← Blog · Buyer's Guides
Feb 17, 2017 · by Josef Kulovany
There's a dark secret in the world of gaming computers: he who controls the money, controls the reviews. This is especially true in a cutthroat niche like custom gaming PCs.
Major review outlets — magazines, YouTube channels, Google-paid listings — are heavily influenced by advertising relationships. A company that spends $500,000 per year on advertising with a major tech outlet isn't going to get a negative review. Period.
At StealthMachines, we've never paid for a review. Our reputation was built entirely by word of mouth over 22 years. When you see a 5-star review of a StealthMachines machine, it's because the customer wanted to tell someone about it — not because we paid them to.
Our advice: read the reviews on platforms that don't take money from PC builders. ResellerRatings, Google Reviews, and direct customer testimonials are the most honest signals you'll find.