I see offers regularly for an "online version" of the magazine for about $10 (US) per year, but have continued my paper copy at a somewhat higher price for around 20 years.
a. Articles are written by qualified people, who's credentials you can inspect, and generally the same staff writes all the main articles. The rare "guest writer" will be identified and credentials shown.
b. Hardware and software evaluations show how tests are run, what equipment and programs were used, and give specific results. In some cases, when they've built special test programs, the programs are made available for those who want to do their own tests.
c. Opinions are clearly identified as "opinion," and generally cite sources that you can verify for yourself if you want.
d. Article archives are fairly easily accessible, and are kept available long enough that the "Wiener proof" is very rare.
e. Citations and links to "Partner Publications (see below) are abundantly supplied.
If you want DIY, you can find complete plans for building your own "from-scratch" computer, with complete part lists and specifications for all the components along with rationale for how/why specific selections were made. (Click on "Build It" on the header.) Also a good source if you want to get into "exotic" things like overclocking, "extreme gaming," or other dangerous things that are bad for you and your computer – with a reasonable safety net.
This is where (some of) the ZD writers and editors "play."