10th July 2005, 10:35 PM
Well when it comes to hardware, you can make actual scientific tests on the capabilities of it and get all the data you need. Now, if two different pieces of hardware you are compairing each have distinct features, then it comes down to which feature you yourself prefer, and the science is gone. But, usually in the case of something like a video card the numbers will tell you exactly what the stats are. From there, you can go with the standard preference for the one that has better stats. If you prefer hardware with worse stats, I can't think of a single scientific reason to say that's a bad thing, but I can say with evidence that yes, it does perform more slowly than the other one. All things being equal, this one isn't equal.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)