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Craig S.

Craig S.

Joined on 04/27/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 12
Most Favorable Review
D-Link Cloud Router 5700 (DIR-865L), Wireless AC 1750, Dual-Band, Gigabit Ports, USB SharePort, mydlink enabled
D-Link Cloud Router 5700 (DIR-865L), Wireless AC 1750, Dual-Band, Gigabit Ports, USB SharePort, mydlink enabled

Pros: Is it faster than wireless N? Without a doubt. Writing data to my NAS over wifi is twice as fast as it was previously...now I'm limited by the write speed of the NAS rather than the transmission speed. I am able to stream media all over the house without any hiccups. I have two of these, the second set up as a bridge to get higher speed network to my second story office without having to run cables. So far the connection has been rock solid. Treats the 2.4GHz band as a separate SSID, keeping older and slower devices from bogging down your 5GHz stuff. Base configuration is simple. Haven't had any signal strength issues on any of my devices through my 3 story townhouse.

Cons: Setting up the second unit as a bridge was not entirely simple, and does not work exactly per the directions. D-Links cloud configuration is a work in progress.

Overall Review: With my setup, having two main hubs for network devices (living room with game consoles, NAS, and htpc - and office with multiple computers) having two bridged works great to get high speed networking without any wires. With a lack of wireless AC cards, I probably wouldn't recommend it for someone with devices more spread out around the house.

Most Critical Review

Don't bother with Ryzen

G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR4 4266 (PC4 34100) Desktop Memory Model F4-4266C19D-16GTZR
G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR4 4266 (PC4 34100) Desktop Memory Model F4-4266C19D-16GTZR

Pros: The RGB lighting looks really nice I'm sure it's awesome with an intel board

Cons: Even after AGESA 1.0.0.6 memory fixes and the bump to "allow" up to 4000MHz DDR, this won't post over 2133 on Ryzen, unless you go to CL22. Then it will get up to 2400.

Overall Review: With the RAM situation on the Ryzen platform, its hard to tell whether I got a stinker or there is a compatibility issue. However, the "lesser brand" DDR3200 I have runs at 2933 CL16 without issues on the same board.

be quiet! does it again

be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 750W ATX 12V 80 Plus Platinum Modular Power Supply – Silent Wings 3 Fan
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 750W ATX 12V 80 Plus Platinum Modular Power Supply – Silent Wings 3 Fan

Pros: Quiet. Like super quiet. Comes with a good assortment of modular connectors Successfully provides power

Cons: None

Overall Review: If you are looking for a quiet power supply that can still put out power, you won't go wrong with this one. Installing it made an audible difference over my previous power supply. Between this, and an assortment of other be quiet fans, now I can barely hear my computer - at least until the video card starts working.

Great and Quiet

be quiet! SHADOW ROCK SLIM Silent Wings CPU Cooler - 160W TDP
be quiet! SHADOW ROCK SLIM Silent Wings CPU Cooler - 160W TDP

Pros: Very Quiet Seems to cool very well

Cons: Slim does NOT mean small. You can look at the pictures and see this, but I wanted to point out that it is a full height cooler. the top of the pipes touch my case door.

Overall Review: Installation wasn't any more difficult than others, though the instructions weren't laid out the best

Quiet enough for a living room.

be quiet! PURE POWER 9 500W ATX 12V 80 Plus Silver Power Supply Exclusive 120mm Fan BN663
be quiet! PURE POWER 9 500W ATX 12V 80 Plus Silver Power Supply Exclusive 120mm Fan BN663

Pros: Once the computer has started, the power supply is nearly silent, just as advertised Successfully provides power All cables are sufficiently long, and there is a wide assortment of connections

Cons: For the first few seconds of powering on, the fans make a relatively (compared to the rest of the performance) loud high pitched noise. This stops very quickly though. As it is non modular, and has long power connectors, the cords prove rather bulky, especially in a small case

Overall Review: I haven't had this for very long, but so far I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet unit for a low to moderate power computer

Quiet Quality

SeaSonic Snow Silent Series Snow Silent 750 750 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
SeaSonic Snow Silent Series Snow Silent 750 750 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: It is the quietest PSU I have ever used. Even under load It powers everything Plenty of modular power cables

Cons: A bit pricier than other units

Overall Review: My goal on this build was the quietest air cooled gaming machine I could build at a reasonable price. So far so good. The unit is supremely quiet, and is able to power everything without any issues so far. Haven't had it long enough to report on longevity, but I haven't had issues with other SeaSonic units in the past.

11/20/2015