Yes. But you are not comparing a hosting company to hosting company. In the above example, Linode Win hands down.

DO just need to improve on their Networking. ( But i guess you get what you paid for )

Linode is my favorite provider on the web right now. For us, Linode is the best. It could be overkill for someone else, or a variety of other reasons unrelated to the speed of their hardware. For example, my neighbor only buys stuff from women-owned businesses, no exceptions.

I don't think anyone can be a "hands down winner", because it varies based on the needs of the user. Businesses frequently use Cogent for bandwidth at the lowest price point. Their business model could even depend on it. Other businesses require low latency, service level agreements, etc.