cover
Mark S.

Mark S.

Joined on 04/29/03

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 9
Most Favorable Review

Nice inexpensive P45

ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: So far this board just works. There are a lot of options in the bios for memory settings (you can even set "performance level" directly) and voltages, for a board in this price range. A lot more than my P35 that I paid this much for. I got this because I don't need 2 PCIE x16, and this is going to be my last FSB board, because when Nehalem comes out, the boards will be totally different. I didn't want to spend a lot since this will last me less than a year. I have this running at 3.6ghz (400x9)with an E8400, and all voltages at auto except memory, which is at 2.2v for my Kingston DDR2 1066.

Cons: The 24 pin plug is in a very challenging position. I realized after attaching the cable, that it would have been easier if I had left out the graphics card until after the cable was in. The plug is in position because the board is sort of short, with no support for the tail end of the board. Be careful to support the underside of the board when installing ram! Not really a con but all voltages and CPU multiplier have to be entered directly. There is no pop-up menu, but the help section tells you the limits, and the manual tells you more info if you need it.

Overall Review: Has jumpers to enable higher CPU or northbridge voltages. They go higher than I need without the jumpers, but it's a nice safety feature, as the CPU will not go higher than 1.6v without the jumper. This board has PS/2 ports, but there is also a jumper to enable usb keyboard and mouse wake up features. IDE support comes from a separate Marvell chip. If you don't have any IDE devices, just disable it to stop the annoying Marvell bios splash screen. I am not using the express gate feature, and luckily that can be disabled so it doesn't tell you it's not installed every time you boot! As always, newegg is awesome. Had this in 2 days!

Most Critical Review

Didn't work for me

Palit Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card AE/48500+T352
Palit Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card AE/48500+T352

Pros: nice price, lovely heatsinks

Cons: Would not work in my system. I have an Asus P5Q and a Hanns.G HW223, and after windows splash screen, the display goes blank. This is a known issue with 4850/4870 cards, and a lot of people in the ATI forum using Hanns.G or Viewsonic monitors. This only happens using a dvi connection. The workaround is to use vga port on monitor with the adapter. I think you can also use HDMI if you have that available. I do not.

Overall Review: I had high hopes for this card. Never thought a problem like this could happen. Should have been caught in testing before release. This was my first ever ATI card, and problably my last. I returned mine, as this workaround is unacceptable. I am not willing to wait around until ATI fixes this bug. This card not even listed on Palit's website. What's up with that?

Can't believe it!

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard

Pros: Very easy overclocker (once you figure out the CTRL+F1). Using an e6550 and 4gb crucial ballistix (4x1gb). I have it running at 475 FSB with only +.04V on the cpu! I have not tried any higher yet. I have the memory running 1:1 at 950 on 5-5-5-15 timings. Memory voltage is at +.4. This is my first intel chipset in a while, and my first gigabyte since socket 478, and this thing just screems. Stable on Prime 95. Idles at 28C using Core temp.

Cons: none but the CTRL+F1. What's that all about?

Overall Review: Using Vista 64. First had 2gb, but things got slow sometimes. Added another 2gb and now the OS is a lot peppier. I would not use less than 4gb after seeing the improvement. I did not install the drivers for the Dynamic Energy saver, as I have not read good things about it and do not plan to use it.

Why pay more?

XtremeMac XtremeHD 6.6 Feet HDMI to HDMI Cable Model XHD-2MHH-00
XtremeMac XtremeHD 6.6 Feet HDMI to HDMI Cable Model XHD-2MHH-00

Pros: For this length of cable the price was great, connectors look and feel sturdy. Hooked it up to my HD DVR and picture on my 37" TV looks great.

Cons: none

Overall Review: No need to pay $100 or even $30 or $40 for a cable this length. Signal will be fine.

Sweet!

37" 720p LCD HDTV
37" 720p LCD HDTV

Pros: Bought this just in time for March Madness. This is my first HDTV, as Comcast just recently upgraded lines in the area to handle the bandwidth. Nice to watch the college games in HD, the picture is amazing. Doesn't matter that it is not 1080p, as you couldn't tell on a screen this size.

Cons: The manual that comes with it is like a book!

Overall Review: Got this after reading the reviews and going down to Cru*ch*ield's and seeing the what the real picture looked like. They wanted $300 more than the egg though. I bought the extended warranty, which I usually do not do, but it was pretty cheap insurance I think. Newegg shipped on Monday, and I had this Wednesday morning. The egg is awesome.

Nice Case

Cooler Master Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Pros: I love this case. It has plenty of room for everything. I especially like the motherboard tray. you don't have to pull your cards off to get it out, just unlatch and slide it out. This will convert for BTX or ATX type B(access from right side instead of left). Front drive access is very easy. All drive bays are 5.25 but several 3.5 adapters are included. Can't believe how quiet it is. I only have 3 case fans for now, but I thought it would be loud with the open mesh sides and top. Not at all. Recessed handles on top to carry it. Cooling fans just snap in.

Cons: This is nitpicky, but the blue HDD light is so bright, when I come down to the basement at night I keep thinking the cops are in my back yard the way the light strobes. Had to put some blue electrical tape over it to tone it down. Most of the case is tool less, except the HD cage. There are screws to get it out, and screws to attach the drives with. The multi function fan bracket does not have the holes cut for the optional cross flow fan I was thinking about adding; but if you have a long video card (8800GT) you can't use it anyway.

Overall Review: This thing is BIG! I had to remove the platform on my desk that is supposed to hold the tower (it fit but was tight). No prob though, I just put the included casters on and it works great. Very heavy gauge metal. Plan to add more fans (this case will hold 7) and run them at 5v for lots of air. Comes with enough screws to build 2 more cases.