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Eric B.

Eric B.

Joined on 02/02/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 12
Most Favorable Review

Great design, sturdy but easy-to-change pins

ARCTIC Freezer Xtreme Rev. 2 CPU Cooler - Intel & AMD, Twin-Tower Heatsink, 120mm PWM Fan
ARCTIC Freezer Xtreme Rev. 2 CPU Cooler - Intel & AMD, Twin-Tower Heatsink, 120mm PWM Fan

Pros: Big & beefy, fins near bottom are tapered off to accommodate orientation, helpful manual, can have fan blow air horizontally or vertically, quick install, comes pre-greased, great bang for the buck.

Cons: Fan doesn't have embossed arrows showing air direction (but stickered side of fan means air blows on that side), doesn't do dishes.

Overall Review: I was looking for a CPU cooler where I could put fans on both ends. Since this design had a fan in the middle I figured this would cut down on noise, and I was right. The manual I had illustrated putting the mount with the holes top to bottom to have air flow bottom to top instead of right to left, but perhaps I read the manual wrong after checking it on their website. Installation was super-easy to follow. You have to apply the screws from down in between both halves of the cooler, but a typical long-reach screwdriver (magnetized is better) provides easier install. You may need some light on both sides to ensure the screw coming from above goes smoothly in the screw holes in the mount. While i don't utilize an AMD processor, different mounts are included and installation is shown in the manual. I used this with a new board, an MSI H110M gaming (Micro-ATX), and my existing video card, a Gigabyte GTX960 Windforce with three fans.. At one point I wanted to test an older, shorter video card but ran into issues removing it. The card took up two slots and was almost flush with the cooler (running right to left) while the right edge of the cooler was almost touching the RAM (but thankfully not touching because of the tapered fin fashion, a bonus). I had struggled with the card and finally got it, then changed the orientation from bottom to top. This worked out better as I have the exhaust from the bottom-mounted power supply rising upward to the Arctic fan pulling in the air, finally rising to the top of the Cooler Master HAF932 case and it's large top fan expelling exhaust outwards. So be aware that if you swap out cards to test and are using an M-ATX board along with a larger video card near the top, you may have issues reinstalling the video card. While this is a chance occurrence, I feel it's necessary to point out. This is a very good purchase for the price, very low in noise (perhaps muffled by the metal fins), and the fan itself is extremely easy. It's formed into a piece that snaps in to the top of the cooler itself. Be aware of this as you won't be able to replace the fan with a different fan (although why would you want to?). My only real gripe is that there is no arrow embossed on the side of the fan telling the owner which way the air flows. But years of experience in building PCs tells me that usually the part of the fan with the sticker in the middle indicates the side where air flows to, and this fan is no exception. For its size, lightness, and ease of install; you can't go wring with this cooler. EDIT 6/14/2007 - After two weeks this has been holding up very well. Most noticeable is the lack of noise, most likely because the fan is sandwiched between the layers of fins. There were a few brief moments where I could hear some sort of clipping, but I believe it was due to the fan's connector wires making contact with the fans. After pulling the connector down more I haven't heard this clipping noise for quite some time.

Great extender for the value and more!

Netis WF2216 N150 Wireless Portable Range Extender Wall Plug
Netis WF2216 N150 Wireless Portable Range Extender Wall Plug

Pros: - Simple setup via WPS and Ethernet - Great value! - Doubles as a single-unit WiFi dongle

Cons: - Doesn't do dishes (hopefully Netis reps will see this and reply back)

Overall Review: I bought two on the two for one deal, weeks after purchasing a different-branded range extender for my sis for Christmas. I got two for $15 total, so if it was not the best as the first two reviews showed, it wouldn't be a big loss. I knew about the WPS setup, but i connected my laptop to the extender via the included Ethernet cable, went to 192.168.1.1, and got to the main page. From there I was able to click a button and connect to my existing WiFi, enter the security, and it connected. So I checked google and was able to connect to it! The laptop was connected to the Extender via Ethernet and I was able to connect to WiFi (of course I know that's now how its used). Then I moved it to the bedroom about 20-30 feet away, plugged it in, waited a second, and I noticed it in the WiFi analyzer app showing about 25b stronger signal! So far, the extender has turned out to be a great value!

12/14/2016

Great little printer, even w Networking

Samsung ML Series ML-2165W Workgroup Up to 21 ppm Monochrome USB / Wi-Fi Laser Printer
Samsung ML Series ML-2165W Workgroup Up to 21 ppm Monochrome USB / Wi-Fi Laser Printer

Pros: Compact printer, inexpensive toner refills, install CD doesn't force you to install EVERYTHING and you can pick and choose instead (take note, HP)

Cons: Network install a bit difficult but works on multiple computers, CD didn't have the wireless networking utility

Overall Review: I read the reviews about the networking issues and I can see where users are coming from. This is installed on two Hackintosh systems. Once connected via USB, the Mac software discovers it, prompts you to download the drivers, restart and it works. I discovered that you have to go to the Samsung web page, then download and install the wireless setup software while the printer is connected via USB. Once set up wirelessly, you may have to go into System Prefs -> Printers, then delete the original entry and re-add it by clicking the "+" icon. It will see it wirelessly, then allow you to connect to it. I tried connecting it to my FiOS router with a USB port, but no go. Nonetheless, as I purchased this to eliminate costly inkjet refills, this is a great little printer.

Works Flawlessly

DIAMOND VC500MAC USB 2.0 Video Capture Device For MAC
DIAMOND VC500MAC USB 2.0 Video Capture Device For MAC

Pros: Got this as a Black Friday Special. It comes with recording software which works great. I love the fact that you can import the recorded files into iMovie and work from there. I was considering getting an old PCI card for video capture, but this was a much better choice.

Cons: For the low price, no gripes here!

Overall Review: I was previously using one of those under-$10 EasyCAP devices. It worked great under Windows XP, but no 64-bit drivers for Windows 7. I'm glad I made the transition as this also saves time from booting out of Win7 and rebooting into my Hackintosh.

Great little video card for its size!

ZOTAC GeForce GT 440 (Fermi) 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Graphics Card ZT-40704-10L
ZOTAC GeForce GT 440 (Fermi) 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Graphics Card ZT-40704-10L

Pros: Great upgrade from a GT220, more power and doesn't require a connector from the power supply, securely packaged, comes with extra software and adapters, noticable framerate and smoothness increase in my Windows 7 games.

Cons: I'm using this in a hackintosh system, and only 512MB of 1 GB is recognized. However, this isn't the fault of the manufacturer or the hardware, but this is a heads up for hackintosh users wanting this card. Responsiveness of the CD menu wasn't as snappy and I had to manually install things, but it wasn't a hassle.

Overall Review: I'm still a little new to video cards, but very impressed with this and will recommend it. Installation was a breeze and noise from the fan is kept to a minimum.

Awesome cooler for my i5

XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler LGA1150 Haswell Compatible
XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler LGA1150 Haswell Compatible

Pros: Much bigger than expected, paperwork clearly laid out with big diagrams, included fan uses rubber holders to minimize noise, great price-to-performance ratio

Cons: None

Overall Review: I never used rubber holders to secure a fan onto the fins, so some of the fins are bent and not parallel, but that's the way it's designed. Will anyone care? No, and the rubber holders minimize noise anyway. Got this for around $5 on Black Friday too. The size in the pictures is modest compared to the actual size, which is great since it replaced my stock cooler, and it runs maybe 10-15 degrees cooler as well.