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Wilson M.

Wilson M.

Joined on 08/02/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 9
Most Favorable Review

Great basic switch

TRENDnet 8-Port Unmanaged Gigabit GREENnet Desktop Metal Switch, Fanless, 16Gbps Switching Capacity, Plug & Play, Network Ethernet Switch, Lifetime Protection, Black, TEG-S80G
TRENDnet 8-Port Unmanaged Gigabit GREENnet Desktop Metal Switch, Fanless, 16Gbps Switching Capacity, Plug & Play, Network Ethernet Switch, Lifetime Protection, Black, TEG-S80G

Pros: This is a great gigabit switch. I didn't even realize it was part of TrendNet's "GREEN" series which is supposed to consume little power. There are 2 LEDs per port on the front. The first indicates link and blinks with activity while the second LED is amber or green depending on link speed (green = gigabit connection). Power supply is also relatively compact. Better than the bricks of previous gen equipment. Overall build quality is great and the case is metal.

Cons: None I can think of.

Overall Review: Hard to find this on a search on NewEgg as it doesn't say "gigabit" in the title.

Finally, a cleanly designed case with lots of drive bays!

LIAN LI PC-A76 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
LIAN LI PC-A76 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Pros: > Great clean design > 12 3.5 drive bays (3 of which can readily accommodate a 2.5" SSD) - this isn't really mentioned in the newegg specs but you can see from the pictures as well as via Lian Li site. > Fairly quiet with stock fans running and an additional Xigmatek XLF-F1255 120mm that I added to the top > Room for 4 fans in addition to those included (2 x 120mm on top and 2 x 140mm on side cover) > Nice (but loud) click of front door when opening and closing.

Cons: Below are some minor quibbles and I really can't take off a whole egg for these but here they are! > Only 2 5.25" bays (both of which are externally accessible) > "Main" cover was slightly difficult to remove but seems to be loosening up with repeated removals > On such a beautiful case, there is use of 2 strips of off white weather stripping inside the front door that seems out of place. I guess this can be replaced pretty easily but I'm surprised at the use of material that looks so out of place. > Wires for LEDs and PWR/Reset switches do not have a lot of length. I had to unbind them from the wire-guide post behind the motherboard tray so they could reach the pins on the motherboard. It's not pretty but hardly awful either. > Top cover for USB and headphone ports is not that well engineered. It has already develped a noticeable scratch because there is no clearance here and I think I'm just scraping metal on metal to open this cover. > Even when using right angle SATA cables, these really need to be attached on the side of the case under the motherboard (the right side when facing from the front). Maybe I did something funny with where I applied the included HD thumbscrews but when put on the 2 end most positions on my drives, the drives don't go far enough into the cage to allow for SATA cables to be plugged in on the left side so I inserted the drives with ports facing to the right (when looking straight at case) so there is plenty of clearance > Case is so big that I couldn't comfortably route the main power supply cable behind the motherboard - it's just flopping out right on top of the motherboard.

Overall Review: > While I've poked around cases before, this is my first real build from the ground up > In about 6 hours, I was able to put in a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H, core i7 3770K (with stock heat sink & fan), RAM, Corsair HX750 power supply, 7 3.5" HDDs, 2 SSDs, an extra fan, (old) Radeon 4850 video card, CETON InfiniTV card, SYBA 4 port SATA RAID card, and Hauppauge 2250 Tuner card > Some wasted space in the front to back dimension (this is a borderline con but I guess the case is meant to hold eATX or XL motherboards and or super long video cards). It would have been nice if they included a removable drive cage or something to hold yet another 2 or 3 3.5" drives in front of the spot for the power supply but I'm really nitpicking here. > Another reviewer commented that the construction is flimsy but I disagree. The material is mostly (if not all) aluminum and it isn't super stiff but I never was concerned. Actually, I was a bit careless and have repeatedly bumped the case into the metal legs of my desk and there has been no denting or noticeable consquences to the black finish. I think the use of aluminum is great because this case weighs a lot less than some others I've handled (Cooler Master CM 830). > Not sure if I'm misunderstanding the intention but the top port panel seems to have a cutout for an eSATA port but it's just an empty hole. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how this might work but maybe I can take it apart and string in my own eSATA jack here? This just isn't quite what i expected.

