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Gavin K.

Gavin K.

Joined on 02/24/09

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Most Favorable Review

Actually pretty good!

Athena Power RM-2U200H Black Aluminum / Steel 2U Rackmount Server Case Micro PS3 Single Power Supply 1 External 5.25" Drive Bays
Athena Power RM-2U200H Black Aluminum / Steel 2U Rackmount Server Case Micro PS3 Single Power Supply 1 External 5.25" Drive Bays

Pros: Great 2U chassis for mATX motherboards and (almost - see cons) fits an ATX PSU. It is also way less ugly than it looks in the pictures and has a lot of nice features that they didn't have to add but I'm glad they did. These include the install-able 3.5" HDD cage that fits two HDDs, the removable mesh filter in front of the fans, the 4x 3-pin -> molex PDU inside the case, multiple cable management extras, grounding cable, and lots of extra screws. I did not have any issues with sharp edges or anything while handling this case and building inside of it. While I would still avoid quickly swiping my skin against any exposed edges, it was not especially dangerous and I felt completely safe working on this case.

Cons: ATX PSUs will have an issue fitting due to the metal lip inside the chassis. You will be able to fit an ATX PSU but there will be some bending involved. Due to the bulge this caused, I scratched up the top lid of the case (and the bottom of the server above) sliding it into the rack, but I probably could have avoided that by loosening the other rack-mounted equipment first.

Overall Review: I would definitely recommend this case to anyone who needs to fit mATX hardware into a shorter-than-average 2U case. This case had just the right depth for me and is one of the few on the market in this form factor.

Most Critical Review

Good product, poor company

BitFenix Spectre Pro All Black 230mm Case Fan
BitFenix Spectre Pro All Black 230mm Case Fan

Pros: Build design is excellent. Very rugged and durable.

Cons: Company support horrendous. Absolutely no phone support whatsoever. The fan failed within 2 months of owning it (it still spins, but it is making sounds typical of imminent bearing failure). I submitted a support ticket and after a week have still received no response, and I have no other way of contacting this company. Their support system also emails you when you reply to your own ticket saying that a staff has responded, when in fact they still have not. I will definitely not be doing business with BitFenix until they clean up their act.

Does not allow PWM function

GELID Solutions CA-PWM-02 2.76 in. PWM Fan Adaptor Cable for VGA Cooler Fan
GELID Solutions CA-PWM-02 2.76 in. PWM Fan Adaptor Cable for VGA Cooler Fan

Pros: I searched the internet for hours to find an adapter like this that would allow me to connect any normal fan to my graphics card for use with the Arctic Accelero Hybrid II-120 to upgrade from the stock fan (which is nice and quiet but not very neat-looking). Finally found out that Gelid had just the adapter I needed and that it was available on Newegg! For some reason it inexplicably had an extra $3 shipping charge which seems a bit strange given that items 100x its weight were offered shipping for free, but no matter, I needed the cable. Cable is quite short but who really wants a super long adapter cable? I was already using a 3-pin extension cable so in my case the short length was perfect.

Cons: PWM function does not work at all. I connected the fan directly to the adapter without the 3-pin extension cable and the problem persisted, so I know it must be the adapter. The original fan plugged into the graphics card fan port works just fine, but if I plug in another fan using this adapter, I can only read the RPM, not change it. Gelid support nonexistent. The only number available is for their HQ in China. Their US number seems to be disconnected and will not ring through. So much for the "top-rated customer service" they claim.

Overall Review: Pretty much useless since while using this my fan is stuck at top speed which is not at all what I want in my quiet, professional build. Gelid, you really need a US support line.

Great PSU. Not quiet all the time.

CORSAIR HX Series HX1050 1050 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
CORSAIR HX Series HX1050 1050 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready

Pros: I've been running the HX series of power supplies since I bought my first HX1000W in 2009. Since then, I've had one issue with the power supply where Corsair immediately sent me a replacement which ended up being the updated HX1050 model. Since then I've had one more (FREE) replacement (not due to any failure on the part of the power supply), and again received the most up to date model, this one featuring the "zero-RPM fan mode'. SEE CONS. Overall great power supply, AMAZING warranty backed by a great company.

Cons: Zero RPM mode is completely silent at low-end loads, which is great. This works well for the RM450 I have in my server which is quiet and fan-less 100% of its uptime, I have never seen the fan turn on nor have I heard how loud it could be. The HX1050, on the other hand, is LOUD. My newly built computer does not reach >30dB even under heavy graphical and CPU load thanks to my water cooling units. However, whenever the power supply decides it's hot, the fan revs WAY up, gets loud and fast for about 30 seconds, then spins down slowly and fades back to quiet. This is pretty counter-intuitive. While it is nice that the fan will last much longer since it is not running for as much time (this would work inversely if the fan used sleeve bearings as the bearings would get sticky over time if not being used, but luckily these fans use dual-ball bearings). It would be MUCH nicer if the fan stayed at a low RPM all the time and never changed its speed. Then my computer would be quiet 100% of the time. Wish I had just kept my 2013-model HX1050 instead of asking them for a replacement. That one ran quiet 100% of the time without this new "zero-RPM" mode stuff.

Overall Review: You don't need a 1050W power supply. Get out of here. My system: i7 4770k cooled w/ Corsair H110 GTX 770 cooled by Arctic Accelero Hybrid II-120 16GB DDR3 1600 120GB Intel 530 2 x 1TB Caviar Black RAID0 1 x 2TB Caviar Green Full power draw under load: ~250W. Yeah. Go get yourself an AX860 at most. A 650-750 will meet any single-GPU system's needs

Great UPS. Audible.

APC BX900R 900 VA 540 Watts 8 Outlets BACK-UPS XS 900VA 120V
APC BX900R 900 VA 540 Watts 8 Outlets BACK-UPS XS 900VA 120V

Pros: Rock solid. Heavy. Lots of outlets. Loud when it needs to be (alarms, fans when power is lost). Config utility accessed in Windows via included USB cable to change features, disable the audible alarm, enable automatic shutdown, etc. PowerChute utility above satisfactory. 900VA rating perfect for running a small 6-drive NAS server.

Cons: Older generation APC backup. Fans make audible noise, versus the newer models which are virtually silent. This bothered me at first, but now that I am using it next to a 24/7-running NAS server, the sound isn't noticeable, so re-purposing this model is a very cheap alternative to buying a brand new UPS. I wouldn't run it in my bedroom again though.

Overall Review: Heavy.

Cheap

Sunbeam PSU-BKS-480-US 480 W ATX12V Power Supply
Sunbeam PSU-BKS-480-US 480 W ATX12V Power Supply

Pros: Low price

Cons: Low life expectancy

Overall Review: Died in little over a year. Just outside the warranty period, of course.