Preview: The New Tom's Hardware

[Ombudsman]

Evaluating the scroll thing. Results will go here.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/20722-9-question-scrolling-marquee-hardware-home

 

[topper743]

Bring back the scrolling forums.

 

[Sengoku]

Side note: That budget PC better have a 9600GT in it

Not without limiting our case options to a milk crate, or something equally degenerate. HOWEVER, the computer sitting next to it has got...

another bonus picture from the $500 pc.

Leap of death!

 

[Tatts]

I'm not saying that the main TH site has to have dynamic sizing. But I think it does need to be wider, and I'm getting that sense from other people too. I think it's time to say that 1024x768 is no longer the standard resolution and move on. Just give us a little less gray on each side of the screen, even if it doesn't resize.

As for TH on cell phones...yikes! In what world would someone need--really need--to pull up TH while in a computer store? I live in Philly, and there's only one real computer store left--Micro Center. I don't see that scenario happening enough to bother mentioning.

 

[randomizer]

I'd still also like to know what the "reviews" thing is in the profile box up the top.

Still waiting on this one.

 

[pteropid]

I have been using your site for years primarily for the benchmarks. My main reason for doing so was the well designed graph/query system that you used to have. Unfortunately I have to say that the new benchmark graphs are impractical and awkward, which is real shame.

I always found myself checking out other links on your site whenever I was checking the latest benchmarks. Whilst the new site looks more modern, I have to say it is likely that I will not be spending much time with you guys anymore. It would be great if you could perhaps revise the benchmark graphs, but I am only one person and may be the only one who finds them unpleasant to use.

Good luck in the future guys.

 

[randomizer]

Some constructive feedback on the charts. Any time the value shown for a CPU/video card etc doesn't fit on the bar the link does not pop up the information window unless you click on the bar itself, which is very small. To show you what I mean:

Also can automatic reply notification be activated for quick replies too? That would be really handy.

 

[andyinlondon]

im getting tranparent adverts blocking out half the page on both the forums and homepage.
have to hit the back button to see or do anything.

getting really hacked off with this new site

 

[Dan in St Louis]

I think it's time to say that 1024x768 is no longer the standard resolution and move on.

Not everyone can buy a new computer or monitor every six months. Some still use 3-year-old laptops.

Dynamic page size would work if today's publishers were not so hung up on flashy appearance. Go to neowin.net and see how they solved it.

 

[husky mctarflash]

The rolling forum posts feature contributed to the stickiness of the site. You willingly forfeited of your site's strength by deleting it.

Granted, you have a multi-segmented audience to appeal to, which makes your job difficult (i.e., amateur teens through seasoned professionals), but the forum post feature was something that appealed to all segments.

If it doesn't cost you anything, you should consider adding it again. Or at minimum, lengthen the space devoted to the "hot" forum post titles.

 

[husky mctarflash]

...and some other things:

1) I used to rely on your news headlines as a summary substitute for other news sources. Now that you trimmed down the headlines section, I tend to visit the other sites in lieu of yours. Not good.

2) I used to wait for the forum posts to scroll, and in doing so I increased my avg. time spent on your page. You willingly forfeited that benefit.

3) The way to deal with 1) and 2) is to add scrolling headlines also.

Take this as one man's opinion, but remember that you will rarely ever get customer feedback reflective to what your customers are really thinking--because often your customers don't take the time to conceptualize what they are really thinking. Instead, their behavior dictates your business performance and you are left divining the reasons from clues left in customer feedback...

 

[Ombudsman]

Now just speed up the backend so that I don't sit at the "Message successfully deleted" screen for 15 seconds :lol:

I'd still also like to know what the "reviews" thing is in the profile box up the top.

Forums backend/speed discussions are scheduled for next month. This may involve server stuff, so it's probably going to take time.

I'd like to know what the review thing is myself. I've put the query to the forums dev team.

I posted my comment earlier, but must have put it in a different section as I don't see it here.

I dislike that the "Latest News" headlines are so long that they wrap to a second line. That in turn means that half as many headlines can be seen in one glance. I would 1) Edit those babies so they only take one line, and 2) Scroll them.

News headlines are getting tweaked. More headlines. Less whitespace.

The rolling forum posts feature contributed to the stickiness of the site. You willingly forfeited of your site's strength by deleting it.

Granted, you have a multi-segmented audience to appeal to, which makes your job difficult (i.e., amateur teens through seasoned professionals), but the forum post feature was something that appealed to all segments.

If it doesn't cost you anything, you should consider adding it again. Or at minimum, lengthen the space devoted to the "hot" forum post titles.

As noted earlier, evaluating design options right now. Options include, replicating the functionality of the old version, copying the style of the "News" box. Making a page dedicated to nothing but the hot forum topics.

Followup on this goes here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/20722-9-question-scrolling-marquee-hardware-home

Two other notes about the site:
2. The charts in the stories are good, but I wish each one had a note in the legend "More is better" or "Lower is better", etc. I know I should be able to discern it by seeing in the left legend that the scale is in MFlops or parsecs/millisecond, but the point of graphs is to give the reader a quick way to visualize comparisons, and this would make it a little easier. It's done in some graphs, but not others.

