Except I'm not referring to branding, I'm referring to the chip. It's midranged no matter where they put it in the naming/pricing stack.
I'm not disagreeing with you, but I'll just say that competition drives performance in this arena. Nvidia and Intel won't get off their ass to really produce something staggering until they have a reason to. It's business 101 to not put all your guns on the table if you can get away with reusing the polished 9mil. In the case of people purchasing, I can't speak for anybody else but myself but I honestly don't give a rat's ass. I sell my top end lineup then pickup the latest and greatest for a couple hundred out of pocket. I want the best performance on tap for any game that I may want to play (getting rare these days though). My purchasing or lack thereof isn't going to change Nvidia's release habits. I'd be doing the same on my platform, but we all know how CPU upgrades go lol. In the end it's not defending them at all, it's just being realistic. I can get the new cards or I don't, it doesn't matter to them.
Well thats kinda where you are wrong, vote with your wallet so to speak.
If nobody goes and buy their new cards because we stand together and demand better, then yes, better cards will be made, I mean hell they do want/need to sell stuff.
I mean you have the attitude of, "im but one person, what does it matter if I do something", and if billions of other people have the same mentality then yeah, nothing will happen.
But if those billions including you make a stand and demand better, well, better will come.
". Nvidia and Intel won't get off their ass to really produce something staggering until they have a reason to"
Like people not buying their products anymore, that seems a solid reason to get off their asses me thinks.
And the idea that nobody will join you in this is not what I would describe as realistic, but more pessimistic.
With such an attitude a lot of things we have achieved would not be achieved and a lot of things we strive for now might as well be ended.
Pff Electric cars...who wants that..
Renewable energy pfff why bother, nobody will join in anyway..
A trip to mars? eh, nobody will help out with that, just a pipe dream..
etc etc
Sure, change does not happen fast, but spreading the word you are not happy with sloppy improvements, even if you are still buying them because well it is still unfortunately the latest and greatest, might go a long way in the long run, now you are just a silent sheep buying all this crap.
lastly:
"I want the best performance on tap for any game that I may want to play"
and that best performance could be so much better, unlike now where this GTX1080 will do a current game like AC Syndicate at 2560x1440 at like 45 fps.... a current game, not running 4k, with a 500/600 dollar latest card and not even 60fps, in a current already released game.
Each their own but I find it unacceptable.