Websites that Track PC Hardware Failure Rates?

scarolinus asks: "Working in the computer field, I find myself asking, "Which component to specify for my customers?" It used to be I would specify the most expensive component the customer could afford. The more established and reputable the brand, the better. Now, with no change in volume, it seems that failure rates are at least double what they used to be in the last few years. And it doesn't matter if the system is a $999 special or a $9999 multiprocessor server. So, is there a website out there that cataloges the failure rates of individual PC hardware components? Is there a website that helps us hold the hardware manufacturers accountable for the quality of product they produce?"

Comments

Storagereview

[cperciva]

Storagereview does this for hard drives.

Speak Danish?

[p0ppe]

The danish computer shop itbutikken actually list the percentage of products of different brands that has been returned to be fixed, when the percentage is high.

Large amounts of the page is, however, in Danish, but look for soemthing like this: "Info: Vores reparations afdeling kan konstatere at Net-hub af mærket D-LINK har haft en reparations frekvens på 0,82%. Tryk på det lille i ved produktet for at se om lige det produkt du ønsker måske har stor reparations frekvens. " ie. 0.86% of D-Link's net-hubs has been returned for fixing.

Re:MTBF is what you're looking for

[sigwinch]

Many manufacturers publish mean time before failure (MTBF) specs on thier hardware.

Most MTBFs are calculated values, derived from historical failure-over-time rates for the individual components inside the equipment. Take them with a grain of salt, especially if the equipment is used more heavily than was assumed for the MTBF calculations.

The other problem is that modern designs tend to push the components very hard, especially regarding heat dissipation and electrical currents. Even if the design is good, the components are still pushed into a regime where the historical data isn't as valid. And all too often the design turns out to be not good enough. (How many laptop batteries have been recalled over the last year?)