When Reviews shouldn't really count...

I buy the majority of my computer parts online. One of my favorite sites is NewEgg - but one of the features of this site is that they encourage "Customer Reviews". Now this is ultimately a good feature, which allows Users to share their experience with potential customers. However, there are lots of times when these "Reviews" really should not count when making a decision about what product to purchase.

I'll give an example here. I recently built a new Core i7 computer. Since I wasn't convinced of the superiority of the new chip, I wanted to build a "less expensive" system with which I could gain experience. That means I knew I wanted the least expensive of the processors - in this case the "920" model. And I also wanted mid-range motherboard, which was a much harder choice to make... (All of my other components are higher end gear, from companies that I'm very familiar with already.)

So I did my "homework"... read lots of X58 chipset motherboard reviews. Compared motherboards based on features and layout. And finally settled on an Asus P6T. But, please, let me explain! There are certain basic features I look for in a motherboard. First I want to be able to run SLI, and since Nvidia graphics card now have PhysX processing capability, a third PCIe x16 slot is desireable. Second I like to have at least one eSATA port on the backplane as that is how I prefer to connect a Backup Hard drive. Third I want at least 5 SATA connectors, placed at an angle so they line up with the edge of the board. Asus boards also have two other features that are notably attractive. One is called the Asus Q-Connector, and is a small block to which you can plug in your front panel wires, and then more easilly connect this "block" to the motherboard (and trust me, ... one of the least fun things about setting up a computer is connecting those wires individually!).

But that "feature", indeed almost all other features, pale in comparison with the final basis for my decision to buy this motherboard... it's a BIOS based Flash Update Utility. One of my favorite motherboards was an Abit BH6 (a socket 370 Intel 440BX chipset motherboard) , which met an untimely end during a flash attempt using a bad floppy disk. Since the day that happened I have allways been afraid of flashing a motherboard's BIOS. I've had to do it alot, but it was always accompanied by a sense of severe anxiety. But with this utility that is a thing of the past! All you have to do is copy your BIOS update to a USB drive. Restart and enter BIOS. Start the utility and show it which drive the file is on... and you're soon finished. (Yes! there is still some risk, but it's minimal... and I don't have to burn a special CD, or attach a USB floppy drive.)

So I feel like I made a "quality decision" in buying the P6T. And my experience with it has generally been stellar! But when I read NewEgg's reviews of this product you might get the impression they got a different product. Some of the "reviewers" almost admit that they didn't read the manual. Most reviewers seem hesitant to admit that they don't have much experience either, though their comments make this point clear. Other "customers" obviously are looking for board with a different layout; for example they want it to fit in a smaller case. So why did they buy "this board"?

My Intuition would lead me to believe one of the following reasons. 1. They read a favorable review, then followed an advertising link. 2. They were told by a friend to buy this board, and they didn't pay much attention to the details. Or 3, they are familiar with the Asus brand name and this is the best they could afford. None of these scenarios represent a basis for a quality decision.

Now please don't assume that I'm just trying to justify my purchase! I really don't need other reviewers to agree with me per se. I'm very happy with my new system. But some of these "reviews" are really wild, ... as in they lack credibility. Like the one who claims that his particular motherboard just snapped in half for no apparent reason!?! Or the one who claimed his system would not startup the first time because there was "too much room" for his processor to move around in the CPU socket!?! (If you read the manual... it's perfectly clear there is exactly One Way to install a processor. And if you follow those directions you will realize that there is just enough room to install the processor - there is no freeplay!) The end result is that I feel sorry for the Customer Service Representatives at NewEgg.

It's obvious to me that some of these people could mess Anything up! But they refuse to admit the same to others, or even to themselves... And I tend to believe that their opinions in the matter should not count! So NewEgg if someone did not buy a product from you: They should not write a review of that product! And if they did not keep a product purchased, they should not be allowed to post a review of that product. But that's just my 2¢ worth... You will have to do as you see fit.