cover
Mark W.

Mark W.

Joined on 10/04/03

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 20
Most Favorable Review

Like Nothing Else

IN WIN H-Frame Mini Red Aluminum Mini-ITX Computer Case 180W Power Supply
IN WIN H-Frame Mini Red Aluminum Mini-ITX Computer Case 180W Power Supply

Pros: All metal (optional glass side panel included) construction. Nicely crafted - nothing "cheap" about this case. Small form factor to match mini ITX board; nice arrangement for SSD(s) and slim line optical drive. Open design for good ventilation/cooling.

Cons: 180w power supply has only a 4-pin CPU connector, which is kind of funny, because In Win's supporting documentation shows an ITX board w/ an 8pin CPU power connector. That stopped my build; had to order 4pin to 8pin adapter. USB 3 cable is just a little short to reach over top of tall memory on my install.

Overall Review: I'm building a small form factor HTPC using an EVGA z-87 Stinger w/no graphics card - hoping to take advantage of Intel 4770 on-board graphics processing / HDMI output. This case is small and stylish - helping to improve the Wife Acceptance Factor. Overall, I'm pleased with the case.

Most Critical Review

Please note - this is a IEEE-1394a Firewire card and not IEEE-1394b

SoNNeT FWUSB2A-E USB/FireWire Combo Adapter PCI Express (PCIe) x1
SoNNeT FWUSB2A-E USB/FireWire Combo Adapter PCI Express (PCIe) x1

Pros: The "Egg Rating" for this card is not specific to the card. I'm writing this review to highlight the description for this card is incorrect - it is a IEEE-1394a (400mb) card and not IEEE-1394b (800mb). Aside from the speed of the interface, this makes a difference in the cable you'll need.

Cons: IIEEE-1394 is 400mb and IEEE-1394b is 800mb -- it is important to note these two Firewire standards require different cables.

Overall Review: I ordered based upon the description and then needed to RMA the card. That was good and handled well; however, I see the product description has not been updated. I'm guessing there aren't too many people buying these -- but if you are, please look at this card at the vendor's site for its specifications.

Terrific Update from former UPS...

APC SRT1000RMXLA Smart-UPS SRT 1000VA/900W 6 x5-15R 2U Rack-Mountable 120V UPS
APC SRT1000RMXLA Smart-UPS SRT 1000VA/900W 6 x5-15R 2U Rack-Mountable 120V UPS

Pros: This UPS replaced an APC Smart UPS 750 RM 2U - also a rackmount unit. The SRT1000RMXLA adds a super-functional display, power-conditioning capabilities in addition to larger battery capacity/improved runtime.

Cons: Always-on front-facing fan -- just a little noisy in a quiet environment. Heavy! Nearly 50lbs. It appears that replacement batteries are a little spendy, nearly 30% of the cost of the unit.

Overall Review: I definitely recommend this unit if you're looking for power-conditioning (voltage and frequency), long runtime for light loads (I use this one to back up home gateway, wireless access point, home security router, and a network switch. Allows us to keep internet, phone, security system going in a power outage.

10/23/2019

High Quality Firewire 1394b / USB 3.0 Card

Sonnet Technologies FW8USB3A-E
Sonnet Technologies FW8USB3A-E

Pros: I wanted to transfer our "old" MiniDV tapes to a newer PC; however, our new machines no longer have FireWire ports... so, I needed to find a FireWire PCI-e card and this one suits the bill with the benefit of also adds a couple additional USB 3.0 ports. Though I didn't really need the additional USB port capacity, for me, it kept the card from becoming a one-trick pony and otherwise superfluous at the completion of the project. That said, the card works beautifully - it was easy install, I had no issues at all.

Cons: Non - I'm super glad that manufacturers are still fulfilling the need in this space.

Overall Review: If you need a FireWire port, there are two standards: the 400mbs 1394a and 800mbs 1394b. They use different connectors, so you'll want to ensure you have the cable that matches your chosen FireWire version. (Said differently, unlike USB, the FireWire versions do not feature backwards-compatible ports.)

Twice the speed of 1394a

Tripp Lite F019-006 6 ft. IEEE-1394b FireWire 800 Gold Hi-Speed 9pin/4pin Cable Male to Male
Tripp Lite F019-006 6 ft. IEEE-1394b FireWire 800 Gold Hi-Speed 9pin/4pin Cable Male to Male

Pros: I'm digitizing (transferring) old mini DV videos from our camcorder. Firewire (1394) is old enough now that I didn't have a 1394 port on my computer, so I added a 1394b PCI-e card and ordered this cable. Bottom line: this cable works great; supports both data transfer and camera control with zero issues. This is an aged port standard -- being able to still acquire a decent quality cable was a pleasant surprise.

Cons: No cons --

Overall Review: Good quality cable at a reasonable price.

Incremental Improvement

NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router, Gigabit Ethernet, Compatible with Amazon Echo/Alexa (R8000)
NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router, Gigabit Ethernet, Compatible with Amazon Echo/Alexa (R8000)

Pros: Impressive hardware package, nice design. Easy setup & integration with existing network equipment.

Cons: A little on the pricey side; however offers improved hardware, unique adjustable external antennas.

Overall Review: Sets up as described in included documentation. Offers incremental improvement over R6300 AC1750 -- but more noticeable when connecting multiple wireless devices. Recommend using auto setting that combines both 5G bands and then manages bandwidth allocation as more devices connect/consume data.