Whether you are looking into building a new computer or just like to keep up with the latest in computer hardware, the internet provides a whole smörgåsbord of options when it comes to computer hardware reviews. Here, you will see some of the better, more reliable sites on the internet.
A few things must be considered when looking at computer hardware review sites. First, quality. Are the reviews useful and balanced? Second, quantity. How much of the current hardware does the site review? Third, method.
Does the review give evidence like benchmarks and comparisons, or does the reviewer go on their feelings?
Most people’s first instinct would be to just Google the name of a component when they want to see what people think of a it. This method works fine if you just testing the waters or you already know which sites know what they are talking about and which don’t. However, if you don’t have a component in mind and are just starting out, or are new to the computer hardware review world and don’t know which sites have good reviews; this list should get you started.
Let’s get to it.
Tom’s Hardware Reviews is a UK-based review site. I have relied on them many times to get good, honest reviews. Their site is offered in a bunch of languages, making it a great resource for non-English speakers.
The reviews are thorough and give a good feel for the hardware. Reviews provide technical specs, benchmarks, and nice comparisons with alternatives.
On top of what you’d expect, Tom’s Hardware Reviews also has a number of features useful to someone just starting out looking at hardware. Some examples are monthly looks at best values in several areas including CPUs and Graphics Cards.
Overall, Tom’s site is nice, but does have some shortcomings. Although everything is nicely organized on the site, it is sometimes difficult to find exactly what you are looking for. A search doesn’t always bring up an exact component and a little digging is required. I find this to be an uncommon issue, but felt it should be mentioned.
Overclockers Club is another great resource. Like Tom’s, the site provides reviews of all sorts of computer hardware, but also has some nice guides for a beginner overclocker. You can access the guides by clicking “Guides” in the top navigation bar.
Overclockers Club is laid out in a very fluid way, making finding an article easy as pie. If you just click “Reviews” at the top, you are given a list of reviews in chronological order.
If you are looking for a particular piece of hardware, you can just search for it and it comes right up with what you’re looking for.
The reviews are quite good. They provide a lot benchmarks and explain them in context.
They give a nice feel for all aspects of a component, even down to how they look and feel physically.
Overclockers Club does not suffer from the issue I found with Tom’s. Searches always seem to return just what I am looking for.
HardOCP is another great computer hardware review site. What I like about this site is it’s overall layout. Instead of a traditional navigation bar, the site has a drop down menu with the links to the other sections of the site.
This helps keep the page nice looking and uncluttered.
The reviews on the site are well done, providing great information on all sorts of computer hardware, including harder to find things like water cooling systems. They even have a very goofy “Miscellaneous” section which provides reviews of anything from solid state drives to eyeglasses.
Another nice feature of the articles is a good level of humor that keeps you entertained while reading what could quickly become a very dry topic.
Some reviews do not provide as many benchmarks as I would like to see. For this reason, I wouldn’t rely on just HardOCP for my reviews, but definitely use it as a great supplement.
Yet another great review site, Legion Hardware should be a stop on the path of anyone looking into computer hardware. This site has a lot going for it, including the best organization style of any site I have seen as of yet.
First, when you click “Hardware” at the top, you are brought to a page that lists the different sections very clearly.
Then, when you navigate to the type of hardware your looking for; all of the reviews are listed in such a way so that finding a particular card is extremely simple.
The articles can be sorted in a bunch of different ways, making it even easier to get to the particular article you are looking for.
The reviews on Legion Hardware are of superb quality, providing a good number of benchmarks and describing all aspects of a piece of hardware. Also, they have a good database of articles, so it should not be hard to find what you are looking for on their site.
The last review site I will list is Hardware Canucks, a Canadian-based site. This site has a large number of review sections, even including things like consumer electronics.
The reviews are quite good, providing a lot of benchmarks, which are always good when looking to buy hardware.
The search feature works very well, bringing up exactly what you are looking for without any hassle.
A built in “Price Compare” feature is also good and helps differentiate Hardware Canucks from other review sites.
Of course, these are not the be-all-end-all of review sites. Everyone has their personal favorite website for one reason or another. All of these sites are great both for a beginner, just getting into hardware, or a seasoned veteran trying to keep up with the latest technology.
Owais Ahmed
