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Ryan H.

Ryan H.

Joined on 02/27/11

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review

Good card

EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Pros: I love this card. I've always been "behind the times" with my GPUs by two generations. I decided to get this card because it has DX11 and CUDA support (among other things). I am so glad I got this card as it does not get insanely hot like most top-end cards out there. I've been playing most games for a long time on low settings and still getting cr@ppy framerates from an 8600GTS (yes an old-school 8600 series...). This thing surpasses my old GPU very easily, I play Rift PAST ultra settings with at least 45fps anywhere(even in cities). This is the first card I've tried using any kind of AA on. In Rift, highest AA settings bogs this card down, but edge-smoothing AA settings are fine. Also cranked up the view distance all the way and it still runs great.

Cons: 192 processor cores. Not a big deal for me as this is more of a temporary card, I plan on buying a 570-580 series later this year.

Overall Review: All in all, I am deeply impressed with this card, I'm not a huge gamer and I bought this card to hold me over until later this year, but it was a lot better than I was expecting it to be. Drivers installed fine from nvidia's website, easy installation. This card runs fairly cool, hasn't gone over 71C yet maxed out. Earned a 7.3 on Win7 WEI. Havn't benchmarked it yet, but I don't expect insane numbers. As long as it keeps playing rift past ultra settings, I'm a happy camper.

Great Heatsink

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes

Pros: This heatsink is a monster. It fits in my Rosewill Challenger case with 1mm to spare. That being said, this thing is not an option for overclockers. I was getting temps around 65C under load at stock clock speeds (i5-2500k 3.30GHz) with the stock cooler. After I installed this beast, it doesn't go over 51C under load, overclocked to 4.2GHz. Easy to install and came with thermal compound. Directions suck but, honestly, who reads directions? Optional push-pull configuration if you have an extra fan.

Cons: Takes up a memory slot because of the size, but that could also be a con of the mobo too I suppose. The fan is noisy, but that could be because I have it set up horizontally.

Overall Review: Never had a better cooler. I replaced the stock fan with a Gelid Wing12 PWM fan and have another Gelid Wing12 fan on the other side in push-pull. These fans are a lot quieter (and better CFM) than the stock one and the push-pull config seems to work out great. Have my i5-2500K up to 4.5GHz and never goes over 51C under load. I've read about plenty of $70+ water cooling systems that get around the same results....

Good Fan

GELID Solutions FN-SX12-10 Case cooler
GELID Solutions FN-SX12-10 Case cooler

Pros: It literally is silent, I can't hear it at all.

Cons: For some reason, when I first plugged it in, it would only spin at around 300RPMs. I plugged it in using the controller and turned it up to max, then plugged it in without the controller again. After that, it ran at 1000RPMs like it should. Kinda random.

Overall Review: I love Gelid fans, I have a Wing8 that is extremely quiet even at 2000RPMs. Whenever I have to buy a fan, I buy Gelid.

Okay PSU

Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Pros: This PSU seems like it runs pretty cool, but that could just be because it is bottom mounted and the fan draws in outside air. I like the modular cable management idea, even though I didn't need to use any extra cables with my setup.

Cons: There's some coil-whine coming from it, it isn't very loud (can't hear it over all my fans) but still.

Not Bad

Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid-Tower Gaming PC Computer Case, Expansion Ready: Internal 3.5" Bays & External 5.25" Bays, 3 Pre-installed Fans with Side Fan Mount Option
Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid-Tower Gaming PC Computer Case, Expansion Ready: Internal 3.5" Bays & External 5.25" Bays, 3 Pre-installed Fans with Side Fan Mount Option

Pros: There are dust filters all the way up the front of the case which is good. It's fairly quiet and there seems to be decent airflow. The tool-less setup is pretty cool. I was able to fit a CM Hyper 212+ in this case but it was close, like by 1-2 millimeters close heh. I like the extra dust filter at the bottom protecting the PSU as well.

Cons: Like most other people said, the metal is a bit flimsy but that isn't a big deal for me. Any way you put the harddrives in their carriage, there is barely enough room for the SATA/power cables to bend between the HDD and the side panels. The power button seems to stick sometimes.

Overall Review: Overall, a decent case for the price. A bit hard to run cables through but its pretty quiet which is what I was really looking for. My stupid old GPU is far louder than anything else in this case(I think the bearings are going), already bought a new GPU to replace it :). In the end, I would recommend to someone else.