animalosity :
This is what bothers me. Most people throw around the "Less Total Draw Power (TDP) of the GTX 960. Seriously....I can't imagine people actually care about draw power once you're at this level.
Then you lack sufficient imagination.
animalosity :
Sure the 960 isn't a flagship, but we're already well past consumer level.
What exactly do you mean by "consumer"? This isn't a "professional" card in that people aren't going to be making their livelihood off it. Really you don't even do that with a 980 or 290X, but with a FirePro and Quadro product. So in that sense, this very much is a consumer card.
Now if you're talking casual vs mainstream vs high-end gaming card, that depends on how you classify them. Most people will call $200 the upper mainstream region. These are the cards a dedicated gamer buys for good performance value, but they're far from the ultimate power-user items or top-shelf cards.
animalosity :
When you spend over $200 on a single PC component, in this case the GTX 960, you stop caring about draw power.
Blanket statements are easy to tear apart. Just because you don't care about power draw doesn't mean everyone doesn't, nor even the majority of people don't. Again, these are still mainstream cards, and there's no reason someone getting one isn't trying to strike a balance between performance and electrical costs.
animalosity :
That's like saying, "Man my Corvette sure does get good gas mileage! That's why I bought it!" Seriously, nobody cares about their gas mileage when they buy a 'Vette...
Considering the Corvette is a flagship line, this is a bad comparison. Quite a few people need a good commuter car, but still want something a little sporty. I don't understand your ranting here. If all you're worried about is pure performance, then just ignore the remarks about the card's power draw. However, to not mention every aspect about a GPU, including its thermal and power draw requirements, is dishonest from those reviewing it.