nvidia NVIDIA Controls AIB Launch and Driver Distribution - HardOCP

[Athan Immortal]

Nvidia it would appear is now requiring AIBs to request names, e-mail and phone numbers of who will be reviewing the graphics card so that Nvidia can approve them.

 

 

Quote

From these lists of reviewers submitted to NVIDIA by the AIBs, NVIDIA has put together its own list of "approved reviewers," and sent their approved list back to the AIBs in order to let them know who they are allowed to sample review cards to. Much like NVIDIA exerted control over AIB's and OEM's brands with GPP, it is now exerting control over who the AIB has review its own custom cards.

 

 

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/08/28/nvidia_controls_aib_launch_driver_distribution/

 

 

EDIT:

Some bullet points:

• NVIDIA has demanded that its AIBs tell NVIDIA who will be reviewing the AIB's custom RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti cards.
• Reviewers are required to sign a multi-year NDA in order to get access to drivers for new cards
• According to HardOCP attorney the NDA " is intended to provide a strong control over work product of the reporters. The definition of confidential information is way too broad."
• HardOCP asked to modify the NDA and has received no response since last week from Nvidia.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Athan Immortal
Added bullet points at the bottom

[Dabombinable]

10 minutes ago, Athan Immortal said:

Nvidia it would appear is now requiring AIBs to request names, e-mail and phone numbers of who will be reviewing the graphics card so that Nvidia can approve them.

 

 

 

 

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/08/28/nvidia_controls_aib_launch_driver_distribution/

Nvidia's RTX cards must be really shit then.

[pas008]

Good for them taking total control of their productlike apple does

And people having accountability for leaks

[EVIL-LASER]

Good heavens, that's ridiculous.

[WMGroomAK]

My question on this comes as to whether the list of 'Approved Reviewers' is to control who reviews it or as a fall-out of controlling the Driver releases.  If nV is truly trying to control the Driver release (which could have some pro arguments) then they would need a list of who is authorized to access.

[MMKing]

Obviously, the only reason ''Founder's edition'' exist in the first place is for Nvidia to show the AIB partners that they are not a irreplaceable.

[Deus Voltage]

I don't see this ending well

[Carclis]

Nvidia is truly testing the limits of its own goodwill.

[Ryujin2003]

32 minutes ago, Dabombinable said:

Nvidia's RTX cards must be really shit then.

I guess JayzTwoCents isn't going to get one of these either! Just like TR2 lol.

[S w a t s o n]

Quote

NVIDIA did tell us they had no issue with including us in the RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti launch as long as HardOCP signed its multi-year NDA.

Hmm, that is a bit fucked. I was hoping the attorney's analysis from that GN video was accurate but maybe heise and hardocp were right.

 

Also yea the whole approved review list is basically GPP, I guess we really can't trust novideo at all

[Motifator]

39 minutes ago, Ryujin2003 said:

I guess JayzTwoCents isn't going to get one of these either! Just like TR2 lol.

As long as W1z from TechPowerUp gets one, he'll do a full proper review like he always does.

There have been the fuck ups with Kyle from HardOcp though, there have been times him and Dan had to order stuff out of their pockets IIRC.

[Techstorm970]

I remember Dave Lee saying that the RTX cards aren't a big deal in the short term, ESPECIALLY for laptop gamers (like myself ).  He claimed that:

 

(1) the Turing GPU, with RTX off, will only perform marginally better than Pascal, 

(2) RTX may be the tech of the future, but definitely isn't the tech of today, and

(3) the Turing cards are more power-hungry than Pascal and will likely also be heat monsters as a result.

 

IMO, (3) might as well be fact, (2) is probable, and (1) has yet to be tested.

 

Having heard his perspective and expectations, the Nvidiots monitoring their review samples so closely is a bad sign, and it probably means the RTX cards will be underwhelming when RTX is turned off.

[mr moose]

If you are really worried about this then just wait till benchmarks from non approved reviewers come out.  Nvidia can't hide shit performance when they are selling their product to literally anyone who can walk into a shop and exchange cash for one.

 

Given they know this and every reviewer out there does too,  I don't think they are trying to curb reviews. Their NDA is no different from anyone else's so it's not likely some grand conspiracy. 

[Ryujin2003]

1 hour ago, Motifator said:

As long as W1z from TechPowerUp gets one, he'll do a full proper review like he always does.

There have been the fuck ups with Kyle from HardOcp though, there have been times him and Dan had to order stuff out of their pockets IIRC.

I guess in just waiting for after Proorders are fulfilled and reviews come out "we never said this is a gaming card. RTX isn't too be confused with GTX"

[PopReference]

Quote

This is what my attorney had to say about HardOCP signing NVIDIA's NDA.

