Joined on 02/09/11
Outstanding Value
Pros: This laptop has great components that make it incredibly competitive at the price I purchased it at ($700). I won't go into the specs of the parts because they are what they are (great processor, good dedicated card, etc). The inner body and outer lid are aluminum, which makes this feel very solid but it doesn't feel heavy. The end of the power cord that plugs into the laptop is a right-angle so doesn't jut out as much as other power cords I've seen. The track pad is large and the support for multi-touch is excellent. The audio is really rich for a laptop. Despite the industry trend I appreciate having an ODD for some software I don't yet have in digital-only form. having four USB 3.0 ports is great, especially since one of them is "live" meaning it supplies power when the laptop is off (great for charging devices). The display is nice, as long as you like matte finishes (which I do). The keyboard's keys are nicely spaced and have a very tactile feel, as opposed to some very slick keys or beveled keys that other laptops have. As for specs, this laptop has an i7 4710HQ which makes it outstandingly fast. 8GB of RAM is plenty for my mobile needs, including modest gaming as well as programming. The graphics card performs well under load, albeit quite hot. Added bonus: it comes with a disc full of hardware drivers in the event I need to install a fresh OS image.
Cons: To get it out of the way first: the 5400 RPM hard drive is slow, but you have to expect that (you can't buy a laptop that explicitly says it has a 5400 RPM hard drive and complain that it's slow). The track pad's tap (as opposed to press/click) responsiveness isn't quite what I'd expect. I find myself having to tap fairly hard to get a left click or a double click to register. The aluminum lid quickly becomes covered in fingerprints (although a microfiber cloth was provided to clean this). The inner body and inner lid are covered with stickers (not just the tradition "Intel Inside" or "Powered by nVidia" stickers, those sales-y stickers you find on floor models at retail stores). The frivolous "sub-woofer" improves the quality of the audio so little it's not worth it considering you wouldn't plug it in which it's on you lap (the cable for it is only about a foot long).
Overall Review: Fantastic buy; the pros heavily outweigh the cons considering I can upgrade the hard disc if I'd like to. Stylish and powerful, this laptop is everything you would want in what I would call a modest gaming machine. For a non-gaming user, this is everything you need and more.
Good Board, Terrible Documentation
Pros: Works as described. Small board.
Cons: One fold-out piece of paper for documentation on how to install cpu, memory, add-on card, hard drive, and power supply. All instructions are one sentence and one picture. Very disappointed.
Overall Review: Really good for the price, but only if you know how to do this without documentation.
Great quality, fit, and battery life
Pros: - Case holds a lot of recharges (I've fully recharged several times and am only down to 80% of the case charge) - Earbuds hold a long charge (more than two hours) - Comfortable, adjustable rubber pads make these easy to wear - Not too heavy, although maybe bulkier than some people like - Good quality audio, not at good as over-ear headphones for sure, but definitely on par with other earbuds I've used - Touch controls are nice
Cons: - Some people might find them to be bulky - The touch controls sometimes fire when I'm adjusting them in my ears - The case has (what I think is) an unnecessary little leather loop that is annoying
Overall Review: The price and quality of these are unbeatable. If you want great bluetooth earbuds, these are them.
Great little drone
Pros: - Plastic rings protect the blades from hitting walls - 3 speeds make it easy to get used to before really taking this for a spin - Three batteries and two chargers make for basically unlimited fly time - Dedicated controller means I don't need to use my phone - Has a crowd pleasing flip button that is always cool
Cons: - It's small
Overall Review: This is easily worth the money you're paying for it. Anyone can enjoy it at any age, and it's pretty durable. If you want a toy drone, go with this one.
Affordable, High Quality Mechanical Keyboard
Pros: - Heavy, durable build - Windows lock key for gaming - Compact, yet full bodied design - Cherry MX Switches are excellent and this keyboard makes them the star of the show - Braided modular cables - Comes with PS2 and USB cables, in case you need that
Cons: - No USB pass-through - Cables plug in to the keyboard at a right angle, which is weird for my setup (I'd prefer it to go straight like other cables)
Overall Review: I also own this exactly model with Cherry MX Red switches, so my review is exactly the same here. This item is definitely worth the money, regardless of the switch types that you get. If you're looking for a mechanical keyboard and don't want/need any backlighting, this is the keyboard for you.
Excellent Surround Sound Headset
Pros: - The price is great (I got them for $50) - Comfortable for extended periods of time. I've worn them for 8+ hours before with no discomfort. - Microphone is of good quality. I've used it for meetings and nobody has complained about the quality. - The audio quality is excellent, especially after you install the gamecom drivers for surround sound. - Easy volume control on the headphones which lightly beeps when you increase or decrease the volume. - Easy on/off switch for the microphone on the headphones. - Easy on/off switch for the surround sound which beeps when you change it. - Pretty long cord. I was satisfied with the distance I could sit away from my computer with this. - Nothing about the build of these headphones feels cheap.
Cons: - Out of the box you have to download drivers from their website. - If you have Windows 10, like me, you'll have to either wait or talk to customer support to get a link to the beta Windows 10 drivers. The Windows 8 drivers failed to install. Without the drivers you won't have surround sound for these headphones. - They're a bit bulky. Sometimes I would like to have one ear off so I can hear what's going on in my home. With these, though, there's two options: fully on or fully off.
Overall Review: If you're looking for a low priced headset that delivers high quality audio and is comfortable for long periods of time, this is what I would recommend.