🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:57:59 -0400, Ross Ridge
<rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:

>Lance Corporal Hammer Schultz <starfist@gmail.invalid> wrote:
>>This is most definitely *not* the fault of Blizzard.  If a card can
>>run so hot as to destroy itself, that is either due to bad card
>>design/poor cooling, or overclocking.
>
>Rin Stowleigh  <rstowleigh@gmail.com> wrote:
>>Agreed that it is not the software makers fault.  However, since
>>hardware makers cannot test on every game (particularly FUTURE games
>>that aren't out yet when the software is released), I do believe that
>>software vendors have an obligation to stress test (push it far beyond
>>what it was designed to do) on a wide variety of hardware, including
>>older POS machines that have been sitting in the corner, are packed
>>with dusts / spiderwebs / a rodent or two, etc.
>
>Destroying old poorly cooled machines in testing would accomplish nothing.
>Any game could cause these PCs to overheat.

Measuring GPU/CPU temps across different machines, comparing the temps
of SC2 to other games would not be a bad idea; this was my only point.

>>This is not to say I think Blizzard has any obligation to make
>>software changes to address the issue (unless perhaps it occurs on
>>properly installed, non-neglected hardware).  But they do have an
>>obligation to notify vendors of said POS cards (or drivers which is
>>more likely) that their faulty shit needs fixing, and /or notify the
>>consumer of what they found during testing, so the average joe doesn't
>>fry his card.
>
>Blizzard, like any game company, tests on a wide variety of hardware
>before release.  I doubt any of their video cards died do due overheating.
>Most of these "software causing the video cards to die" complaints aren't
>any more the fault of the video hardware than they are of the software.
>It's almost always the fault of the people who put their PC together,
>often the end user himself.

I don't disagree with you here, I just think a software company
benefits by testing on a wide variety of systems, including poorly
built PCs, especially if they want people with poorly built PCs to
purchase their games.  An ounce of prevention goes a long way.  Its
cheaper to test and look for temperature issues than it is to field
lots of angry customers who think you owe them a new video card.

>Blizzard's only mistake was to release a very, very popular game during
>the hottest time of the year in much of the world.  These PCs would've
>died sooner or later anyways.

This is true but I hope it doesn't inspire a trend of releasing
graphically intensive games only in the winter months, or inspire game
vendors to hold up releases due to heat waves :)