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Travis C.

Travis C.

Joined on 08/08/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Small Case, Good Look

APEVIA Black / Green SECC Steel / Aluminum X-MASTER-GN/500 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
APEVIA Black / Green SECC Steel / Aluminum X-MASTER-GN/500 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

Pros: This one of the few cases designed specifically for an HTPC build that comes with color options. You can get it in Red/Green/Blue/Black/Silver. I purchased the green one and it's a solid case. The green is appealing and the case has an overall good look to it. The PSU runs near silent, as do the case fans.

Cons: The case is small, which is expected with a micro ATX form factor. However, the layout of the case does prevent some long pci-e cards from fitting the case properly. This is a common occurence when dealing with micro ATX cases, however, so it's a slight con in my opinion, not a serious one. The PSU's power switch is located on the front of the PSU, which is only accessible by removing the front bezel (mine removed fairly easily). My PSU's power switch shipped in the off position, so make sure to check that if you have completed your built and it doesn't power on. Also, the drive mounting brackets did not have holes that lined up with the screw holes on my Western Digital 1TB HDD i put in my system, but they worked fine w/ my Lite-on Blu Ray drive.

Overall Review: The rear case fans are both mounted to an easily removed bracket. This bracket can get in the way of installing your rear panel face plate. Removing the two screws that secure the bracket and taking the fans out will allow you to install the face plate properly, and the bracket is easily reattached afterwards. Make sure and plan your build so that you have you're hard drive installed before you put in your motherboard, as it is nearly impossible to install afterwards. There are only 2 SATA power connectors, but it does come w/ a convertor for a 4 pin molex to sata power. Just a warning for anyone installing more than 1 HDD and an optical drive.

Still great thermal compound

Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G

Pros: Still the best thermal compound available. I've never had a problem OC'ing any processor w/ Arctic Silver.

Cons: Expensive, relatively speaking.

Overall Review: Worth the money if you are planning on doing any OC'ing. Don't rely on cheap thermal compound or stock pads that come on heatsinks.

Best Bang for the Buck

PLANTRONICS Explorer 220 Bluetooth Headset
PLANTRONICS Explorer 220 Bluetooth Headset

Pros: Excellent headset, great sound quality, great range (personally tested it up 30 feet). For the extremely low price and great quality of the product, you won't find a better bang for the buck. I've used this headset nonstop since I bought it, and I can't complain.

Cons: This headset is not for users looking for a lot of bells and whistles. It's easy to use, but doesn't have a lot of the extra features, but that doesn't detract from it's appeal on the low end market. The loss of those extra features actually makes it more user friendly for first time and beginner users.

Overall Review: I would recommend this product to anyone looking for an entry-level, high quality headset, that does the basics.

11/19/2007

Price to Quality Ratio = BEST!!!!

Hanns-G 19" Active Matrix, TFT LCD WXGA+ LCD Monitor 5 ms D-Sub, DVI-D HW-192DJB
Hanns-G 19" Active Matrix, TFT LCD WXGA+ LCD Monitor 5 ms D-Sub, DVI-D HW-192DJB

Pros: 1. This monitor had no dead pixels when it arrived, no ghosting, and no defects whatsoever. 2. This monitor's color quality and screen brightness are excellent. 3. The response time is second to none, along with the DVI connection creating a crisp clear image. 4. Newegg got it to me quickly as normal and UPS did not even scratch the box.

Cons: None that I have found, and I am hoping future use of this product does not provide any. The menu buttons are on the right hand side of the monitor, which can be inconvenient at times, but is not really what I would consider a con. (Con to me being a reason to not buy this product, which this would not dissuade me from purchasing this excellent monitor).

Overall Review: The fact that I paid barely over 200 dollars for this product (free shipping) is excellent. I was wary at first, thinking I might be getting a monitor that would have dead pixels or ghosting, but I was wrong to think that. This monitor has done nothing but excel for me in FPS games as well is WoW. The Price to Quality Ratio for this LCD is extremely high. Great picture quality, response time, with a stand that can rotate the monitor left and right, back and forth, and to a 90 degree Portrait view, and a telescoping stand for up and down movement is great. If you are looking at a 19" widescreen LCD, look no further, as this should be the monitor that you purchase. Also, a sleek black look that compliments a black gaming system, if you have. Looks sharp in any case.