I don't know if anyone else has thought about this but I noticed that all reviews everywhere report just about the same information. Performance reults, power consumption, heat and noise to name a few. I have never seen a review that addressed longevity. In other words, how did it hold up over time? It's great to know that RAM does what it claims, overclocks well and performs well but how was it in 6 months? A year? The same can be said of all hardware. Now I don't know how pratical this would be to do but it is something I have long wondered and it would set HH apart from every other hardware site.... until they copy it that is. :)

Since technology is...well technology I think testing the life of RAM or a CPU might be a waste of time as one could very well get 15 yrs or more from it. Of course by this time WAAAAAAAY better components will be available for cheaper; to put it bluntly: who cares if it lasts that long -- no one would use it for this period of time anyway.

However, getting a good read on an average life of a PSU would be cool -- the question is: how would one stress it to the point of breaking it to simulate # of years in say a few months?

I think you missed the point. I certainly care if my RAM dies after 3 months. Not to mention my Video card and other hardware. I didn't imply 15 years. But I expect my stuff to last 6 months to a year at least.

ALL hardware should certainly last for the extent of its warranty --- however if you have something die in 3months that doesn't necessarily mean that particular series of HW is crap, it could just be one bad one in a batch of 5,000 or something.

I guess bottom line: you can expect to get at LEAST a warranty period out of the HW you purchase (whether it be 3 yrs, 1 yr, or lifetime) -- if it doesn't you can just get a new one from the manufacturer for free after all

ice91785:

ALL hardware should certainly last for the extent of its warranty --- however if you have something die in 3months that doesn't necessarily mean that particular series of HW is crap, it could just be one bad one in a batch of 5,000 or something.

I guess bottom line: you can expect to get at LEAST a warranty period out of the HW you purchase (whether it be 3 yrs, 1 yr, or lifetime) -- if it doesn't you can just get a new one from the manufacturer for free after all

point taken. I guess what would be of real value here is to see if there is a patern with a particular brand or product line. If say the same brand tends to crap out early that would hint at bad Quality control.

A good example of what I mean is a certain brand of PSU I have seen on newegg at very low prices. Some models have hundreds of positive and 5 "egg" reviews. Problem is many have only had them a short period. How do they do over time? Common sense would say if it's that cheap it probably won't last. But this doesn't always hold true. I've had some Sparkle power and FSP PSUs last 5+ years and they were low cost as well. So are they diamonds in the rough? Or potential duds?

I think you might see a pattern over time with some brands/makers. Just a hunch though. I guess it's not practical but the question still niggles at the back of my brain.....

nECrO1967:

I guess it's not practical

Pretty much, but your idea deffinately has merrit. What I do feel is important relatively to your concerns is a company's warranty and customer service... if we could somehow "test" any given company's customer/tech support that would really come in handy.

Maybe HH could create a forum section where individuals could present their own reviews of products/brands that they really like/dislike.

BTW: nECrO1967 I've been reading your recent posts and you've brought up some interesting topics/ideas/etc... just what the forums need!!!

One thing of note Maximum PC magazine has a couple sections on warranty and sustainabilty etc that they do every month generally slanted more to the customer service warranty end but it's there and has been for years I started reading them before they were Maximum pc hell I can't even remeber what they were called oh well it will come to me as soon as I post this but I've always liked there reviews and other articles and no I don't work for them just a long time reader............

Yeah. Thats pretty much what I was shooting for. I didn't really think about customer service or support but they are excellent points. I recently posted a comment in the general (I think) Forum about the recent great experience with Acer cocerning my monitor. Stuff like that is worth it's weight in gold. A lot of companies have great products but drop the ball completely when it comes to support. I've said it a million times. All companies, tech and non tech, make mistakes, but it's how you handle those mistakes and take care of your customer that separates the bad from the good.

Thanks for the compliment Recovering. It was much appreciated. I try. I want to be a positive part of this site as  I have come to enjoy the discussions and people here. There aren't many forums or sites to discuss hardware and technology with intelligent AND mature people.

Thanks for the tip on MaximumPC Rapid. I don't read them anymore as Maximum seems to describe the price more than the content. :)

nECrO1967:

There aren't many forums or sites to discuss hardware and technology with intelligent AND mature people.

Amen to the AND part!

HH FTW!!!

nECrO1967:

Thanks for the compliment Recovering. It was much appreciated. I try. I want to be a positive part of this site as  I have come to enjoy the discussions and people here. There aren't many forums or sites to discuss hardware and technology with intelligent AND mature people.

Someday I plan on getting some intelligence....I have just been way to busy lately though

Yeah the "And" is the kicker. Harder to find than you think!

LMAO Ice. I got some awhile ago but the ex-wives got half each........ :(

Haha I see that you just edited that -- I was about to say "what?? Your ex-wives got half of a magazine subscription?" (referring to rapid's only post)

Yeah. LOL. Sorry. I'm a part of so many discussions I got them crossed. You must have been aweful fast reading it as It only took me 2 seconds to see my mistake. I haven't seen that kind of speed since my first honeymoon! :)

....yeah thats what women tell me all the time -- I am very fast :p

/end inuendo