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Ask Slashdot: What Review Sites Do You Consult For IT Equipment?

Posted by Soulskill on from the throw-darts-at-a-part-catalog dept.

JackAcme writes "Searching for product reviews via Google mostly turns up sales sites masquerading as review sites. Consumer reviews on Amazon and other big retailers are suspect since so many manufacturers are paying for positive reviews. Where do Slashdotters turn for reliable, informed reviews of new hardware and software?"

6 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Newegg by BingmanO · · Score: 5, Informative

    Newegg. Usually has the most honest reviews and manufacture responses if it's because of an RMA or a neg review.

    1. Re:Newegg by formfeed · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Newegg. Usually has the most honest reviews and manufacture responses if it's because of an RMA or a neg review.

      Newegg reviews are usually written by 13 year olds. Usually just 2 sentences at most, with one of the sentences being "Newegg rocks!!!"

      But by reading closely and by paying attention to what kind of reasons the reviewers give one can usually get a good idea of how qualified the reviews are and what criticism of a product one should take into consideration.

      Newegg rocks!!!

  2. HardOCP by Ragnar79 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://hardocp.com/ is a good one for reviews on hardware performance and overclocking for gaming.

  3. My top sites by PurdueThumbs · · Score: 5, Informative

    Tomshardware.com
    Anandtech.com
    smallnetbuilder.com

    And every now and then one of the others, but those are my three go-to sites.

  4. Honestly... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I tend to figure that (so long as I don't cling to the bleeding edge, where even the honest reviews are of inferior gear for high prices, soon to be replaced by more mature gear at lower price), it tends to matter a lot less. Do PR flacks buy good reviews? Yes, it seems likely. Should they be first against the wall when the revolution comes? Well, probably not first; but I'd gladly make room for them in line. Can they crowd out the mass of reviews once the early-adopting suckers pass and an item becomes subject to mass judgement? If so, that's some serious cash being dropped on buying reviews.

    All blathering aside, if you aren't trying to ride the bleeding edge, the stakes are lower and the odds of, at very least, ending up with 'good enough, and crazy cheap' are good.

    It's the early adopters who really face a difficult problem, when the goods are at their least mature and most expensive, and the flacks outnumber and control the actual buyers and actual reviewers to the greatest extent. Simply practice a little patience and you can easily avoid the greatest trouble. Leading the bleeding-edge by the nose, by controlling who gets per-release and super-early gear just isn't that difficult, and even if the reviews are real, they reflect mostly early-adopter fanboy optimists. Just sit back, fuck around with whatever tech you already have (take comfort, for it is no doubt greater than that which inaugurated the internet) and wait a month or two. Lower prices, greater clarity, and general sanity await you.

  5. As a hardware reviewer: by Dputiger · · Score: 5, Informative

    Full disclosure up front: I currently write for ExtremeTech and Hot Hardware. In the past I've written for Ars Technica (2007 - 2009) and briefly Tech Report (2H 2005). Before that, I wrote for a now-defunct site going back to 2001.

    Obviously I could be biased and plug the sites I write for. I write for them for a reason, after all. But since no one is going to buy me telling you to read my own work, here's where I go, personally:

    For in-depth, excellent analysis (in alphabetical order)

    Anandtech (Anandtech.com)
    Ars Technica (Arstechnica.com)
    Tech Report (techreport.com)

    For ultra low-level analysis:
    Real World Tech (www.realworldtech.com)
    Agner Fog's CPU blog (www.agner.org)
    Lost Circuits (www.lostcircuits.com)

    All three of these resources update only occasionally. But the information is second to none.

    For spot-checking or specific issues:

    TechSpot.com does great CPU/GPU scaling articles. LaptopMag or NotebookCheck are great for their particular areas. CPU-World has good general database information, VR-Zone often has interesting scoops, as does wccftech -- if you're willing to filter out a lot of rumor / speculation from the latter. Tom's Hardware has useful dynamic databases for product performance. So does Anandtech.

    Don't be afraid to read a review on a site you haven't heard of, or with a layout from 1999. While established names and high-quality writers tend to go together, they are neither exclusively matched nor guaranteed. A good reviewer will document issues, give a thorough discussion of the topic, and won't come off sounding like a marketing employee.