Bias in the newest Vessel video on Aftermarket CPU Cooling?

[Hulk]

Hello!

 

I was recently watching the LTT group's newest video on Vessel, labelled "Is Aftermarket CPU Cooling Worth It? - Overclocking Examination", and I couldn't help feel the video was a little biased.

 

Allow me to start with the ad sponsor- CoolerMaster is sponsoring a video on their own products; this kind of didn't allow for more competitive air coolers; also, LTT prerolls ads for the same product, so I feel they may be biased to have it better perform.

 

Additionally, no other competitors solutions were tried and CoolerMaster's very own legendary budget CPU cooler, the Hyper212+ or Evo wasn't tested against the AIO, which is from what I've read only having a 5-7 degree C decrease in temps. Additionally, the Hyper212 costs about as much as the TX4, and the only reason why I feel it wouldn't be tested is since it would paint the AIO in a better light.

(http://www.dvtests.com/cooler-master-hyper-t4-test-and-review/)

(Although this is for the H100i, it should be quite similar for the CM solution- /watch?v=UMl7iEzpzsA)

 

Moreover, if the video is going to be "Aftermarket CPU cooling", shouldn't it have quite literally all the CPU coolers (or atleast most of them) that LTT has, instead of only two from the same brand? The title's a bit misleading, since the tried products don't even begin to cover the broad span of aftermarket CPU coolers. The way I see it, it would be better labelled "How does the TX4 stack up against the CM Seidon)

 

I would love to hear your own inputs on this.

[Samfisher]

The title asks if it's "Worth it", it does not say "Which is the best", why so sensitive?

[Hulk]

The title asks if it's "Worth it", it does not say "Which is the best", why so sensitive?

I'm not being sensitive, I'm bringing up a point of possible bias in a video which I would like to discuss.

[Ertman]

Hulk strongest there is! Hulk Smash!

 

Its something that should be discussed, now whether there is actual bias is what is up for debate.

[Juancitox]

however, they claimed at the begining that the coolers shown represent particular segments. Of course, not all coolers perform equally in each segment, neither cost the same; but if the general characteristics of that segment don't make a compelling reason to buy or not, then a particular product probably won't change that

[Hulk]

Hulk Smash!

hulk mad?

GRHHHH AAAHHHH ROOOAAARRRRRR! Hulk SMASH!!!

 

however, they claimed at the begining that the coolers shown represent particular segments. Of course, not all coolers perform equally in each segment, neither cost the same; but if the general characteristics of that segment don't make a compelling reason to buy or not, then a particular product probably won't change that

That's a good point, but in air coolers and liquid coolers alike, there can be a lot of fragmentation in terms of design, cost, and efficiency. On that note, why were the representatives for a material (air and water) both from the same brand though and even if we argue that the Seidon used was a good representative, the TX4 is not a good representative of air coolers. If you visit the link I posted earlier, the user noted a massive temperature difference when overclocking their CPU in terms of temps when going from the TX4 to the Hyper212+, so the fact that it was an unfair comparison probes me into thinking that the test was biased.

 

Also, if we are going to argue whether or not aftermarket coolers are "worth it", I think it would also extend into risks associated with a platform. With AIOs, we always risk a leak and with more and more manufacturers coming out and saying that they will only cover a max claim of $200 for the CPU, $150 for the video card and $100 for the motherboard (this is for Corsair, I couldn't find a supporting statement for CM), then why wasn't the air alternative to water such as the Noctua NHD14 added in the comparison and the worthiness of water in the case of leaks discussed?

 

I felt this is appropriate song

That was pretty funny!

[Alemagno31]

I get what u say man, but I took those examples Luke showed as a "segment reference" not as a recommended product.

[Hulk]

I get what u say man, but I took those examples Luke showed as a "segment reference" not as a recommended product.

A segment reference will have various products depending on the price. The TX4 is not the be all and end all for air coolers, albeit the Seidon might be. For air coolers, prices can range from 7$ for a Masscool 5C12B3 to 150$ for a Noctua NH-U12. The TX4 is not a good reference for air coolers; if you go the link in my original post, there is as much as a 20 degree C difference for the 10$ price difference when bumping up to the Hyper212+, so the fact that this wasn't considered when alluding to the TX4 as a reference for the air coolers either shows bias or a lacking of verifying whether or not the TX4 is the be all and end all for air coolers.

