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Nick K.

Nick K.

Joined on 07/17/10

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Powerful Router, Reasonable Price

ASUS RT-AC56U AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Gigabit Router 802.11ac, 1167 Mbps WiFi Speed, 4x Gigabit LAN Ports, AiProtection Security, AiCloud File Sharing, AiRadar Beamforming
ASUS RT-AC56U AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Gigabit Router 802.11ac, 1167 Mbps WiFi Speed, 4x Gigabit LAN Ports, AiProtection Security, AiCloud File Sharing, AiRadar Beamforming

Pros: I used the RT-AC68U as my main router. However, it is installed on the top level of our home, so even with its range, reliability and speed downstairs was somewhat poor. This was naturally worse with 5GHz. I decided to get this router in addition. Why? Not only have I had nothing but good expierences with Asus routers, but this, just like the RT-AC68U, allow you to install custom firmware. I installed ASUS WRT Merlin on this as well, and used a 600MBPS GBIT Powerline Ethernet adapter to feed this router downstairs. This allowed me to setup this router as an access point. Much better than simply repeating a weak WiFi signal. With this, WiFi is now completely usable throughout the house. I also now have the spare ethernet ports I wanted downstairs. Sometimes I just prefer to avoid WiFi, for obvious reasons. This router also looks very nice, you won't be tempted to hide it.

Cons: The antennas on this router are internal. I prefer external, incase I wanted to switch them out. It still works great, and I doubt you will have a problem with this router.

Overall Review: Actual 802.11AC repeaters cost twice as much as I spent on this item. (I bought it open-box). This however gives me the option to use it as a repeater, OR to use it as an access point fed via ethernet. It has a 800MHz dual core processor. It will handle whatever you throw at it. I highly recommend the Merlin firmware with it, as it maintains the slick Asus webui, adds useful features, and fixes bugs over the stock firmware. If you want the latest (802.11AC, USB 3.0, all Gigabit ports, fast processor, customizability), I'm quite convinced this router is your best option, and it won't completely break the bank. HIGHLY recommend.

Most Critical Review

A little loud, works pretty well

Cooler Master Hyper N520 - CPU Cooler with Copper Base and 5 Heatpipes
Cooler Master Hyper N520 - CPU Cooler with Copper Base and 5 Heatpipes

Pros: TWO fans! the entire bottom is flat copper, no aluminium between pipes, no gaps. I like that it's a bit shorter than some of the other cool master rifle coolers.

Cons: No PWM = always loud, somewhat of a disappointment.

Overall Review: Keep in mind copper is somewhat weak. IC 7 did scratch the bottom of the cooler a bit. I have to wonder if this is actually better than 1 good quality 120mm fan. Looking at CMs other offerings, I don't think so. I'd recommend the TPC-612 over it for sure, ESPECIALLY with the current promo.

A Unchained Beast, with Ultrabook size

GIGABYTE - 14.0" NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M - Intel Core i7-4710HQ  - 8GB Memory - 128 GB SSD - Windows 8.1 64-Bit - Gaming Laptop - (P34GV2-CF2 )
GIGABYTE - 14.0" NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M - Intel Core i7-4710HQ - 8GB Memory - 128 GB SSD - Windows 8.1 64-Bit - Gaming Laptop - (P34GV2-CF2 )

Pros: This laptop is incredibly powerful. Except for the MUCH more expensive Razer Blade, which is sold out in so many places, you cannot get a faster 14" Laptop. 14" is truly a size I've fallen in love with. Great for carrying in a backpack, but the screen doesn't feel *small* like a 13.3. This laptop is overloaded with great features. It takes a few design ques from the Macbook Pro, but it is indeed it's own laptop. The two cooling ports are a great idea. It is aesthetically beautiful. Almost all the laptop is Metal, and it is very light. It comes with a leather case even! The Warranty is 2 full years. They keyboard is even backlight, and great to type on. Bloatware is minimal, and uninstalls painlessly. The Gigabyte update utility does a better job of getting you the latest laptop than anything I've seen from Asus, Acer, and MSI. The 128GB mSata drive really does boost performance. You would not believe it's main storage *is* a 5400 RPM harddrive.

Cons: No Optical drive. I have noticed I don't really need one built in at all as of late, digital distribution really is here. Fans can be loud. May take a little tweaking to get the best battery life for light use.

Overall Review: I wonder how this would do with 16GB 2133mhz dual channel ram and a 1TB 840 EVO instead of the mSata and traditional hard drive. I imagine it would be a incredible experience for years to come, not that I have any doubts it will be the way it's shipped!

Pleasure to install

Cooler Master Hyper T4 - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes
Cooler Master Hyper T4 - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes

Pros: This is hands-down the easiest, most straight-forward, enjoyable install of a cooler for a intel CPU I have ever done. Well the stock one is easier, but you wouldn't be here if you wanted that!

Cons: None currently.

Overall Review: Unfortunately, my motherboard was in worse shape than I thought, so I cannot comment on the cooling performance. From what I understand, it's about equal to the 212 plus, with a evo having a clear edge.

Good solution when wireless isn't a option

TP-LINK TL-PA6010KIT AV600 Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, Up to 600Mbps, Gigabit Ports, Plug and Play, Power Saving
TP-LINK TL-PA6010KIT AV600 Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, Up to 600Mbps, Gigabit Ports, Plug and Play, Power Saving

Pros: My house is 42 years old and still has aluminum electrical wiring. This has not hurt at all. I feed this from my router upstairs to a switch downstairs with the other adapter. Works perfectly. Setting it up requires basically no work.

Cons: They don't lie when they say a surge protector can make it not work. You *might* be okay with a weak one, but don't expect to be able to use a surge protect with these. If you are running a circuit very close to load, it may disconnect. We're talking 1900w or more, something you probably shouldn't be doing anyway.

Overall Review: Slightly pricy, consider if you really need gigabit ethernet. You can mix the 200mbps TPLinks with this, it is expandable.

Extremely Impressive

Intel Celeron G1820 - Celeron Haswell Dual-Core 2.7 GHz LGA 1150 53W Intel HD Graphics Desktop Processor - BX80646G1820
Intel Celeron G1820 - Celeron Haswell Dual-Core 2.7 GHz LGA 1150 53W Intel HD Graphics Desktop Processor - BX80646G1820

Pros: Don't let the Celeron name fool you. This guy is quite a powerhouse. Most people would be incredibly satisfied with it for everyday computing. This plus a cheap SSD? You have a very energy efficient and cost effective machine.

Cons: Limited to DDR3-1333 Ram. Not a big deal. The iGPU isn't a powerhouse, but will more than handle HD video.

Overall Review: This make the Sempron obsolete.