$ man sudopicks
How we review
Researched, not hands-on tested. Here is exactly what that means.
What we do
- We collect specifications from manufacturer product pages and datasheets, and list every source on the review.
- We score each product against a published rubric for its category. Each criterion is rated 0–10 and weighted. The breakdown is shown on every review.
- We summarise recurring themes from public owner feedback in our own words. We never copy or quote other people's reviews.
- We check UK prices from retailers' official data feeds every hour and hide any price older than 23 hours.
What we don't do
- We don't test products hands-on. Our reviews never claim or imply that we used, held or tested a product.
- We don't accept payment for reviews or rankings. Brands can't buy a higher score.
- We don't republish star ratings from Amazon or other sites.
How reviews are written
Reviews are drafted with AI from the sources above. Before anything is published it must pass automated checks: every number in the text must match a source, the text must not claim any hands-on experience, and it must not duplicate another review. Reviews that fail are held back.
How Top 10 lists are ranked
rank = 70% score + 15% value + 10% freshness + 5% availability
Value compares a product's price with the median price in its category. Freshness falls from full marks at release to zero at three years old. Discontinued products drop off the list. A list only goes live once it has at least five products.
External SSDs rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 30% | USB 3.2 Gen 2 (1,050MB/s) scores 6, Gen 2x2 (2,000MB/s) scores 8, USB4/Thunderbolt scores 10. |
| Build and ruggedness | 20% | IP rating, drop rating and casing material. |
| Security | 15% | Hardware AES encryption with a password scores 8. |
| Warranty | 15% | 3 years scores 6, 5 years scores 9. |
| Compatibility | 20% | Works with USB-C and USB-A, Mac, Windows, Linux, phones and consoles out of the box. |
graphics cards rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 30% | The GPU's tier within its generation. Entry cards (RTX 5060, RX 9060, Arc B580) score 5, upper mid-range (RTX 5070 Ti, RX 9070 XT) score 8, flagships score 10. |
| Video memory | 25% | Matters most for local AI models. 8GB scores 3, 12GB scores 6, 16GB scores 8, 24GB or more scores 10. |
| Software support | 15% | CUDA, ROCm or oneAPI support for AI tools, Linux drivers, and AV1 encode for Plex or Jellyfin transcoding. |
| Efficiency and noise | 15% | Board power for the performance, and cooler noise reported by owners and reviewers. |
| Size and fit | 10% | Length, slot width and power connector, for small cases and servers. |
| Build and warranty | 5% | Cooler quality, coil whine reports and warranty length. |
laptops rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 25% | CPU generation and cores for compiling, containers and VMs. A recent Core Ultra 5, Ryzen 5 or Apple M-series base chip scores 6; Core Ultra 7/9, Ryzen 7/9 HX or Apple Pro/Max chips score 9. |
| Memory and storage | 20% | 8GB scores 2, 16GB scores 6, 32GB or more scores 9. Upgradeable SO-DIMM or CAMM memory and a second M.2 slot add a point. |
| Display | 15% | Resolution and sharpness for text, brightness, and matte or OLED options. 1080p at 14 inches or more scores 4; 2.5K-3K sharp panels score 8. |
| Battery life | 15% | The manufacturer's rated and reviewers' measured runtime for everyday work. |
| Keyboard and build | 10% | Keyboard travel and layout, chassis rigidity, hinge and weight. |
| Ports | 10% | Thunderbolt or USB4, USB-A, HDMI, and an SD slot or Ethernet. |
| Linux support | 5% | Whether the maker certifies or ships Linux, and owner reports of Wi-Fi, sleep and fingerprint support working. |
mechanical keyboards rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Typing feel | 25% | Switch quality and choice, stabilisers, and sound. Owner reports of rattle or scratchy switches count against it. |
| Build quality | 20% | Case material (plastic, aluminium), mounting (tray, gasket) and keycap material (ABS or PBT). |
| Customisation | 20% | Hot-swap sockets, and QMK/VIA or open firmware that remaps keys without a Windows-only app. Proprietary Windows-only software scores 4; QMK/VIA scores 9. |
| Connectivity | 15% | Wired, 2.4GHz and Bluetooth with several paired devices, and macOS and Linux support. |
| Layout and ergonomics | 10% | Usable layouts (full, TKL, 75%, 65%) with UK ISO options, and adjustable typing angle. |
| Battery and software | 10% | Wireless battery life, and whether the software is needed at all. |
memory kits rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Speed and latency | 30% | For its type. DDR5-4800 CL40 scores 4, DDR5-6000 CL30 scores 9; DDR4-3200 CL16 scores 7. |
| Compatibility | 30% | Motherboard qualified vendor lists, XMP and EXPO profiles, and JEDEC speeds for mini PCs and laptops. |
| Capacity options | 15% | Kit sizes offered, including 2x32GB and 2x48GB for VMs. |
| Reliability and warranty | 15% | Lifetime warranty scores 9; ECC support counts for servers. |
| Fit | 10% | Module height for cooler clearance and small cases, and whether lighting can be switched off. |
mini PCs rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| CPU performance | 25% | Cores, generation and integrated graphics. Intel N100/N150 scores 5, Core i5/Ryzen 5 mobile scores 7, Ryzen 7/9 or Core Ultra scores 9. |
| Upgradeability | 20% | SO-DIMM rather than soldered RAM, a second M.2 slot, and the maximum RAM supported. |
| Networking | 20% | 1GbE scores 4, dual 2.5GbE scores 8, 10GbE or SFP+ scores 10. |
