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Aaron A.

Aaron A.

Joined on 08/09/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review

Bang for Buck

MSI Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card R4770 CYCLONE
MSI Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card R4770 CYCLONE

Pros: I was very thorough with my homework on video cards before I bought it. It comes close to being bleeding edge at a fraction of the cost. The gpu is based on a 40 nm process, and it has the least power draw of any card with similarly high end levels of performance. The card feels very solid and well constructed. The fan is almost completely silent with only a few purs when the computer first starts up, which reassures me its still on. I was able to buy mine as a daily deal, so it made that much more sense.

Cons: The included MSI drivers were buggy, BUT the updated ATI drivers from ATI's site are well updated and well refined. This is hardly a con because you will need to update drivers for any card you purchase that's not already deprecated.

Overall Review: I'm very, very pleased with my decision. My homework paid off. Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart helped me analyze the choices to ascertain which card offered the most bang for my buck.

So smooth

EVGA GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card 01G-P3-1431-KR
EVGA GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card 01G-P3-1431-KR

Pros: Works great on Ubuntu 11.04. No massive power supply or extra connector needed. Dual DVI.

Cons: Price seems rather high, but this appears related to the dual DVI outputs. DVI > VGA. I did need to boot in recovery mode once or twice to reset the video configurations. Just follow the logical prompts. Not really the card makers fault since this will happen with almost any card on ubuntu.

Overall Review: This is for my work computer. I can't stand having choppy video. I personally believe my productivity increased the first day I had it.

i like

Powerex MH-C808M Ultimate Professional Charger for 8 AA / AAA / C / D NiMH or NiCD Batteries
Powerex MH-C808M Ultimate Professional Charger for 8 AA / AAA / C / D NiMH or NiCD Batteries

Pros: It functions very well, it feels well constructed, it's versatile in types of batteries and it's very fast to charge. Soft charging is a plus. 8 charging slots seem like overkill untill you convert your household from regular batteries to rechargeables... then it just makes sense. I like the LCD that tells me a little the charge status and remaining charge, as well as the charge mode, and some other nuggets.

Cons: Pretty huge charger. I haven't seen a bigger charger.. but then again this is designed to handle D cells. Price. Sometimes it won't charge over depleted batteries and you need a dumb charger to bring the voltage up to a level this charger will recognize. No 9v charging capability... I'm forced to use some other dinosaur charger for 9v's. Power connector end seems like it might be moderately easy to bend or damage. Its design is similar to a ps/2 port on a mouse or keyboard.

Overall Review: If they upgraded the power connector to something more sturdy, offered a 4 cell charger version and made a way for the charger to manually charge the extremely depleted cells just high enough to automatically charge the rest of the way, I would give this item all 5 eggs... but these things make me feel like it is worth a 1 egg deduction.

Superior Power Supply

SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold (SS-650KM Active PFC F3) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Hasw
SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold (SS-650KM Active PFC F3) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Hasw

Pros: I did serious homework before purchasing this power supply. In fact, I know entirely too much about power supplies now for someone who doesn't actually manufacture or engineer them - but it paid off! This is absolutely the highest quality, most well designed computer component I've ever owned in my life. Every single aspect of the design and feature set of this PSU speaks volumes about the forethought and care Seasonic put in to it. When you see this thing in person, you just know it's the best. I'm so serious. Don't take my word for it. The reviews out there show that this PSU has the cleanest power, the most efficient power, the lowest fan noise (read: Silent), possibly the best available components (solid caps, pcb, etc), modular cabling with high quality connectors (with plenty of extra cables), and one review said they drew over 8-900 watts SUSTAINED without any signs of strain. Even the packaging, manual and the cable bag/case oozed quality.

Cons: Absolutely none.

Overall Review: My review is not adequate to convey the superior craftsmanship of this power supply. If Seasonic made other computer components I would buy exclusively from them.

It works as advertised

P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor
P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor

Pros: It definitely works as advertised. Overall a decent set of metrics to gauge power consumption. I like that it tallies up the usage over time.

Cons: Like the other reviews have said, the screen is dark and there is no backlight. Be prepared to use a flashlight. Most of the outlets I have are in not so bright areas. Another small gripe is that it doesn't store any readings because it doesn't use batteries. One more small gripe-- it is pretty bulky and takes up several outlets on some power strips.

Overall Review: I'm stoked about finding the real power leeches in my home. You'd never think that a comcast cable box consumes 15 watts even when it's turned off. My desktop computer consumes around 75 watts and for whatever reason it won't suspend or hibernate automatically. This amounts to a 5 dollar per month increase in energy. Bummer. I'm looking for a new mobo.