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Terry C.

Terry C.

Joined on 06/22/13

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

Excellent Drive!

Pioneer Black 15X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA 15X Internal Blu-ray Burner BDR-208DBK
Pioneer Black 15X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA 15X Internal Blu-ray Burner BDR-208DBK

Pros: Does everything a BR/DVD/CD drive should do, and does it QUICKLY. (I've never owned a drive that rips audio CDs so fast!) Never created a coaster. Quiet as a mouse. Pioneer knows how to make quality products!

Cons: None

Overall Review: I highly recommend this drive.

Most Critical Review

Don't Bother

NETGEAR WNA3100-100ENS Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates
NETGEAR WNA3100-100ENS Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates

Pros: Came with USB cable/dock, giving placement flexibility

Cons: Everything else. I mean, come on Netgear. Start with basic reliability. This adapter randomly disconnects/reconnects and often in the middle of lengthy downloads. It's extremely frustrating. Web searches confirm that this is a common complaint about this device! The solution I arrived at was this: Buy a Cisco/Linksys adapter to replace it. I plugged it into exactly the same port -- even using the handy Netgear remote dock -- and it works perfectly. Ironically enough, the replacement device uses the same chip as the Netgear one. But it is rock-solid reliable, and Netgear just isn't.

Overall Review: It's not worth the frustration. I recommend NOT buying this product.

Total Workhorse

Brother HL-5450DN High Speed Single Function Laser Printer with Networking and Duplex Printing
Brother HL-5450DN High Speed Single Function Laser Printer with Networking and Duplex Printing

Pros: I have experience with this model installed in a warehouse, where it is used 8-10 hours a day, printing a ream of paper every couple of days. I have seen only one jam in four months of use, and no other issues at all. Just add paper and toner and go to work. LOVE IT

Cons: I have experienced no problems other than the one paper jam.

Overall Review: If you don't need color or blistering speed, this printer is a winner.

Powerful for a uATX mobo!

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev. 6.0) AM3+/AM3 AMD 760G USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev. 6.0) AM3+/AM3 AMD 760G USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Bought this motherboard for a lower-end server build. I needed to support at least 5 SATA drives with RAID 1. This is one of the few uATX boards that have 6 SATA ports. That and the 4 RAM sockets make it perfect for the rackmount servers I build. Oh, and USB 3.0 to boot! (Makes for fast backups to an external HDD) It's very handsome in all-black and has performed flawlessly with an FX-6300 6-core Vishera CPU and 2x 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM. Running 5 SATA HDDs, 2 RAID 1 arrays and 1 stand-alone drive all in a Norco 2U rackmount case.

Cons: Umm.... I know, it should have a caching RAID 5 capable SATA controller onboard! (I wish...)

Overall Review: Gigabyte packs a lot of features into an inexpensive and good looking uATX motherboard here!

A little powerhouse

Fortinet FG-20C-US FortiGate-20C UTM
Fortinet FG-20C-US FortiGate-20C UTM

Pros: I was first introduced to FortiNet networking hardware through previous employment. I was amazed at the power and flexibility they offer in such a small package. I'm STILL amazed! The FG-20C is the perfect network security device for small business use. It has all the features you could ever reasonably want or need, and it's all in one box. I realize my review sounds like a FortiNet commercial, but ... Dang I love working with FortiGates! In a needs analysis at that previous employer, I compared the capabilities of a larger FortiGate device to the Cisco ASA, and my conclusion was that you would need TWO ASAs to do the job of the FortiGate with comparable throughput, and each of the Cisco boxes cost twice as much as the FG. Do the math.

Cons: No cons. They are a complex, because they are VERY powerful. You aren't gonna master a FortiGate like you would a Linksys home router.

Overall Review: If you haven't ever used a FortiGate, and you have anything to do with network security, you really should buy one and learn just how powerful they are. They are all I use now.

Superb case for the money

TOPOWER TP-6208BB Black SGCC Metal ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
TOPOWER TP-6208BB Black SGCC Metal ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Does exactly what it should, looks nice and doesn't cost much. I got this case to build my 10 yr old daughter a computer out of some leftover parts, and it does the job perfectly.

Cons: None that I can think of.

Overall Review: You're not going to be blown away with features, but it's a good, basic case.