How do you trust customer PC reviews online?

[Windidugo]

How can I use reviews to trust if a PC is worth buying or not? I'm bad at interpreting customer review, so I'd like someone to guide me in how to review a computer.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Read the bad reviews first and never buy a used/ refurbished machine.
Use multiple search engines on the same model I'm sure eventually you'll get an idea of what's going on with the model

Another good thing is never get in a hurry to buy = impulse buying never works out
Buy from reputable venders and also make darn sure it has at least a 1 year full warrantee replace and refund,

Any issues after the purchase report immediately
Runs hot send back without delay,

Hell I bought 2 machines from home shopping network believe it or not
Both are still in operation after now 6 years
Sent 1 laptop back because it was more like a portable space heater
Oops the cat is out of the bag

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

It depends on the vendor. Some pad or edit their reviews. I generally use Newegg to check reviews. Amazon's are not as good, especially since it will frequently lump reviews for variations of a product together, such as a certain brand and model of HDD will have all sizes included in each size's reviews.

It's important to make sure to actually read the reviews and check to see how long the reviewer has had the product. Most products will work fine right out of the box so those reviews are only good to see how good a manufacturer's packaging and QA is and will tell you nothing about how well the product holds up over time.

Some products get bad reviews because users had unrealistic expectations of a product or did not know how to use it. One example are PCI-e add-on cards that require external power. Many reviewers will give a product a bad review because of that even though it was clear in the product description or illustrations or the need for external power should have been anticipated because of the nature of the product. One has to actually read the reviews to ascertain that.

I rarely trust reviews on a manufacturer's website. Too often, the bad reviews are culled.

 

[Wishmaster]

Sometimes the reviews are not very reliable. I always read the bad reviews first myself.
See why they are giving a bad review and if there are any common issues that many are having.

For example, you may see many complain about a specific hardware failure within a month of 2 of having the product, or on arrival. If many are having the problem, its likely there's a serious issue.

On the other hand, and I have seen this on various items, where a product will have a 3 out 5 rating, yet the negative reviews really make you scratch your head.

Stupid things like, the PC doesn't have a SSD so Im only giving it 2 stars because it should have one. Well, if they read the description of what they were buying they would know that. The product does not deserve a bad review because the person was too lazy to read about what they were buying ahead of time.


Sometimes people rate a product 1 star but in the written review speak highly of it too. Or they rate according to what they want, not what they really purchased.
In other words, buying a $350 Desktop and expecting and rating it compared to a $2000 gaming rig. Price Range matters, especially in computers..

Disregard these types of reviews.



At any count, look it over and pay attention to what the negatives are.also check on youtube what others have to say that have it.

 

[andrew129260]

Everyone has already offered excellent advise. I also suggest looking at bad reviews across websites, like amazon and newegg for the same product and comparing them.

 

[Layback Bear]

I mostly read reviews from my selected trusted sites/forums that don't sell the products.

 

[Kim4]

When I want to buy a computer, first I make the list on what kind of computer features I want. Then I go online, usually at Amazon and check the products, and compare with my wish list. I pick 3 machines, and I start reading the reviews, bad ones first. If the complaints are mostly inoffensive like: I didn't like the color of my computer, or.. it arrived late and broken, I move to the positive reviews. I like shopping at Amazon since I have the trust I can return the purchase (within the alotted time), with no pain. Sometimes I spend days or weeks until I make up my mind, and I'm never sorry.
Keep in mind, that if your computer comes with the latest version of your Operating System, it didn't have time to "mature", meaning that it might come out with unfixed bugs. The "latest" and "newest" are not always the "best".

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I used to use mostly Amazon and Newegg reviews to evaluate products but many Amazon reviews have become a joke because, often, Amazon will lump similar reviews together. For example, a particular line of HDDs, say a WD Black, will have reviews for all sizes of Blacks lumped together. If you look at the reviews for a 2TB black, it will have the same reviews and rating as a 4TB black since they include all the sizes. I've complained to Amazon about the deceptive practice and the only response I ever received was a reply that they were forwarding my complaint to the appropriate department. I'm considering filing a consumer fraud complaint with the State Attorney Generals of AZ and WA.

 

[Kim4]

I can assure you it is not Amazon's fault. Some people that buy a different version or size are the ones not posting at the review of their own product. I usually skip those reviews and go for what I need to read. And again, on certain products I feel that the reviewer is mistaken (based on my own experience), so is not a 100% proof. I usually go with my guts, reviews are only a way to confirm or dismiss my guts.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

It's Amazon's fault. Each individual review identifies the size of the drive in the review header. I agree about going with one's gut, though.

 

[essenbe]

I try to read the reviews and determine if the reviewer is technical savvy enough for me to pay attention to. Some people just don't understand how some components work. I was just reading reviews on DDR4. Several were complaining the computer wouldn't boot if set to the rated 2800 speed. The X99 chipset changes settings when ram is set over 2666 and they couldn't figure that out. I discount those. Also, as was mentioned before, I look for reviewers who have owned the product more than a week. Tell me how it runs when it has been in use for a year and I'll listen. Most things will run right out of the box. It helps to know something about the products you are reading about. In the example above, if I was not familiar with the X99 Chipset, I may think that ram was no good. In the end, I think you have to read a lot of reviews before you get good at sorting the good from the bad reviews.

 

[derekimo]

...often, Amazon will lump similar reviews together. For example, a particular line of HDDs, say a WD Black, will have reviews for all sizes of Blacks lumped together.

They do that with vendors too, I bought some batteries and they sent me a request to leave a review (After I already did) and it directed me to a vendor who sold the same batteries but not the one I bought from.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...often, Amazon will lump similar reviews together. For example, a particular line of HDDs, say a WD Black, will have reviews for all sizes of Blacks lumped together.

They do that with vendors too, I bought some batteries and they sent me a request to leave a review (After I already did) and it directed me to a vendor who sold the same batteries but not the one I bought from.

I wouldn't have a problem leaving a product review (a review of the product itself) with a different vendor. A vendor review (a review of how well the vendor fills the order, how quickly the product gets shipped, how well the shipment is packaged, how well the vendor responds to problems, etc.) is a whole 'nuther story. Too many people do not know the difference between a product review and a vendor review. I always check the vendor reviews for Amazon Marketplace vendors before ordering from one. I have to read the actual reviews and look for patterns because the ratings are skewed by the large number of eejits that don't understand the difference between product and vendor reviews.