Over the years Club Overclocker has used several different types of rating systems. Our last rating system featured a point system of 1 - 10 with 10 being the highest. We have even tried writing reviews with no rating system because of the controversial nature of ratings. Any rating system can be very controversial due to the fact that it's the reviewers personal opinion regardless of manufacture marketing. The rating system can become even more controversial over time due to the fact that computer hardware continually gets better and faster. This is clearly evident when a 3Ghz processor may receive a perfect score today, yet a new revised version of that same processor will come out a few days later and received the exact same rating. Regardless of flaws and controversy, we still need a rating system so that our reviewers can clearly convey their opinions to you the viewers.

The new rating system...

     As of 9/12/2007, Club Overclocker will be using a new and improved rating system for all reviews. This new rating system will be a numbered system from 1 to 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. There will be no half points in individual categories. The numbered system will be ranked as follows: 

1 or N/R - Not Recommended
2 - Below Average
3 - Average
4 - Above Average
5 - Highly Recommended (ClubOC Recommended)

Rating Categories

      Along with the new rating system we have also added a new rating category; aesthetics. Each category is defined as follows:

Innovation - Is this a new or unique item with a lot of thought put into it or is just another carbon copy of another product by another manufacturer?

Performance - Benchmark performance. How well does the item perform compared to other hardware in the same catagory?

Quality - How well is the item designed or built? Is it made out of tin foil when it should be made out of titanium?

Stability - Crash factor... Does the item work as advertised?

Overclocking - Is the hardware being tested designed for overclocking? If so, how does it do in this department?

Software/Drivers Pack - How well are the drivers written? Hardware compatibility. Are there free games or utilities included?

Value - Is it worth spending your hard earned money on?

Aesthetics - How does it look? Is it ugly or pleasing to the eye?

Final Rating

     The "Final Rating" is not purely the average final rating, but it also includes the reviewer's overall opinion of the item being tested. Therefore just because an item has mostly "5"s and only one "4", does not mean the reviewer can not give the item an overall final rating of "4". The "Final Rating" is the only category that can receive a half point such as a "4.5".

Club Overclocker Seal of Approval / Club Overclocker Recommended Seal

     The Club Overclocker Seal of Approval / Club Overclocker Recommended Seal is reserved for items our reviewers deem a top quality product that we would purchase ourselves for our own use. In order to be considered for this award, the item must at received at least an overall rating of a 4 or 5.

Project Skill Level

     At the bottom of each rating chart there will be a "Project Skill Level" rating of 1 to 5 with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the hardest. The project skill level rating system will be ranked as follows:

1 - Easy or no skill required. This ranking is usually reserved for such items as keyboards and mice that are fully plug and play.

2 - Fairly easy or some hardware knowledge required. This ranking is usually reserved for items such as memory, optical drives or expansion cards that simply plug in to the mainboard with self installing drivers.

3 - Fairly difficult or hardware experience necessary. This ranking is normally reserved for such items as power supplies, video cards, or hardware with complex software that require special settings.

4 - Difficult to install or an above average level of hardware experience necessary. This ranking is normally reserved for mainboards, computer cases, complex heatsinks, or any hardware that requires complete or near complete assembly or disassembly of the computer.

5 - Very difficult or a high level of hardware knowledge required. This ranking is normally reserved for super cooling or hardware modifications. 

Review Rating Chart

     The review rating chart will be posted at the bottom of the last page in the review. If the category does not apply to the item being tested, the category will have a "N/A" posted instead of a number. Here is an example of the rating chart:

Performance:	5 out of 5
Innovation:	4 out of 5
Quality:	5 out of 5
Stability:	5 out of 5
Aesthetics:	4 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	4.5 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5

     If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns about our rating system, please send them to news@cluboverclocker.com.