I don't take any issue with the review - it's a dissertation on technical performance. And in that light, it's a very good review.
I do think that not mentioning availability is an issue
Availability was mentioned in the conclusion, very last paragraph.
- it's just as important as price. If a video card presents awful performance for the price, that weighs on the recommendation, correct? Then I think, at least for some finite window around the review itself, availability should as well.
It's different IMO. Availability doesn't change the performance or price or value, it's a separate factor. If the card is worth it on value, performance, money, then I will desire the card. If I desire the card having it be available or not won't change my desire for the card. If it is not available now, I will still want the card, and when it becomes available, then I'll get it. My desire for the card, or like of it is not dependent on the availability of it, IMO.
I desire a lot of things that I cannot always buy at the moment, that doesn't change its value to me.
When we give awards or recommendations it is based on the specifics of the video card itself, not the political issues surrounding it that we cannot control. I'm putting the world aside and focusing only on the card.
As far as availability changing over time - yeah, it does. So does price though. And reviews still get weighted upon price despite that. You just don't go back and update them.
We cannot predict what the price will actually end up being, and how it will change. But we have to go on something, the only way to fairly compare is by using the MSRP, it's at least a baseline by which we compare. If we had no baseline, there could be no comparison. It's a given that the price will change, just like availability in the real-world.
As far as pre-release review samples - ok, you have no idea of knowing if cards will be available, because you got an early review sample. I get that. As I said before - the technical part of the review is entirely appropriate and accurate. But maybe you should hold off on a recommendation or award until you can see that these cards are available and it's not just another paper launch, or scalper/miner fodder.
Availability doesn't affect the value of the card though. This goes back to the first question. At the end of the day, if you are interested in a card then us (and other reviewers) reviewing them before you buy it or can buy it is important to your buying decision ultimately. That's why you read reviews. You want to see the technical aspects, the data, the objective data, but people also want to know if the reviewer recommends it or not.
We cannot control the availability, but what we can provide for you is a review of the product, and our opinion, so that WHEN it becomes available you can make an informed purchasing decision. Our job is to give you the information you need to make an educated, informed, purchase decision. You decide what's best for you based on the information we can provide. The only way we can do this is to take samples and review the product.
When it becomes available, you'll have our reviews to look back on. Look at it this way, the availability is a short window, but our review will be up online forever. When the cards are available, this review will be here for you to reference.
2020 has just been maddening across the board, maybe this is just isolated to this particular time and place. But we saw something awfully similar with the 1080 release, where it wasn't available for months, and off and on mining bubbles have hit that just sucked up everything out there. I hate to say it, but since the scalpers are making bank, I don't see the trend stopping. The manufacturers are afraid of ramping up production too much because they all got burned during the mining bubble and had to eat a good deal of older inventory, and retailers don't care who's buying the cards so long as they are flying off the shelves - so there's no real incentive to fix it either.
I don't like it either /shrug
In the grand scheme of things, I have very little control.
