AnandTech Shuts Down, an Icon of Tech News and Reviews Rides into the Sunset

[btarunr]

AnandTech, a tech publication that practically everyone in the computing industry is aware of, announced that it is shutting down. Named after its founder, Anand Lal Shimpi, AnandTech was founded in 1997 by the then 15-year-old Anand, and went on to become one of the top sources of PC hardware and gaming news and reviews, particularly in the golden age of PC (the 1990s and the 2000s). It is one of the key sites that inspired the founding of TechPowerUp. Anand and his crew have remained our friends and peers throughout this time.

Some of the biggest tectonic shifts in the tech world were parsed through Anand's keyboard. At age 32, Anand left the publication he founded to pursue a job with Apple, handing it to his friend and editor, Ryan Smith, and publisher Purch, which was later acquired by Future PLC. The site would continue to maintain the highest standards of reporting and evaluation for the following decade. AnandTech says that Future PLC will keep the site up and running, so all of its invaluable content remains accessible. We will dearly miss you, AnandTech.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[boulard83]

It's sad but at the same time, i stopped visiting Anand for years now so ....

 

[Solaris17]

God damn that’s crazy

 

[Daven]

I've been reading tech review sites including Anandtech since the 90s.

With this news, I'm pouring one out for my homies: Hardocp, Techreport, Xbitlabs and now Anandtech. You will all be missed.

 

[bitsandboots]

A moment of silence for one of the big ones.


Okay. now, the writing was on the wall ever since Anand departed, and it was good to see it keep going strong for a bit after, but it had worn away and perhaps that's due to being in the same parent company as Tom's hardware.

Yet, I loved how you could see all the old articles and comments on them. It puts things into perspective. I'm glad they're keeping the website online for a while longer for that purpose, and well there will always be the internet archive.

But, I want to say how much I appreciate TechPowerUp for the same reason. You can go back 2 decades and see the comments of what people were angry about back then, and see how it relates to now or how quaint it was.
So thank you to w1zzard as well for keeping this site going for as long as I can remember too.

 

[Apocalypsee]

Anandtech used to be my go-to site when reading review they usually very comprehensive, when Anand left it just isn't the same anymore. The one that I used to read before that was XBitLabs, I love reading their technical review like NetBurst architecture when it comes out, and goes in-depth in explaining how it differs from older arch.

 

[dirtyferret]

very sad, one of the few sites that still did PSU reviews

Continuing the Fight Against the Cable TV-ification of the Web​

Finally, I’d like to end this piece with a comment on the Cable TV-ification of the web. A core belief that Anand and I have held dear for years, and is still on our About page to this day, is AnandTech’s rebuke of sensationalism, link baiting, and the path to shallow 10-o'clock-news reporting. It has been our mission over the past 27 years to inform and educate our readers by providing high-quality content – and while we’re no longer going to be able to fulfill that role, the need for quality, in-depth reporting has not changed. If anything, the need has increased as social media and changing advertising landscapes have made shallow, sensationalistic reporting all the more lucrative.

Sadly when I look at youtube (and I'm sure tiktok as well) all I see is click bait headlines with every product release being "the best" or "the worst" followed by shallow reviews

 

[Onasi]

What a shame. It was a good site. What a rotten way to die.

But yeah, the signs were there for a while. And getting sold to Purch kinda… I don’t know, was there so far in our history ANY enthusiast tech site that improved after an acquisition by soulless media company?

 

[mukumi]

very sad, one of the few sites that still did PSU reviews

Continuing the Fight Against the Cable TV-ification of the Web​

Finally, I’d like to end this piece with a comment on the Cable TV-ification of the web. A core belief that Anand and I have held dear for years, and is still on our About page to this day, is AnandTech’s rebuke of sensationalism, link baiting, and the path to shallow 10-o'clock-news reporting. It has been our mission over the past 27 years to inform and educate our readers by providing high-quality content – and while we’re no longer going to be able to fulfill that role, the need for quality, in-depth reporting has not changed. If anything, the need has increased as social media and changing advertising landscapes have made shallow, sensationalistic reporting all the more lucrative.

