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Charles H.

Charles H.

Joined on 02/19/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Great gaming laptop

MSI GS Series GS73 STEALTH-014 17.3" 4K/UHD GTX 1070 8 GB VRAM i7-8750H 16 GB Memory 512 GB SSD 2 TB HDD Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Gaming Laptop
MSI GS Series GS73 STEALTH-014 17.3" 4K/UHD GTX 1070 8 GB VRAM i7-8750H 16 GB Memory 512 GB SSD 2 TB HDD Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Gaming Laptop

Pros: Can handle most anything you want to throw at it. PUBG at 1440p @ 60 FPS, high to medium settings. Deserts of Kharak at 4K @ 60 FPS, ultra high settings. Deus Ex: Human Revolution at 4K with Ultra settings @ 60+ FPS. Thin, light. Several CPU options to throttle the system when not gaming, to extend battery life and help the system run cooler. The screen is gorgeous, with rich color reproduction. It's better than my external monitor actually. Now, I just need to buy a better monitor. The RGB keyboard is simple to setup and looks good. Loads of connections (USB, audio, SPDIF, thunderbolt, displayport, HDMP)

Cons: Some of the stock apps (Dragon Center for instance) could use a UI refresh. Running them at 4K... they look a little pixelated, which is a bit detracting. Though, honestly I'd prefer a simpler UI, that uses less resources. Dragon Center provides some details of what you're system is doing, but somethings are missing like the all important clock speed, which depending on what your power options are, varies quite a bit. You can, of course, use Task Manager, or CPU ID, to monitor the finer details, but it just seems like somethings were forgotten. The RGB keyboard is nice, but a little dim under the highest settings, with poor color reproduction. I'm having a difficult time trying to produce an orange color, that will match a fiery theme I have going on my Razer Lancehead and Orbweaver. The keyboard also lacks more complex RGB options that can be found in other products from the likes of Razer or Corsair. Not sure how to get games to play at the 120 Hz refresh rate.

Overall Review: I would definitely recommend this laptop, if you can part with the money. It's an excellent desktop replacement, even going so far to have an SPDIF output in the headphone jack. I no longer feel desktops are necessarily the best way to go for gaming. You can pick this bad boy up and go wherever and be ready for any gaming party or while traveling.

Most Critical Review

Does what it says, but don't expect to use it for gaming.

Wavlink Dual 4K Display Laptop Docking Station Single 5K/Dual 4K @60Hz USB 3.0 and USB-C Dual Monitor Docking Station With 2 x HDMI, 2 DP, Gigabit Ethernet, 6 x USB 3.0, Audio, Mic, For Windows/Mac
Wavlink Dual 4K Display Laptop Docking Station Single 5K/Dual 4K @60Hz USB 3.0 and USB-C Dual Monitor Docking Station With 2 x HDMI, 2 DP, Gigabit Ethernet, 6 x USB 3.0, Audio, Mic, For Windows/Mac

Pros: All the ports work. A bountiful supply of USB 3 ports. Outputs to 4K, but...

Cons: Can't really utilize hardware accelerated apps (games, videos). Example: PUBG - on a monitor connected directly to my MSI GS73 8RF, at 1440p with High Settings: 60-70 FPS. - using a monitor connected to this dock, at 1080p with Low Settings: 20 FPS Homeworld: Deserts of Karak - direct, 4K with Ultra Settings: 60 - 65 FPS - on the dock, with same settings: 4 (yes, Four) FPS Can't even use the Windows 10 Hulu app to watch shows. The dock is recognized as it's own video adapter/graphics card, a very poor one at that. It is really just an over-glorified USB hub with a NIC. I wouldn't really recommend it. You can get the 4K resolutions they advertise but you're basically going to be limited to word processing, and web browsing.