 

 

If I’m a reporter, I probably would not sign it. I could pick on several elements but basically, it is intended to provide a strong control over work product of the reporters. The definition of confidential information is way too broad. Broadest I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen and drafted and enforced a large number of these. Also, the typical exclusions to confidential information are not provided, but they exist at common law anyway. The 5 year duration of the obligation is just stupid for this type of technology. It’s pretty ridiculous top to bottom.

 

I don’t really agree with the interviewed attorney. He seems to think it very reasonable and "not that onerous." I have to wonder what he thinks is. It’s a very heavy-handed way to deal with the media.

hmm.. really makes you think.

[PlayStation 2]

So is the RTX series the death of traditional benchmarking because Nvidia wants to make the card potentially look better than it actually is?

[S w a t s o n]

1 minute ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

So is the RTX series the death of traditional benchmarking because Nvidia wants to make the card potentially look better than it actually is?

Nah, even if they pull this GPP tier shit with approved list and special drivers/benchmarks, outlets will always be willing to do traditional tests

[Okjoek]

Thx novideo.

[pas008]

56 minutes ago, S w a t s o n said:

Nah, even if they pull this GPP tier shit with approved list and special drivers/benchmarks, outlets will always be willing to do traditional tests

Nda is big for larger companies

They don't want leaks this is to control it

Apple Samsung Intel etc all do it

Nvidia is just making sure their nda isn't going to be broke a easy like previous years

And let's not forget amd had a ryzen benchmark checklist for certain benchmarks

Leaks are very powerful at times even if its a great product but having them lifted at once from many major players is better more all around understanding

IPhone x, ryzen, titan v, etc we all try to compare and try to peak

But when leaks happen for non supported drivers/ firmware along with just 1 game

The consensus seems to shit on the product like here even with more cuda faster memory all around with addition of other cores and possibilities

 

 

[S w a t s o n]

3 minutes ago, pas008 said:

 

I'm well aware of why NDA's are used but making people sign an NDA that doesn't apply to a product to receive that product is scummy. Remember 2080 and 2080ti are public, there would be an embargo like normal but there is no need to force the multi-year NDA for a review sample of a public card.

 

Additionally, forcing AIBs to only sample to Nvidia's chosen few is fucked, this is GPP just less official.

[pas008]

2 minutes ago, S w a t s o n said:

I'm well aware of why NDA's are used but making people sign an NDA that doesn't apply to a product to receive that product is scummy. Remember 2080 and 2080ti are public, there would be an embargo like normal but there is no need to force the multi-year NDA for a review sample of a public card.

 

Additionally, forcing AIBs to only sample to Nvidia's chosen few is fucked, this is GPP just less official.

Multi year i don't know but only thing i can't say to that is resources of keep doing it

And like said many times this is nvidia product not an aibs they just license it 

Which prove many users that argued who's product it really is nvidias aibs just get to make it and then customize it 

[leadeater]

9 minutes ago, pas008 said:

The consensus seems to shit on the product like here even with more cuda faster memory all around with addition of other cores and possibilities

People are complaining because of how small the improvement in performance is likely going to be for the price increase being asked for. They have more of everything you said but it also has more $$$ to acquire it, and baring the new wizzy wigg features the general performance increase is less than what people were hoping for.

[pas008]

1 minute ago, leadeater said:

People are complaining because of how small the improvement in performance is likely going to be for the price increase being asked for. They have more of everything you said but it also has more $$$ to acquire it, and baring the new wizzy wigg features the general performance increase is less than what people were hoping for.

Like i said titan 1080 1070 came out At what in previous post

1200 700 and 450

Now what's happening now?

3 tiers similar prices

20% more cuda 

Faster ram and more expensive ram at that

And rt and tensor cores

 

Sarcastically its going to fail at improving performance right?

[leadeater]

6 minutes ago, pas008 said:

Like i said titan 1080 1070 came out At what in previous post

1200 700 and 450

Now what's happening now?

3 tiers similar prices

20% more cuda 

Faster ram and more expensive ram at that

And rt and tensor cores

 

Sarcastically its going to fail at improving performance right?

Founders Edition 1080 was $699 and 2080 Founders Edition is $799. The prices have gone up from last generation. Generation over generation prices shouldn't increase, performance should. Inflation is a thing, $100 USD over 2 years could be inflation but the fact is people are complaining because the MSRP has gone up.

[pas008]

4 minutes ago, leadeater said:

Founders Edition 1080 was $699 and 2080 Founders Edition is $799. The prices have gone up from last generation. Generation over generation prices shouldn't increase, performance should. Inflation is a thing, $100 USD over 2 years could be inflation but the fact is people are complaining because the MSRP has gone up.

Oh ram shouldn't be going up either but where are we? Seriously

Added tensor cores to most likely reduce the cuda cores work load

 isn't a thing either

Ok does every one walk around with their hands out?