Joined on 10/25/11
Rock solid
Pros: Great board - rock solid. The NIC teaming is great, too.
Cons: None, really. You just have to use approved RAM modules, but I think that's true for most any board.
Overall Review: I've deployed two of these with no issues going on over a year, so far. Has all the features my clients need with room for expansion.
Faulty Power Button Design
Pros: Quiet, light, but stout, strong case, decent power supply (better than entry-level) for most builds, lots of room in the case for air-flow and drives. No frills, but easy to work on. Rounded edges on everything (no sliced fingers). Nice large case fan to help reduce noise with variable speed adjustment.
Cons: Terrible power switch design. I've built nearly 100 machines with this case and in the past year several of them have had this failed power button issue. I only got warranty satisfaction out of Antec once and even that was like pulling teeth and took weeks. I ended up repairing the buttons myself by filling the conical cosmetic button back with the head of a large screw and hot glue and then hot gluing the switch arm back in place to the rear of the bezel, all the while eating the labor costs, of course.
Overall Review: This debacle made my company look less reputable. It's hard enough competing with the mass manufacturers, touting quality and longevity without having customers calling up saying they think their machine is dead. As such, and with the higher quality of other power supply manufacturers, my company is no longer dealing in Antec products. After nearly 15 years of doing business almost exclusively with Antec for cases and power supplies their lack of expedient warranty support turned me off. And while sourcing separate cases and power supplies is more expensive, the quality and design is better and warranties are hopefully better serviced.
Great little cases
Pros: - Case contouring allows for some behind the MB plate cable routing (within reason) - USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports on front of case - Lightweight without being flimsy - I don't have to listen to "Oh, I thought it would be smaller" when I deliver a machine - Large quiet fans both front and rear - External air filter under power supply mounting area - No sharp edges, well machined
Cons: None, really. I wish they made an ATX size case in similar trim and features. Maybe add a second USB 3.0 port to the front? I'm pretty sure the cable already has the wiring, but then again, how many USB ports do you really want in the front?
Overall Review: Great little cases, reasonably priced and well made. Can't really find anything else in the price range of this quality that I would trust.
Genuine HP Toners Always Work
Pros: I've resold HP products for years and their genuine toners always give a consistent and trouble-free operation and experience to all my clients.
Cons: Maybe price? But, with the reliability of these products, it's worth it.
Overall Review: Bottom line is I always resell only genuine manufacturer toners for whatever product I sold my clients or whatever they're already using. I've heard promises and tried products from remanufacturers so many times throughout the years and always end up with toner spills and jams. HP toners never give my clients or myself any problems and always work flawlessly.
Terrible drivers
Pros: When it works, it prints fast, as expected for an HP laser printer.
Cons: The drivers are horrible. I've sold three of these printers, two purchased at the same time, another recently purchased, at least 6 months apart and all have had the same issue. It starts out fine until it loses connectivity. This issue has occurred on Windows XP (32-bit), Vista(32-bit) and 7 (64-bit) locally connected via USB and on completely different networks in different geographic locations. Jobs get stuck in the queue and the machines have to be forcibly rebooted (spool service won't close, manual machine reset required) in order for the jobs to print. I tried updating the firmware, which states it is addressing these issues with only short-term success. I ended up having to uninstall the drivers and download the HP Universal drivers from the website in order for the issues to go away.
Overall Review: HP's corporate laser printers are still the best, but their "workgroup" and home-line printers have gone down hill over the past 10 years. These issues should not be present with any printer, especially one labeled "Pro". If HP can't produce a small printer without issues right out of the box at what they feel to be a "competitive price", then produce one without issues at a price that makes it profitable. People will buy what works; ruining a manufacturer's reputation over a price point will cause consumers and resellers to look elsewhere for their needs.
Consistently fantastic drives.
Pros: Seagate Constellation drives deliver consistently reliable performance that lasts for years. They're also quiet, even after years of use. 5 year warranty! - Best in the business.
Cons: I can't think of any cons.
Overall Review: These are all I'll sell to my clients when building machines, all I would ever consider buying for my personal machines. I love Seagate's Constellation series and I hope they only improve and force competitors to increase their own quality and durability because there is nothing else out there right now, nor has there been since Seagate bought out Maxtor.
Selling Refurbished good as new?
This is the second time I've received refurbished goods sold as new with no indication by CravingSavings.
Very slow to ship, no response to multiple inquiries
The printer purchased took weeks to ship, never received any responses to several inquiries made through MewEgg support. Status kept showing the order was pending, but never showed placed or accepted until two days before arrival. Only changed status and provided tracking # after a threat to cancel the order. Printer showed up with two cracked doors and a completely used up fuser and transfer roller.