Sadly when I look at youtube (and I'm sure tiktok as well) all I see is click bait headlines with every product release being "the best" or "the worst" followed by shallow reviews

There is still hwbusters.com and sometimes hwcooling.net for psu. The last one only makes a list and small preview of the internal component of the psu however. But better than nothing

 

[Yttersta]

I cannot count how many purchases I have made after reading content from one of these bigger stops of PC hardware enthusiasts; for me it was 2005-2006 when I learned their name. The written only format is very difficult to maintain nowadays, as TPU remains so valuable as well. Sad day but there is ever so lesser demand for hardware reviews overall as the industry slowed right down the past few years with great upgrades still arriving, yet not receiving as much attention due to plateauing overall user experience.

Then there are those like GN with well deserved methodological credibility as well as reach. Written websites need learn a lot from them that it only goes so far with solely reporting and testing, investigative journalism matters. OC3D is still up at least. Anand, OC3D, and TPU have always been my go to sources. Notebookcheck joined them after I got older and needed a laptop. Guru3D used to be alright but they've become redundant I believe due to my aforementioned criticism; honestly, visiting TPU for statistics, GN for details, and OC3D for the user experience is all I need. Hopefully these will remain for a longer time yet.

 

[Beermotor]

They always put out high quality content but did anyone else get a sinking feeling that their days were numbered when Ian Cutress left back in 2022?

 

[Beer4Myself]

Man what a sad way to die. Anandtech is with Techpowerup and Igorslab the sites i usually visit if i want to know something about tech. also Ian made a video about Anandtech closure.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I met Anand, Tom and Kyle at my first Computex sometime in the early 2000's, can't remember which year it was now, but none of them are doing what they did back then any more.

 

[dirtyferret]

There is still hwbusters.com

yes but in doing so Aris took his reviews from PC gamer, Toms, and TPU (some have found replacements) so the list of sites that used to offer good PSU is a lot longer than the sites that still do

 

[neatfeatguy]

I used to like going on the site and using the comparison charts they had setup for CPUs and GPUs. Once the GPU bench comparisons went to the wayside I figured things were slowly sliding downhill for the site. At least the CPU comparison benchmarks are (were) still updated for quick comparisons.

I read through the reviews from time to time and replies, but it's been a while since I've even done that. Shame that they're calling it quits, even if it wasn't a site I frequented much anymore.

 

[Daven]

I used to like going on the site and using the comparison charts they had setup for CPUs and GPUs. Once the GPU bench comparisons went to the wayside I figured things were slowly sliding downhill for the site. At least the CPU comparison benchmarks are (were) still updated for quick comparisons.

I read through the reviews from time to time and replies, but it's been a while since I've even done that. Shame that they're calling it quits, even if it wasn't a site I frequented much anymore.

It would be nice if Anandtech's 'Bench' data could be handed over to a site like TPU. I would love to see such a project keep going.

 

[Ruru]

Actually feels weird that some tech sites from the 90s are still running. How time flies...

 

[Assimilator]

A damn shame, but an inevitable one after Anand left and Purch took over.

 

[qlum]

Anandtech was definitely dying, for the past few years, I think it being closed is better than the site turning into some seo-spam zombie, like so many others. I miss their deep technical content, chips and cheese fills that hole a bit. But just like the old thomshardware it's a dying breed of publication.

 

[Wirko]

very sad, one of the few sites that still did PSU reviews

Competent PSU reviewers are so rare ... and then E. Fylladitakis was given air coolers and fans to write about. Something was not right here.

 

[Makaveli]

Sad day i've been reading anandtech since the year 2000 and they have always been my go to. I felt the hit when Anand left and then Ian but the writing was on the wall with everyone moving to tech tubers instead of written articles. Which is a shame because alot of these youtubers lack the technical quality of written articles that I am use to from anandtech. I've learned so much from that site and its members it will never be forgotten.

 

[Bobaganoosh]

Oh dear. I have to say...it sucks seeing things you just sort of got used to go away. I guess this is what everyone experiences getting older.

 

[Steevo]

Well damn.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

I'll have to pour one out for them, but this seems like where a lot of written only tech/gaming sites are going, tech heaven....

 

[GodisanAtheist]

IMO it all started when they never did the GTX 960 review...

Later Ryan's testing lab burned down and Anandtech never did a GPU review again despite promises that they were coming.

Can't run a tech site and not review the one remaining PC component that really brings in the clicks.

Also the tech deep dives, AT's bread and butter under Anand went away.

After a while all you have left are silly phone and ancillary part reviews and some forums... Was a matter of time really.