Overall Review: I don't like giving it a low score... It does what it says it does... but just was really hoping for a proper way to simplify my laptop setup, so that I would only have to connect the one Thunderbolt 3 cable instead of 5 different cables. I was assuming (poorly) that it would just be sending the video signal via the PCI bus over the Thunderbolt 3 connection. I've used other, similar docks for work (a Dell USB-C dock on a Precision 5510, with a Quadro M1000M) that I use for designing stuff in CAD and programming, and have had no problems, though only using 2 x 1080p monitors. Don't get this and expect to be gaming or doing any CAD related work. Edit: When I first reviewed this product, I gave it 2 Eggs, which I'll admit was a bit harsh. I bumped it up to three, because the build quality is good, and it does as it advertises. However, as of today, December 28th, 2019, the dock has stopped working. It won't power up. I have had it for about 1 year, and 8 months.

12/28/2019

Great build, and features

Rosewill Dual Induction Cooktop Burner, 1800W Double Electric Stove Tops, Digital Touch Sensor Panels for Independent Settings, Timer, Auto Shut-Off, Child Safety Lock, Energy & Time Saving - (RHDI-21001)
Rosewill Dual Induction Cooktop Burner, 1800W Double Electric Stove Tops, Digital Touch Sensor Panels for Independent Settings, Timer, Auto Shut-Off, Child Safety Lock, Energy & Time Saving - (RHDI-21001)

Pros: It's simple to setup and use. My wife and I use it for hotpot. Having two burners allows us to cook what we like. We a split hotpot on one burner, and a cast iron pan on the other. Very impressed by induction cooking. It heats up cookware very quickly. I just wish it could be regulated a bit more gradually.

Cons: The only major con would be the noise from the fan. Granted, I understand that regulating the electronics is crucial for maintaining the longevity of the device, but the fan is rather loud, making conversations or watching movies while eating difficult.

Overall Review: As an induction burner, this device is great. But, if you are looking to have an intimate meal with your loved ones perhaps go with something quieter.

Great bang for the buck

Western Digital WD BLACK SN750 NVMe M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 64-layer 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) WDS200T3X0C
Western Digital WD BLACK SN750 NVMe M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 64-layer 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) WDS200T3X0C

Pros: Fast and lots of storage, with a reasonable price. I bought it on sale. Cheaper compared to other SSD with comparable perforamce.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: Great product. Had to upgrade my storage from 512 GB SSD because Modern Warfare consumed a good chunk. Have plenty of breathing room now. Do it for yourself: Get a big SSD. You won't regret it.

10/30/2020

Specs Good, Noise Bad

HIS Radeon HD 5570 2GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 Video Card H557HO2G
HIS Radeon HD 5570 2GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 Video Card H557HO2G

Pros: Decent graphics accelleration. Half-Life 2 and its successors play smoothly for most part when all setting are maxed out. It can use crossfire, but the lack of a bridge connector limits what perfomance boost you can get. The price isn't bad for what you are getting. It will definitely bring new life to your low-profile computer.

Cons: Of the two of these cards that I have installed, one's fan frequently hits a harmonic, causing quite distracting noise. It would seem that the fan wasn't balanced properly, either during assembly or manufacturing. I've had to keep the side panel of my case open, so that I can tap the fan as needed to shut the screaming banshee up, just to give you an idea of how frequently this occurs.

Overall Review: Where are the Radeon 6000 series low-profile cards?

Gaming and General Use

Logitech G500 Black Chrome 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse
Logitech G500 Black Chrome 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse

Pros: The adjustable DPI settings work and easily accessible during game play. The included weights allow me to custom tailor my experience. The thing I particularly enjoy is the mouse-wheel, as it can be toggled between incremental movement (handy for cycling weapons) and free-spinning movement (handy for browsing or general computer use). Clicks are responsive and the middle mouse button is easily depressed without accidentally spinning the wheel (unlike my older mouse).

Cons: This mouse isn't tailored for larger hands (like mine); In order to have my fingers positioned on all of the buttons, my palm has to sit back away from the back of the mouse (minor ergonomic inconvenience).

Overall Review: The G500 is a great mouse for the price.