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• tech6 - Sunday, September 19, 2010 - link

  I've been hanging out here for a while, initially for the PC component reviews but I was very happy when you turned your thorough analysis and benchmarking to servers. Medium sized companies simply don't have the clout to ask vendors for test units to asses performance so getting independent benchmarks is essential for choosing the right equipment. There are equipment other benchmarks out there but the thorough transparent and unbiased approach of Anandtech is a big draw for me. I still love the consumer gadget and component reviews but the server reviews are what is relevant to my daily work. I would be even happier to see you review entry and mid level iSCSI SAN solutions (hint, hint).

• Stuka87 - Sunday, September 19, 2010 - link

  Recently the company I work for purchased eight Dell R910 Servers. The articles on this site were a great help is leading us to this decision. They replaced our previous VM Ware cluster of SunFire's (Opteron Based) and a few older Dell's (Intel Based). We look at articles involving the R910's directly to get performance data, as well as power consumption data, which was extremely useful. As it let us know real world power draw (Dell does not give these specs). The performance of the Xeon 7500's in a VM environment was also very handy.
  
  At first I was set thinking we should continue with AMD's, but the data shown here showed Intel was the better choice at the time of purchase.

• screes680 - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  Well first off, this is THE site on the web for everything SSD related. I would never think of ever purchasing another SSD product in the future without first checking this site to see what you think about it.
  
  I think if it weren't for this site, SSD's would have taken a nose dive after the first gen and would be no where as popular as they are. It likely would have taken the industry twice as long to figure out why their crap isn't selling if you hadn't pointed it out to them. Every manufacturer selling SSD's should give you royalties for saving their companies from themselves.
  
  Apart from that i do read most of your computer hardware reviews, but don't always base my decisions solely on your articles other than with SSD's, however i do take your recommendations to heart. I frequent this site almost daily, to keep up with new and upcoming computer hardware.

• Mugur - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  I read Anandtech for about 10 years and many of its hardware reviews helped me made purchases either for me and my friends, but also for the companies I've worked for (as an IT consultant or IT Manager).
  
  But the most influential thing were, by far in the past couple of years, the SSD articles. Now every database server for the mid-market or entry level I either order for clients or just recommend to them has Intel X25-M or E RAIDs that helps performance in a big way, about 6 such SSDs replacing up to 20 SAS 15k rpm drives...
  
  More that this, I've start replacing productivity notebooks drives to SSDs, it also helped the performance and it's more safely to use on the field or when moving.

• nvidia2008 - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  It all began back in 2005. I was looking to get back into PC gaming. Stumbled across Anandtech and Toms Hardware. To cut a long story short, from 2005 to now, reading Anandtech and Toms has given me a great perspective on the state of PC gaming, PC desktops and even mobile hardware.
  
  Focusing on Anandtech, it has influenced my decisions on the big "wars" going on in computing hardware. Intel vs AMD. Nvidia vs ATI. Mac vs PC. Laptop vs Desktop.
  
  It is hard to encapsulate it, but every facet of computing hardware is dissected on Anandtech. Some accuse various tech sites of bias one way or another, and sometimes accuse them of being "paid off" by one side of the "hardware wars" or the other.
  
  Regardless, the most important thing I come to learn is how the winds are shifting.
  
  For example, Intel was suffering with the Pentium 4. Hence I went AMD64. Then Intel Core and Core 2 came out. Hence I went with Intel Macs when the transition happened. Then Nvidia was doing some killer stuff with their G92(?) 8000 series and 9000 series (hence my username). Then the GTX280 was too hot, too big, so I went to ATI 4830 512MB. Then ATI came and killed Nvidia with the 5 series. Then Fermi is out, but the 6000 series from AMD/ATI will be out soon.
  
  Most important, as you can see, is gaining information on CPU, GPU, RAM and OS features, and benchmarks, benchmarks, benchmarks. Also good to keep an eye on Apple and non-Apple products by visiting this site.
  
  To sum it up, Anandtech has influenced my purchasing decisions on:
  
  Intel (bought Intel Mac, not Nehalem CPUs for desktop -- too expensive)
  Intel (bought Intel Core 2 and overclocked 10-20%)
  AMD (bought AMD64, then Intel Core2, then AMDX2, AMD make great gaming CPUs which are affordable)
  Nvidia (bought 8500GT, then another for 8500GT SLI)
  Intel + Nvidia + Gigabyte mobo (helped my company buy about 3 units of PCs to act as MYOB server/clients and as CCTV PCs - these were Intel Core 2 + 8500GT, Gigabyte mobos and Raid1 two hard disks)
  ATI (bought 4830 512MB after I sold my 8500GT SLI rig)
  iPad (bought)
  iPhone4 (wondering deeply about it, haven't bought yet)
  SSD (haven't bought, no TRIM support on Macs)
  7200rpm 2.5" drives (bought, good speedup)
  10,000 rpm 3.5" drives (did not buy, too expensive for purposes)
  
  All the best.

• nvidia2008 - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  I should just say, for the record, I am pleased with value for money when it comes to ATI cards. But I did run into the usual "It's good hardware but the constant dhttp://www.anandtech.com/show/3936/a-favor-share-y... issues & benchmarks such as [Starcraft2 with AA] make you think twice."

• nvidia2008 - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  Oops. Not sure what happened in my previous comment. I meant to say:
  
  I should just say, for the record, I am pleased with value for money when it comes to ATI cards. But I did run into the usual "It's good hardware but the constant driver issues & benchmarks such as [Starcraft2 with AA] make you think twice."

• kashwashwa - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  I still think Anandtech's ridiculously in-depth SSD articles are some of the best tech articles I've ever read.
  
  They are essentially the entire reason I ended up buying an SSD drive.

• Exelius - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  I started reading probably 10 years ago and... AT is not quite as interesting as it used to be... there are a number of reasons for that; the biggest being that the x86 platform is just not sexy anymore. Performance gains are methodical, people have long ago figured out which applications scale horizontally, and individual components in the enterprise lag behind the consumer market because they are purchased as part of a larger solution.
  
  That said, you guys do a good job of covering the basics: the marketing presentations delivered to the media. You cover it from a "boots on the ground" perspective with the ability to relate back to what it means. Over the years I've built a number of personal PCs from recommendations on this site and you've never steered me wrong. So few sites focus squarely on the x86 desktop market that (and do it professionally) you should keep on trucking. I'd like to see more full system build guides though. Anandtech Bench is great for building a PC.
  
  If I had one complaint about AT itself, it's that it reads like its written by a bunch of former engineers. Which isn't in and of itself a bad thing, but the business conclusions drawn by AT's articles often tend to fail in realizing how the enterprise procurement process works. These articles often confuse me because it feels like AT is trying to branch out into enterprise from the perspective of a small business. Either stay away from the business conclusions or get the conclusions from an enterprise IT consultant/manager who is aware of the differences in ordering single machines vs. volume.

• geniekid - Monday, September 20, 2010 - link

  I actually discovered this site via the article Shoebox Showdown (2007). I've always had this dream to build a machine in a MicroATX box that has sadly never come to fruition since the price/performance has never been justified.
  
  As others have pointed out, this website was the primary motivator behind my first SSD purchase - the Intel X-25M. I read it regularly and I enjoy reading your comprehensive reviews and guides on everything from home theater setup to smartphone testing. I trust this tech site more than any other site I read.
  
  That said, I will echo the sentiment that DailyTech is a terrible site. Too many misleading headlines, an immature forum community, and mediocre writing.