cover
David D.

David D.

Joined on 12/25/07

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Great Throttle

Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick (PS3 & PC)
Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick (PS3 & PC)

Pros: First the stick: It is a twist stick that allows you to control the rudder via the twist. Additionally, it has a trigger, a high index finger button above the trigger, two thumb buttons and a POV hat that are all solid. The sensor for the stick isn't super high resolution (like a TM Warthog, etc.), so you won't get incredible accuracy, but it's good enough for most games that you would play with a stick. There is a tension adjustment rheostat-like knob on the bottom which is great. Lastly, if you don't like the stick twist, you can disable it using the allen key attached to the underside of the stick to tighten a hex nut on the right side of the stick near where it meets the base. The Throttle: The truly unique thing about this throttle is the rocker for rudder pedals on the front of the throttle. It is VERY well designed and works perfectly if you don't like using stick twist for rudder control. There are 6 buttons on the throttle, and it also has a neutral (50%) detent.

Cons: Tough to get back in to the packaging if you're moving to a new house...had to watch an unboxing video to figure it out.

Overall Review: You can also use the allen key on the bottom to tightly attach the throttle and stick bases together. There are two hex nuts on the bottom of the stick base that you tighten after you fit the bases together. Or, you can separate them and comfortably sit on the wire between the two with the throttle on the left and the stick on the right. The wire for the USB connection to the PC comes out of the throttle base. Nothing beats this stick at this price point for versatility of rudder control (the rudder rocker on the throttle alone makes this stick worth trying out). There isn't another throttle on the market like it. The center detent on the throttle is also a huge plus for games that have both forward and reverse thrust, like space sims, mechwarrior online, etc. Other higher end throttles only come with idle and afterburner detents at the extreme ends of the axis.

Powers FX-8350 + R9 295

LEPA G Series G1600-MA 1600 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply
LEPA G Series G1600-MA 1600 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply

Pros: Runs all of my gear without a hiccup. The modular cables mean I can tuck away all the extras in the box it came in, greatly helping with cable management. I have this installed in a CM Storm Enforcer. The cables are all well sized so that they reach where they need to without too much extra slack.

Cons: There is no power switch on the back, so once it's plugged in to an power outlet, your system has juice. If you want to tinker/clean inside your machine you need to unplug the actual power cable from the back of the PSU. This would be important to know if you couldn't easily reach the backside (power cable routed through a wall or cabinet, etc.), but it was no issue for me.

Overall Review: 1600 watts! Never buy another PSU again.

Nice Buy

LG 27" IPS LCD Monitor, IPS-Panel 5 ms D-Sub, DVI, HDMI 27EA63V-P
LG 27" IPS LCD Monitor, IPS-Panel 5 ms D-Sub, DVI, HDMI 27EA63V-P

Pros: Large screen, easily viewable from any angle, easy menus to navigate, nice touch controls, lightweight, non-glare / matte finish.

Cons: Took me a few minutes to figure out the overscan problem.

Overall Review: Had to take the overscan away to get the full picture, but even after I set it to zero on the monitor, there was some unused screen area on the monitor. I had to go into the AMD controls for my graphics card, which had jumped to some default overscan settings once I connected the monitor, FYI.

Great Purchase

DIAMOND Radeon HD 7970 3GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card 7970PE53G
DIAMOND Radeon HD 7970 3GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card 7970PE53G

Pros: The card is able to handle two 1280x800 projector displays with no problems, although that isn't pushing the absolute limit of the card. It installs easily and is overclockable with CCC from the website. I usually leave the fan manually set to 50 or 55%, which keeps the card below 30 degrees celsius, but I will jack it up before gaming (see below).

Cons: When I start a graphics-intensive game, the temp on the card can climb over 45 degrees easily if I don't turn the fan up to 70-85%. That keeps the temp stable (35-45) and I don't like to go much above that without a headset on, because at 90%+, the fan on this thing sounds like an aircraft APU (loud and high pitched). I have to throw on a circumaural headset if I'm playing a graphically intensive game with the fan at or above 85% to block out the noise.

Overall Review: Totally satisfied. I usually play with a headset anyways, and for non-gaming applications I just dial the fan speed down so the noise is not an issue. This card is going to last me for many moons, it seems. System is TA890FXE MB, 955 BE OC 3.7Ghz, Zalman 110mm Fan, 16GB Ripjaws, HD 7970, Crucial M4 512GB SSD, Seagate 1TB HDD.

Good for the money

BenQ GP2 1280 x 800 200 ANSI lumens DLP Projector 2400:1
BenQ GP2 1280 x 800 200 ANSI lumens DLP Projector 2400:1

Pros: Nice colors for gaming/movies when the lights are off, and acceptable light and color for surfing the web reading documents with the lights on - especially for a 200 lumen projector. Never need to replace a lamp. I have it projected onto a white king-sized sheet stretched taut (in afghanistan). Remote works well, even when aimed at the back of the projector.

Cons: The connection to the mini-HDMI seems to go out at times after the projector gets moved sometimes, needs a soft push to reestablish the connection. Never have a problem for hours of gaming and movie-watching after that. Not worth taking off an egg.

Overall Review: I've been using it for X360 gaming and with a computer for movies - HDMI cord to the HDMI Adapter it comes with (see above). At first it had a short focus warm-up where focusing it right after it came on resulted in focusing it 2-3 minutes afterwards for a crisp picture. Now I just leave it set to the latter, and I've had no issues with it, I don't really notice it anymore. I would have preferred a shorter throw distance, but I can't find a good short throw LED projector at higher resolutions. Manufacturers, make a short-throw, 1080p LED projector, and I will buy 3!

Never buy another joystick again

Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog Flight Stick and Throttle for PC, VR
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog Flight Stick and Throttle for PC, VR

Pros: All the switches, hats, buttons, and axes feel like a real aircraft. The software to program different setups is powerful and easy to use. I use PPJoy to combine a set of pedals in to get a full rig. The throttle is heavy, smooth, and the green backlighting is awesome. The stick is tough, and easily customizable. I added a 6" extension and a slight twist to the left for my right hand. It also detaches from the mounting plate so you can build a base for it, if you so choose.

Cons: You have to lift the throttle up and over the stops for idle/stop and afterburner (if you choose to configure your afterburner stop). While the throttle is heavy, you will still have to screw it to a base to make it feel as solid as it should. A very minor gig.

Overall Review: Never buy another joystick again.