Joined on 07/25/05
Still going strong
Pros: I finished my first 15 discs and NO coasters! Burned movies and data just fine. Price is reasonable for a brand name particularly that they are 6x speed.
Cons: None.
Overall Review: Using two LG Blu-Ray drives, one a reader and the other a writer.
Subpar AMD Workstation Graphics
Pros: Good specs. Two displayports and DVI. Cheap.
Cons: You get what you pay for. I do mission critical color work, so 30 bit color support is a must. While you can enable 30 bit (10 bits per channel) in the Catalyst driver, it completely disables Aero (not a big deal overall, but noticeable). I mainly use Autodesk Maya 2012 with some Photoshop and Illustrator work. While Photoshop CS6 will display in 30 bit color, Maya will not no matter what settings I try. This is unacceptable. Not even the Autodesk certified drivers worked. My Quadro 600 has no problem displaying 30 bit color in all supported programs, and it now retains full Aero compatibility.
Overall Review: Had to send this right back. I've avoided ATI/AMD cards for years, and they still are lacking compared to nVidia Quadro cards. I need two displayports since 30 bit only works on displayport and my second monitor is displayport only. I'll probably just save up for a Quadro 2000. Anyone needing mission critical color work had best avoid this card.
Pretty much the best 8 inch Android tablet
Pros: Pros: -2560x1600 excellent LCD screen. While not quite as vibrant as an OLED phone display, it's still way better than most tablets. The resolution works great with small fonts and kanji characters (Japanese text). Most 8 inch tablets have a 1280x800 display. -4 GB RAM / 64 GB Storage equals a lot of room for all of your apps. Most 8 inch tablets have a 2GB/32GB offering or far less. -USB Type C charging and connectivity. -Very fast processor with no lag in launching apps and graphics use. -Touchscreen is very responsive with no dead zones. -Fingerprint reader also works great and is located at the bottom of the tablet. -Speakers are decent. I mainly use headphones, so this really doesn't matter to me much. -Accepts large microSD cards (I have a 256GB in mine) for loading up music, movies, etc. -Android 8.0 which is nice. Some tablets are still using version 4.4.
Cons: Cons: -Volume and power buttons are a bit stiff with my case on. This is actually a plus for me since I hate accidental button presses like my other tablet but some may find this as a con. -Huawei branded apps are really not useful since they aren't popular here in the U.S. I can't load Samsung apps on this tablet either. Thankfully, I mainly use Google apps for my contacts, notes, reminders, and others which can be loaded on almost any Android tablet. -No built-in headphone jack but there is an included type-c adapter. -A few built-in unremovable apps but they can be disabled. They don't take up much memory thankfully.
Overall Review: Review: Most manufacturers have given up on the Android tablet market. Almost every other 8-inch tablet out there is low-res, lacking RAM/storage and is running obsolete software. There are some nice 10-inch premium tablets, but 8 inch is the sweet spot for me. Compact enough to bring almost anywhere but much larger than my phone. My wife can fit hers in her purse just fine. I personally use a clear plastic slim case on my Mediapad not unlike my phone has. My wife prefers a folding case with a cover. Battery life is decent. Charging seems to take longer than I'd like though. Compared to anything else in this category, the Mediapad M5 8.4 inch tablet is about the best you can get here in the U.S. I highly recommend it.
Decent Backlit Mechanical Keyboard
Pros: Wanted to go with Cherry MX Browns for my latest keyboard, and Newegg was having a sale on the Helios line. Overall, a nice keyboard. Backlight is good, but not as bright as some competing boards. As the pictures show, you can change the WASD keys or Arrow keys separately from the other backlight options. Key caps feel nice. No issues with their fit.
Cons: Keyboard has no onboard memory. Every time you boot up, you have to activate the backlight. That's at least once for the main keys, once for the WASD cluster, once for the Arrow keys, and two to three times for the brightness (it defaults to lowest). That's a lot of key presses just to get the backlight to your favorite settings so keep that in mind. The Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock all stay lit and have separate lights in the top right. Personally, I prefer the backlight to deactivate when I turn them off, but it's a minor quibble.
Overall Review: Knew about the backlight issue from another review, but my work computer stays on 24/7 so it won't be much of an issue for me. It's definitely a cost cutting measure though, since most current backlit keyboards have onboard memory.
Reliable but noisy
Pros: Charges my phone and laptop at the same time with no problem. Very slim design.
Cons: Fan is noisy and constantly runs even with no load. No On/Off switch.
Overall Review: Replaced a Duracell 175 with this. The Duracell is actually smaller, but kept kicking off more and more until it became useless. It was quieter though. We'll have to see on the long term reliability, but so far this is a good deal.
Fast USB 3.0 Flash drive
Pros: Fast, reliable, cheaper than the competition. Cap fits on pretty secure, and the key ring opening is large enough to fit a small ring.
Cons: None really.
Overall Review: Upgraded from a Patriot 32GB USB 3.0 that I outgrew. Patriot conveniently loses rebates, so you can buy the Mushkin at a cheaper price and not worry about the rebates. The design and look of this flash drive is almost identical to the Patriot, so they may be made from the same supplier/company. The Patriot's ring opening is too small to fit a ring, so you'll probably have to use a string or wire to make it work. Overall a better deal than Patriot.