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View Full Version : Are most makes of motherboards equally reliable?



ratchet
02-29-2012, 06:50 AM
Perhaps this type of question is not aloud here, e.g. on Wilders you can't ask what is the best A-V. I'm 64 and considering a build. I'm slowly gathering a list of compatible component options. If I do this I'm going future proof (no plans to ever gaming though!) with an H or P67 or Z68 board. My confusion lies in the fact that when you read customer reviews on vendor sites, despite mostly four star ratings, there still seems to be a lot of reliability issues. So are there manufacturers to avoid? Thank you for any input!

zburns
02-29-2012, 08:47 AM
Instead of depending on customer reviews, look for reviews by the major 'reviewers'. Examples are Guru of 3D, Anandtech, Kit Guru, HardwareReviews and about a dozen more. Generally a good review will be quite lengthy with a lot of subject matter covered; there is always a conclusion regards the pluses and minuses. The reviewers just do not hand out 'compliments' or 'accolades' automatically; they do offer respectful criticism where they feel it appropriate. They obviously do not want to offend the manufacturer, but they should call 'it as they see it'. A good review will be lengthy, and, if the reviewer has real technical ability or not, it will be obvious in the review, via lack of tech info in said review.

Manufacturers who have been in the motherboard business a long time are good at their craft and rarely make mistakes. Generally, the manufacturer knows how to avoid all kinds of mistakes because of their experience. If a manufacturer is respected, gets good reviews, been in business a long time, etc., all these qualities are indicative of a company making good products and standing behind them.

The major reviewers have a lot of technical knowledge about what they are doing, and they do a lot of testing and writing; overall, they do a good job, my opinion. It is up to the reader to 'get something' from the review. If you are new at understanding motherboards, ask questions on this forum.