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Henry S.

Henry S.

Joined on 01/17/13

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

great budget case, quiet, good aesthetics

Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX Computer Case w/  1 x 120mm fan
Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX Computer Case w/ 1 x 120mm fan

Pros: Good aesthetics and very well built for the price. I like the hdd mounting system - maintains good airflow and reduces noise. Comes with an excellent Fractal R2 series 120mm fan that can run silently while still moving enough air for a case intake. This is an excellent case for a budget quiet pc build.

Cons: Needed a fan controller to get the case fan running silent - at 12V it was actually pretty loud, and the fan requires voltage regulation (no pwm). PSU mounts at the top of the case. Cable routing requires some creativity - no space behind the motherboard etc.

Overall Review: Front panel for USB / audio is on the side of the front panel; to your right if you're facing the case. Looks really sharp though. I had to add an exhaust fan in back for this case to run silent without overheating; including the fan controller mentioned above this added $20 to my build. Not bad, really. For low-impact computing (i.e. no gaming or multimedia production) this probably wouldn't be necessary.

Most Critical Review

Would be excellent if it ran above 1333 with listed timings

Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 3OH16009U9H-8GK
Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 3OH16009U9H-8GK

Pros: Heatsinks excellent, looks great, works perfectly at 1333 9 9 9 24

Cons: Although my motherboard and cpu are able this memory won't clock at 1600 without increased timings (11's and 12's). OS detects it as 10666, not 12800.

Overall Review: One of the heatsinks was solid and one was a bit wonky; it was easy to fix so no big deal.

good fan, silent at 12v

SilenX EFX-09-12 92mm Effizio Quiet Case Fan
SilenX EFX-09-12 92mm Effizio Quiet Case Fan

Pros: It's silent from a distance of 2 feet running at 12v in an exhaust fan configuration. It moves air. Could probably serve as a lone case fan in a low-demand home/office machine. Comes with silicone noise damping mounting thingies. Looks great in my black and white case.

Cons: None so far.

Overall Review: Took me a while to figure out the silicone mounting thingies but it was worth every minute, they're great.

it's good, it's cheap

WD Blue 500GB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 16MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD5000AAKX
WD Blue 500GB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 16MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD5000AAKX

Pros: It's a good drive for everyday use. It was packaged correctly and was not dead on arrival.

Cons: Not the fastest drive around but again, it's perfect for what it is.

Overall Review: Bare drives on Newegg seem to be hit or miss - my friend ordered one at the same time and his arrived dead and poorly packaged. I wouldn't have ordered this if I hadn't been prepared to return it and wait a few weeks.

nice monitor for desktop

Dell ST2220L Glossy Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor DC 8000000:1 (1000:1)
Dell ST2220L Glossy Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor DC 8000000:1 (1000:1)

Pros: Big, was on sale, color & contrast are excellent. Has all the connectors I could possibly need. Good aesthetics. Menu system is easy to use. Has those nice buttons that sense your touch without moving parts.

Cons: Washed out color / poor contrast when viewing from an angle - not for watching movies with your friends. ***This is a non-issue for a typical desktop workstation or gaming machine***

Overall Review: The monitor's indicator light is somewhat large and white; it shines out of the center of the monitor, just under the DELL logo. I like it but some may find it irritating if you use the monitor in a dark room. You could probably cover it in a way that wouldn't be visible.

good; cheap

Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS Bronze Certified, Single 12V Rail, SLI & Crossfire Ready, Active PFC "Compatible with AMD APU & Intel Core i7,i5,i3" Power Supply
Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS Bronze Certified, Single 12V Rail, SLI & Crossfire Ready, Active PFC "Compatible with AMD APU & Intel Core i7,i5,i3" Power Supply

Pros: Budget power supply over 500W that actually has good 12v rail amperage, is reasonably cool and quiet. Hippie friendly green is a plus too.

Cons: Not modular; lots of unused cables in my case.

Overall Review: The cables come with a nice webbing that makes them easy to manage in case for a non-modular supply.