@Analog Kid I promise I'll take the time to read the post you linked, because I'm aware it provides important context. But for now, I will say that benchmarks are artificial and are honestly a terrible way to measure things.
Truth is that benchmarks are the
only way to actually measure things. What people tend to forget though is that they only measure that thing.
A benchmark is a controlled, repeatable test. Its purpose is to focus in on one performance metric and measure that thing objectively, removing unreliable subjective assessments.
The mistakes people make are to measure one thing and think it means another, try to simplify a complex information set down to a single number, or run a test well outside it's expected domain of utility. MaxTech made each of those mistakes and more.
I also think a lot of YouTubers are dishonest when it comes to actually reporting the data. I can't think of specific examples, but don't you think there's at least one instance where someone either manipulated the results, or otherwise cheated by purposefully using slower/faster drives? I get that's not the case here, but it honestly seems like a problem that would've happened. I don't know for sure though.
I'm sure there are, but I don't actually think that video I watched was being intentionally dishonest-- I think it was just ignorant and poorly executed. MaxTech isn't rewarded for educating, they're rewarded for engaging the audience. I don't think they understand what they're doing or how to properly test something. They're adolescents with a gene sequencer reporting the amazing news that half their DNA matches that of peanut butter.
And the audience needs to apply the smell test. This just didn't smell right to me:
42.5 GB file transfer from External SSD
M2 MBP 256GB: 2:17
M2 MBP 512GB: 0:23
Nobody should have believed those numbers, they're absurd. MaxTech should have sensed they were absurd and checked what they were doing-- but they don't know what they're doing, they're too arrogant to think they might have made a mistake, and they surely know that something that over the top is going to
drive engagement.
"If you think everything we've just said is BS, discuss it where it's monetized below."
