Retailer data indicates which vendors are more trustworthy.
A retailer in the Philippines, Hardware Sugar (opens in a new tab), has shared the failure rates of the most popular hardware brands during its four years of operation. Although the sample size is small, it is intriguing to see which brands are returned most frequently. In addition to the relatively small sales area, it is important to note that other factors, such as user error, can influence this type of data. As such, consider it to be informational and not definitive.
The failure rate of graphics cards was the highest among all hardware components, particularly those manufactured by Gigabyte. The retailer’s RMA data revealed a 5% failure rate for graphics cards manufactured by Gigabyte. MSI graphics cards appeared to be more reliable, as only 1.5% of sold units failed. It is important to note that Hardware Sugar sold 9.3% more Gigabyte graphics cards than MSI graphics cards. Unfortunately, the retailer did not specify which models were more prone to failure. Additionally, it would have been interesting to determine whether Nvidia or AMD produces superior graphics cards.
| Sold | Failed | Failure Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics Cards | |||
| MSI | 129 | 2 | 1.5% |
| Gigabyte | 141 | 7 | 5% |
| Motherboards | |||
| MSI | 470 | 10 | 2.4% |
| Gigabyte | 388 | 7 | 1.8% |
| Power Supplies | |||
| Corsair | 451 | 1 | 0.22% |
| DeepCool | 46 | 0 | 0% |
| Cooler Master | 157 | 3 | 2% |
| Seasonic | 644 | 12 | 1.8 |
| Cooling | |||
| NZXT | 154 | 6 | 4% |
| Corsair | 42 | 0 | 0% |
| DeepCool | 149 | 0 | 0% |
| RAM | |||
| G.Skill | 601 | 4 | 0.66% |
| TeamGroup | 179 | 2 | 1% |
| NVMe SSDs | |||
| Samsung | 257 | 0 | 0% |
| TeamGroup | 243 | 3 | 1.2% |
Regarding motherboards, the situation was reversed. MSI motherboards had a higher rate of failure (2.4% versus 1.8%) than Gigabyte motherboards. However, we are unable to determine whether Intel or AMD motherboards required the highest rate of RMAs.
The data also indicates that Seasonic power supplies are more popular in the Philippines than well-known brands such as Corsair and Cooler Master. Compared to Corsair, Hardware Sugar sold 42.8% more Seasonal units. However, Corsair was the most reliable brand overall, with a failure rate of less than one percent. Other vendors, such as Seasonic and Cooler Master, accounted for 1.8% and 2% of the market share, respectively.
Corsair and DeepCool cooling solutions, on the other hand, did not exhibit any failure at the time of the retailer’s video. However, the most popular NZXT cooling products had a 4% failure rate. We do not know whether this data pertains to air cooling, liquid cooling, or both. We suspect the latter because CPU air cooler failures are uncommon. A fan may occasionally fail prematurely, but it is uncommon for a heatsink to fail.
G.Skill was the preferred brand of memory among DIY users and consumers in the Philippines. Hardware Sugar sold 235.8% more G.Skill memory modules than TeamGroup memory modules. Despite the vast margin, G.Skill’s rate of failure was only 0.6%.
Samsung and TeamGroup were the most popular high-speed NVMe storage brands. The sales figures were comparable, but Samsung was the most reliable manufacturer with no RMAs. TeamGroup units, in contrast, had a 1.2% failure rate.