Some constructive feedback on the charts. Any time the value shown for a CPU/video card etc doesn't fit on the bar the link does not pop up the information window unless you click on the bar itself, which is very small. To show you what I mean:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w179/random1301/charts_fault1.jpg

Charts are being worked on as we speak.
The biggest issue is making sure the charts are good for the "I have an X, How much more performance if I get a Y?"
And making sure that works, even for cases like SLI.

All followup on charts issue goes here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/20723-9-problems-charts-here

 

[randomizer]

Forums backend/speed discussions are scheduled for next month. This may involve server stuff, so it's probably going to take time.

I'd like to know what the review thing is myself. I've put the query to the forums dev team.

I can wait a while, I just hope it doesn't get any slower 🙁 Alternatively, you could force the Australian government to stop our ISPs ripping us off with high prices and low speeds and monthly usage caps. 😉

Charts are being worked on as we speak.

The biggest issue is making sure the charts are good for the "I have an X, How much more performance if I get a Y?"
And making sure that works, even for cases like SLI.

All followup on charts issue goes here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/20723-9-problems-charts-here

I don't know why so many people don't like the new charts. They do the same thing as the old ones, they just have a few bugs in them.

 

[raen7]

Terrible new design, way too much reliance on scripting (I even detected some XSS), which makes it hardly readable in Firefox with NoScript (and yes I allowed tomshardware.com and even bestofmedia.com). I have to second the guy who cursed the new Charts section, too... it's just plain monstrous. The old charts were compact, detailed, and the color-coding was a plus. It's been said before, and I'll say it again: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This place used to be one of the best tech news/reviews resources on the web, but I sense its gradual demise looming over this new layout scheme.

 

[chry]

The VGA charts SUCK.

I haven't looked at a lot of the other new changes because I'm upgrading my video card.

It WAS so easy to compare my old x850 to another card. Now it is a massive pain - bring back the old charts with the option to compare two cards. At the very least, bring back your interactive chart archive!!

quite true.... same experience here....many of the cards listed aren't
actually available or the description doesn't identify them correctly

one of the beauties of the original charts is that it helped to offset the effort of hardware makers (esp vid cards) to confuse buyers by cross branding different generations of cards so that the names became meaningless in determining performance

I would often bring the charts to stores to compare models or place orders for a specific type....you couldn't do that with these charts

please...bring back the old chart format it was MUCH better

and by the way...is there a special reason why clicking on the video card charts takes you directly to the workstation graphic page instead of the VGA charts?

 

[Brunnen-G]

My Google home page is listing the same articles on your site since you switched over? I wonder if Google is having trouble reading your new code?

 

[randomizer]

My Google home page is listing the same articles on your site since you switched over? I wonder if Google is having trouble reading your new code?

Since the site has changed there is a good chance that GoogleBot needs to "crawl" through the site again, which happens only at set intervals.

 

[randomizer]

is $90 for 7GB of Broadband (optus) even legal?

Of course it is... here at least.

Oh and what happened to super fast broadband that Mr Rudd promised?

You think they will get to that election promise in this term? I don't. Also I think this will only affect DSL (not cable which is what I'm on) and is more for getting ADSL2/2+ to regional areas instead of improving the internet in the major cities. Australia has decent ADSL2+ speeds but at high prices and only in major areas. Once you head to the outer suburbs you are on standard ADSL and further out is dial-up or nothing.

EDIT: ROFLMAO!!

 

[randomizer]

^ iinet is good (if your in range) http://www.iinet.net.au/products/naked/plans.html and get adsl2+. They could've called it something else but hey.

TPG is cheapest where I live for ADSL2+, but it's expensive to swtich from cable outright. All those stupid things like filters you need to buy to make it work lol.

 

[Reynod]

Hey ... thats three Aussies posting in a row.

Hows that !!!

"Little Cricket joke there"

Actually I don't mind the new site.

Anandtech's makover has gone horribly wrong ... BOM team please check his out for a "don't do" makeover. Looks like blogsville.

Here are some more free tips for you ...

http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/364358/10-reasons-why-your-website-sucks.html

The site is a bit narrow too ... push a few more pixels with stuff in them onto the right hand side of my page ... which is lonely and the white pixels have a headache.

 

[nukemaster]

Of course it is... here at least.


You think they will get to that election promise in this term? I don't. Also I think this will only affect DSL (not cable which is what I'm on) and is more for getting ADSL2/2+ to regional areas instead of improving the internet in the major cities. Australia has decent ADSL2+ speeds but at high prices and only in major areas. Once you head to the outer suburbs you are on standard ADSL and further out is dial-up or nothing.

EDIT: ROFLMAO!!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w179/random1301/bigpond_cable.jpg

Limited bandwidth...ouch...i've pushed 200 each way in a month.

 

[andyinlondon]

Perhaps it is me but .........

in the three news articles i have just read on the front page and in the tgnews section,
every single link to another story or review on toms was not working.
Not one link took me to where it was supposed to unless it was an advertising link.
what is going on ?

 

[randomizer]

and that's why i'm using optus.................

Optus don't sevice my area with cable.

@reynod: We are taking over!!!!

 

[randomizer]

Red Bull and coffee 😀

 

[Reynod]

Diablo I and II were both good games ...