10/21/2012

Works great, supports 2048x1152

BYTECC AP-DPDVI-005 DisplayPort to DVI Cable Adapter 0.5ft (6") w/IC
BYTECC AP-DPDVI-005 DisplayPort to DVI Cable Adapter 0.5ft (6") w/IC

Pros: This thing works great. The detailed description on NewEgg only mentioned that this would support "1080p" resolution but it's working great at 2048 x 1152 resolution. I'm using it between my Dell Latitude E6410 laptop and my Dell SP2309W LCD.

Cons: The cable is on the short end with barely 3 inches in the middle but this can actually be a good thing depending on your setup.

Overall Review: It doesn't feel super well made as the DVI end feels a little hollow but it works. What more can you really ask for?

Still my favorite keyboard but just short of perfect

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Pros: - I've tried a lot of keyboards and this is still the most comfortable for me. - I like the fact that the wrist wrest is higher than the top edge - like the dedicated and well placed back/forward buttons when browsing - dedicated mutlimedia and calculator keys - comfortable soft touch material on well sized wrist wrest

Cons: - not the best in terms of feed back or keyswitch feel - my latest model arrived with a sticky spacebar when pressed with my left thumb. It's loosened up over time but my previous one did not do this - hard to differentiate multi media keys in low light. After 5 years with this keyboard, I still have to hunt for the multimedia keys so I just don't use them much (it's a vicious cycle) - function keys are a little bit smaller than letter keys

Overall Review: - If this were backlit and they managed to improve keyswitch feel I would never need another keyboard - there is a function key switch which changes the function keys from normal F-key function to applications functions (New, Undo, Redo, etc). I never use the app functions and have only annoyed myself when I accidentally changed the function keys to app mode without realizing it. There is an LED indicator to toggle these modes but the first time I did it had me fumbling for 2 mins

12/25/2009

Good low profile surge strip

BELKIN BE112230-08 8 Feet 12 Outlets 3780 Joules Surge Protector with Telephone and Coaxial Protection
BELKIN BE112230-08 8 Feet 12 Outlets 3780 Joules Surge Protector with Telephone and Coaxial Protection

Pros: - Lots of well spaced outlets - Truly useful wire management brackets - Well placed and not too easily tripped power switch - Low profile, simple design - Almost flat wall plug. It's right angled so it can be plugged in behind furniture. - Though the plug does not rotate the wire is angled so that it doesn't block an adjacent outlet in a typical over/under outlet. - Long cord

Cons: - Wish it had a couple outlets that were not switched (always on)

Overall Review: - Really hard to ask for more in a simple power strip - Remote control and unswitched outlets would be awesome in this form factor

12/25/2009

Good build quality, noisy fan

Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK - Black, 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA External Enclosure with Internal 80 mm Fan
Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK - Black, 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA External Enclosure with Internal 80 mm Fan

Pros: - Very solid build quality - couldn't ask for a sturdier feeling enclosure - Separate switches for fan and power - Keeps drive COOL - Separate power and disk activity indicator lights - eSATA connection in addition to USB - mesh grill allows for lots of airflow

Cons: - Fan in my unit is noisy - if it were quieter or had a speed control, I would give it 5 stars. It's not all that loud but has a kind of periodic grinding noise that is distracting in my living room setup. It's as if it has cheap bearings or is not quite aligned properly. - The fan is almost overkill as the drive is totally cool to the touch now - not even warm! I would be glad to give up some airflow for less noise. - LEDs are BRIGHT and can't be defeated easily

Overall Review: - I got this enclosure specifically cause it has a fan. I use it to expand the storage on my cable company DVR but I just can't get over the fan noise. Maybe I'll try some WD40 to see if it eliminates the noise. I'm otherwise very pleased with it - just wish it were quieter.

12/25/2009