And make a little spare change.  Business is business - I cant guarantee that but I can say that it makes sense.  It gives Geeks3d traffic.  They likely pay MSI for it.

Hell if anything, it might be cheaper for MSI to pay G3D for the traffic opposed to having to host it on their own shit.

[Tristerin]

1 minute ago, flibberdipper said:

Hell if anything, it might be cheaper for MSI to pay G3D for the traffic opposed to having to host it on their own shit.

Nice angle, didn't think of that.  Probably the real reason.

[DildorTheDecent]

1 hour ago, Nardella said:

The website for Asus GPU Tweak has the download link for GPU Tweak at the top of the page and has no other download links, has this been different in the past? If so, when? I would like to see using an archive!

Kombuster is located on Geeks3D. Geeks3D has the ASUS version of Kombustor. If you bothered to check out Geeks3D (which everybody knows is a large repo for utilities) you'd know that. But, as predicted, you didn't.

1 hour ago, Nardella said:

At no point did I say that Kombustor was shady. I said that the practice of tricking people into downloading something they don't intend to is shady.

I never said that you were calling Kombuster shady. I never quoted you until now. Stay in school and build upon your reading comprehension. It's apparent that you really need it.

[Nardella]

13 hours ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Kombuster is located on Geeks3D. Geeks3D has the ASUS version of Kombustor. If you bothered to check out Geeks3D (which everybody knows is a large repo for utilities) you'd know that. But, as predicted, you didn't.

I never said that you were calling Kombuster shady. I never quoted you until now. Stay in school and build upon your reading comprehension. It's apparent that you really need it.

Asus having a version of "Kombustor" has nothing to do with this at all, that is not an issue I have brought up.

Sorry about the shady quote thing, my bad.

[Nardella]

14 hours ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Kombuster is located on Geeks3D. Geeks3D has the ASUS version of Kombustor. If you bothered to check out Geeks3D (which everybody knows is a large repo for utilities) you'd know that. But, as predicted, you didn't.

I never said that you were calling Kombuster shady. I never quoted you until now. Stay in school and build upon your reading comprehension. It's apparent that you really need it.

Sorry, I am just so amused about you criticizing my reading comprehension and you seemingly failing at just that as well.

[DildorTheDecent]

1 hour ago, Nardella said:

Sorry, I am just so amused about you criticizing my reading comprehension and you seemingly failing at just that as well.

Obviously I'm referring to the ASUS version of FurMark on Geeks3D so that you can hopefully see that Geeks3D is legitimate and real but I'm not building my hopes up.

 

>Inb4 that's not the point of the thread.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with what MSI is doing. Several companies have done it before, it's probably been brought up a thousand times. The fact still remains that no one really cares. Its already been established that you're just upset that the link wasn't right there in your face. Like a three year old with an iPad not knowing what to do when the Youtube playlist ends.

 

Got a good couple of kicks though.

>Imagine quoting the wrong person.

Post-2015 accounts are something else.

[Nardella]

5 minutes ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Obviously I'm referring to the ASUS version of FurMark on Geeks3D so that you can hopefully see that Geeks3D is legitimate and real but I'm not building my hopes up.

 

>Inb4 that's not the point of the thread.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with what MSI is doing. Several companies have done it before, it's probably been brought up a thousand times. The fact still remains that no one really cares. Its already been established that you're just upset that the link wasn't right there in your face. Like a three year old with an iPad not knowing what to do when the Youtube playlist ends.

 

Got a good couple of kicks though.

>Imagine quoting the wrong person.

Post-2015 accounts are something else.

I never once suggested or thought that geeks3d is not legitimate. For someone that complains about the reading comprehension of others you seem pretty terrible at it.

 

> There's absolutely nothing wrong with what MSI is doing.

That is a matter of opinion.

> Several companies have done it before,

No major PC HW vendors that I am aware of have done this. Someone said that ASUS has done it, but that was debunked earlier. Do you have any examples or are you just making stuff up?

> Its already been established that you're just upset that the link wasn't right there in your face.

That is only part of why I am annoyed (upset is an overly strong word for what I am feeling). The bigger part is that there is a second download link that is not for the software in question, it is more prominently featured than the software people are visiting that page for and could be easily mistaken as the intended download link (it is under a heading that looks just like the feature headings for MSI Afterburner. As others have stated, this is the kind of stuff that is pulled on software piracy sites, not on the sites of major corporations.

 

It really sounds to me like you are just stretching to find things wrong with what I am saying.