03-20-2018, 09:06 AM
https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/32...ld-quality
Quote:Cooler Master has theoretically done well to listen here, though we must point-out that we purchased the case ourselves. After our last review, Cooler Master seems to have lost the interest to work with us. We find this deeply disturbing, as it builds an atmosphere of fear where reviewers may become timid to call-out poor products. We bought a $3,000 Titan V, so it should be evident that we have no such concern of buying our own review products or going it alone -- but it is an unhealthy atmosphere to try and shape media coverage by barring critical sites for the process. This is something we will explore in more depth in a separate piece. For today, we’re focusing on the case as a product, not the company as a politicized entity.
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In contrast to Cooler Master’s struggle with accepting that their product improved by way of criticism, we are happy to note that the H500P Mesh has been heavily improved over the original product. Oddly, no one would ever know that, as there’s presently (at time of writing) only one outlet with a review online -- Cooler Master didn’t sample many people for the H500P Mesh, and particularly seemed to cut-off critical reviewers.
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What concerns us, however, is the construction of an atmosphere where reviewers are intimidated to cast a critical eye upon a product. Although we see blacklisting as a challenge to work harder, other media operations aren’t in the same position to risk relationships. If a company behaves vindictively and cuts sampling, that company is building a sphere of reviewers it feels it has influence over. Cooler Master doesn’t want reviewers to work on its product, we think, it wants “influencers” to work on its products. Cooler Master’s product update has silenced its most critical reviewers -- us -- with improvements. That’s something the company should be proud of and want to share; instead, their actions have painted the company a portrait of either cowardice or pettiness, and the former doesn’t make much sense as the product is legitimately good.
We’ll leave this here for now, though. Although it is disturbing, toxic behavior to cut contact with critical reviewers, and bad for the consumer, we do want to focus on the product for today. On that front, Cooler Master has done a decent job with the Mesh. We can genuinely recommend it at its price-point, assuming you’re good with the more subjective elements (the looks -- which are up to you). We also have no quarrel with condemning Cooler Master’s behavior through this process.