| Efficiency and noise | 15% | Idle power and cooling. Fanless or near-silent under 10W idle scores 9. |
| Ports and expansion | 10% | USB4/Thunderbolt, OCuLink, display outputs. |
| Build and support | 10% | BIOS updates, warranty, and the maker's track record. |
monitors rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpness for text | 20% | Pixel density. 24 inch 1080p (about 92 PPI) scores 3, 27 inch 1440p (about 109 PPI) scores 6, 27 inch 4K (about 163 PPI) or 5K scores 9. |
| Panel quality | 25% | Panel type, colour coverage, contrast and uniformity. Basic VA or TN scores 4, a good IPS scores 7, IPS Black or OLED scores 9. |
| Connectivity and docking | 20% | USB-C with 65W or more power delivery, a built-in KVM, a USB hub, Ethernet or daisy-chaining. HDMI and DisplayPort only scores 4. |
| Ergonomics | 15% | Height, tilt, swivel and pivot adjustment, and a VESA mount. |
| Refresh rate and motion | 10% | 60Hz scores 4, 100-120Hz scores 7, 144Hz or more scores 9. |
| Build and warranty | 10% | Dead-pixel policy, warranty length and the maker's firmware support. |
NAS rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Storage capacity (bays, M.2) | 20% | 4+ bays and M.2 cache slots score highest. |
| CPU and transcoding | 20% | Core count, generation, and hardware transcoding (Quick Sync). |
| Memory ceiling | 15% | Installed RAM and maximum supported RAM for containers and VMs. |
| Networking | 20% | 10GbE scores 10, 2.5GbE scores 7, 1GbE scores 4. |
| Software and ecosystem | 15% | Maturity of the OS, app ecosystem and update track record. |
| Openness | 10% | Freedom to use any drives and to install another OS. |
NAS hard drives rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability ratings | 25% | MTBF, workload rating (TB/year) and rated bay count. 1M hours and 180TB/year score 7; 2.5M hours and 550TB/year score 9. |
| Recording technology | 20% | CMR scores 9; SMR scores 3 because it rebuilds RAID arrays slowly. |
| Warranty | 20% | 3 years scores 6, 5 years scores 9. Data recovery included adds 1. |
| Noise and power | 15% | 5,400-5,900 rpm drives are quieter and cooler; 7,200 rpm trades noise for speed. |
| Performance | 20% | Rated sustained transfer rate. 180MB/s scores 6, 280MB/s scores 9. |
NVMe SSDs rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 35% | Rated sequential and random throughput for PCIe 4.0. |
| Endurance | 20% | Rated TBW at 2TB. 1,200 TBW scores 8. |
| Warranty | 15% | 5 years scores 9. |
| Efficiency and thermals | 15% | Power draw and heatsink options. |
| Software | 15% | Firmware update tooling and track record. |
network switches rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Port speeds | 30% | Gigabit only scores 4, 2.5GbE scores 7, 10GbE copper or SFP+ scores 9. |
| Management | 20% | Unmanaged scores 3, smart/web-managed with VLANs scores 7, full L2+/L3 or controller-managed scores 9. |
| Port count and uplinks | 15% | Enough ports for the class, plus SFP/SFP+ uplinks. |
| PoE | 10% | PoE+ ports and total budget. No PoE scores 5 (neutral) rather than 0. |
| Noise and efficiency | 15% | Fanless scores 9; loud fans in a desktop model lose points. |
| Firmware and support | 10% | Update history and warranty. |
desktop processors rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-core performance | 25% | Cores, threads and generation for compiling, VMs and rendering. 6 cores scores 5, 8 cores scores 7, 12-16 cores or more scores 9. |
| Single-core performance | 20% | Boost clock and architecture generation, for responsiveness and games. |
| Efficiency | 20% | TDP and reported idle power, which matter for an always-on homelab server. |
| Platform | 20% | Socket longevity and upgrade path, PCIe lanes, ECC memory support. |
| Integrated graphics | 15% | None scores 0; basic display output scores 5; hardware AV1 or HEVC encoding for Plex or Jellyfin scores 9. |
single-board computers rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | 30% | Official OS images, kernel support upstream and community size. Raspberry Pi scores 10. |
| Performance | 25% | CPU cores and generation, RAM options. |
| Storage | 15% | Native M.2 NVMe or PCIe scores higher than SD card only. |
| I/O and networking | 15% | Gigabit or 2.5GbE, USB 3, GPIO header compatibility. |
| Value | 15% | Price for the RAM tier compared with rivals. |
UPS units rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 20% | Watts for the class. Score against what a NAS plus router plus switch (about 100-150W) needs. |
| Topology and waveform | 25% | Standby with stepped sine scores 4, line-interactive pure sine scores 8, online double-conversion scores 10. |
| NAS and server integration | 25% | USB HID that Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS and NUT recognise for automatic shutdown scores 9. |
| Runtime and battery | 15% | Minutes at half load and whether the battery is user-replaceable. |
| UK outlets and build | 15% | UK sockets or IEC, surge protection and warranty. |
Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems rubric
| Criterion | Weight | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi standard and bands | 25% | Wi-Fi 6 scores 5, 6E scores 7, Wi-Fi 7 tri-band scores 9. |
| Wired ports | 20% | 2.5GbE or 10GbE WAN and LAN ports score higher; one LAN port per mesh node scores low. |
| Coverage | 15% | Rated coverage and node count for the price. |
| Software and security | 25% | Firmware update record, WPA3, VLAN/guest networks, VPN server, and no feature paywalls. |
| Value | 15% | Price against rivals with the same Wi-Fi standard. |