[Samfisher]

Except that the whole point of the video is to decide whether air coolers are "worth it", not which is best.

[Ertman]

I don't see the bias. Product placement, yes.

 

They used CoolerMaster products, but this is either a convenience factor, but likely deliberate product placement. The problem is that it doesn't effect the message, which is to see whether Aftermarket CPU coolers are worthwhile, given the costs.

 

The Hyper 212 Evo wasn't tested because they didn't have it instock.

 

A segment reference is just that, a reference. The TX4 was not representative of ALL air coolers, but the price point.  It also doesn't need to reflect every product available, just be representative of that segment, in this case price point. Also if you watched the video, the Seidon was to represent AIO and high end air cooling (example Noctual NH-D15 mentioned in the video).

 

 

Except that the whole point of the video is to decide whether air coolers are "worth it", not which is best.

Actually it was to test whether it was worth spending the money on aftermarket cooling... at all.

[Hulk]

Except that the whole point of the video is to decide whether air coolers are "worth it", not which is best.

They used CoolerMaster products, but this is either a convenience factor, but likely deliberate product placement. The problem is that it doesn't effect the message, which is to see whether Aftermarket CPU coolers are worthwhile, given the costs.

The Hyper 212 Evo wasn't tested because they didn't have it instock.

A segment reference is just that, a reference. The TX4 was not representative of ALL air coolers, but the price point.  It also doesn't need to reflect every product available, just be representative of that segment, in this case price point. Also if you watched the video, the Seidon was to represent AIO and high end air cooling.

 

In that case, the title is a bit misleading, isn't it? It clearly states "Is Aftermarket CPU Cooling Worth It", not whether it's air vs water. Even if we consider that the intent of the video was to discuss whether air coolers are worth it, wouldn't it be more apt for them to choose coolers with the lower cent/degree under load? In that regard, the Hyper212 is a better representative of a low cost (relatively higher to the TX4 though) air cooler?

 

Their choice of the TX4 did impact the message though. look through the link I put in my first post; when overclocking with the Hyper212, the TX4, and an AIO, there is a small bridge between the 212 and an AIO, but a large one between the 212 and the TX4. This paints the TX4 in a bad light, and if a reference to all air coolers, then the air cooling market in a bad light. I'm pretty sure people would think differently about water and air if they knew that there was barely a 10 degree C difference between the 212 which would allow for higher overclocks.

[Ertman]

In that case, the title is a bit misleading, isn't it? It clearly states "Is Aftermarket CPU Cooling Worth It", not whether it's air vs water. Even if we consider that the intent of the video was to discuss whether air coolers are worth it, wouldn't it be more apt for them to choose coolers with the lower cent/degree under load? In that regard, the Hyper212 is a better representative of a low cost (relatively higher to the TX4 though) air cooler?

 

Their choice of the TX4 did impact the message though. look through the link I put in my first post; when overclocking with the Hyper212, the TX4, and an AIO, there is a small bridge between the 212 and an AIO, but a large one between the 212 and the TX4. This paints the TX4 in a bad light, and if a reference to all air coolers, then the air cooling market in a bad light. I'm pretty sure people would think differently about water and air if they knew that there was barely a 10 degree C difference between the 212 which would allow for higher overclocks.

Its not about Air vs Water though, as I mentioned in my post. The AIO was a stand-in for both High-End air cooling and AIOs. He specifically mentioned the Noctua NH-D15 in the video.

 

Being representative, it also doesn't mean you should cherry pick the best of the best of every type of product. It just has to represent the segment its from in an average kind of way. And they don't have an Evo in stock... as mentioned in the video, otherwise they would have used it.

 

No it doesn't impact the message. You clearly did not understand the message then. As the title of the video says "Is Aftermarket CPU Cooling Worth It?"  It was to test whether aftermarket CPU cooling was worthwhile, not a comparison of the individual tiers against each another or products themselves.

 

EDIT: Did you even watch the video? He even suggests the Evo in the conclusion.

 

 

 

Ert SMASH!

[Briggsy]

theres always going to be PR spin and marketing angles. sometimes its contrived, and sometimes its subtle.  speaking of not so subtle, I've seen at least two different reviewers on youtube have the line "the perfect notebook?" written in the thumbnail for the Dell XPS 13, and other videos for that laptop have that line or variations of it written in the video title. A coolermaster sponsored video about coolermaster products? seems legit.