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Matthew S.

Matthew S.

Joined on 08/10/12

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 16
Most Favorable Review

Nice

30pcs Desktop Pc Computer Mainboard Motherboard Case Internal Speaker Connector Plug
30pcs Desktop Pc Computer Mainboard Motherboard Case Internal Speaker Connector Plug

Pros: Thirty. Price.

Cons: One hasn't worked so far. There's 29 others, though.

Overall Review: I only needed one, but I saw this and thought I'd take a gamble. I think they mostly work. I don't know. I kept six for myself, gave three to my friend at work (who had them in his jacket pocket for a month which in that time caused the glue that held the wiring to the speaker to be ripped off), gave one to my sister for her new pc, and the remaining twenty went to her boyfriend who said he might use the beeps in some of his music. I don't know what I'm doing with my life.

Most Critical Review

Decent

XIGMATEK FCB (Fluid Circulative Bearing) XLF-F1253 120mm 4 white LED Orange Case Fan  PSU Molex Adapter/extender included
XIGMATEK FCB (Fluid Circulative Bearing) XLF-F1253 120mm 4 white LED Orange Case Fan PSU Molex Adapter/extender included

Pros: Alright airflow. Color.

Cons: Pretty loud.

Overall Review: A bit expensive right now it seems. I bought these two years ago for ten dollars.

Great!

Mushkin Enhanced Stealth 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 997069S
Mushkin Enhanced Stealth 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 997069S

Pros: - Low-profile spreaders. - I really like the simplistic look (solid black, no super fancy graphics). - Overclocks really well, if you're into that sort of thing. - Both work and continue to work.

Cons: - At the time this kit was $99.99. Back then, that was an alright price, but not as great of a price as now.

Overall Review: I have these sticks overclocked to 2000. I don't really notice much of a difference, but I guess getting every bit of performance (considering DDR4 is out) is a good thing. The OC is stable, passes all memory tests. No issues. Mushkin is a great brand for memory and SSDs!

H80i like it! (sorry)

Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2  Water / Liquid CPU Cooler. 120mm CW-9060024-WW
Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2 Water / Liquid CPU Cooler. 120mm CW-9060024-WW

Pros: - Compared to other similar AIO coolers, very easy to install. The tool-free mounting bracket is incredible. It took about ten minutes at most to install completely. The instructions were vague, but made sense enough. They weren't even really necessary with how simple they made it to install this specific cooler. - The pump is relatively quiet. I cannot hear it over case fans, GPU, etc. - Corsair Link 4 (software) is impressive. It installed easily and is straightforward. - I like the gray / black color scheme. It looks clean.

Cons: - Not exactly cheap, but competitively priced. So not really a con (see similarly priced AIOs). - Slight confusion with v2 vs GT. I think v2 is the "newest". - The tubes are somewhat rigid. This was the only issue while installing. This might affect where you can actually install it in a smaller case.

Overall Review: - I did not use the provided fans. They seemed okay though. - I felt lazy and did not apply my own thermal paste. Temps are fine (i5 4690k, idle @ 27C~) I would highly recommend Corsair AIOs. I've tried ThermalTake and Cooler Master, which were great too, but this Corsair cooler was by far the easiest to install, the software worked on the first time (TT Water Extreme 2.0 software never worked for me), and it looks great / functions without any horrible noise or issue to date.

Solid Choice

ASUS 27" 1440P Eye Care Monitor (PB278Q) - QHD (2560 x 1440), IPS, DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI
ASUS 27" 1440P Eye Care Monitor (PB278Q) - QHD (2560 x 1440), IPS, DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI

Pros: - 1440p is beautiful* - Height adjustment is great, specifically coming from a cheaper monitor without any adjustments. - Light bleed / dead pixels were not much of an issue for me. I'm not too picky though (see cons). - The size is perfect for 1440p. It's also not too bad with 1080p (if you need to use a weaker GPU during an RMA, for example). - Seems to have sturdy construction. Nothing about it seemed overly cheap or limited (I have not used the speakers though).

Cons: - One dead pixel on the lower-left side (only shows during full green color test, so no issue). - A little pricey, but the price will go down (I think it's worth it even now). - Very rarely (I think twice now?) the speakers will kick on with a hissing sound because it seems to default to 100% volume. I'm not sure if this is the monitor or some situation with my Klipsch speakers / headphones. Probably my fault.

Overall Review: *Although, 1080p is still nice. I don't really understand people who say they can't go back to 1080p after having 2k or 4k. I'm in the middle of an RMA for my GPU so I had to use an old back up GPU meanwhile. Honestly, this was an impulse buy I completed back around Christmas 2015 for myself. I don't regret it. I normally beat myself up a bit after a big purchase or PC upgrade I don't really need but this is a decent investment. I'd certainly recommend 1440p and this monitor.

Get it!

Fractal Design Define R5 Black Silent ATX Midtower Computer Case
Fractal Design Define R5 Black Silent ATX Midtower Computer Case

Pros: Front panel can open left or right. The dust panels are easy to remove and have good quality. The case seems sturdy and the finish looks very slick. Most of the features that can be removed or re-positioned are easy to work with and make sense logically. Airflow is great. A drive bay can be put in the middle of the bottom of the case, next to the PSU, leaving room for a 240mm radiator for a water cooler on the front side of the case. This means the top of the case can have the top noise panels on. The blue power LED is not too bright and still looks nice. Color scheme. Many tie down locations for cable management. SSD mounts behind the MB tray. HDD/SSD trays are metal and click into the bay perfectly. Very quiet when all sound panels are used. The MB tray has a standoff already installed in the middle for easier installation. The case is not huge. I like this size of case for ATX builds. It has the appropriate amount of space for cable management and larger GPUs, and yet still is small enough to be on a desk or not take up too much room.

Cons: Non-modular PSUs may have some issue with placing the drive bay in the middle of the case. If you try to screw the case in with some of the air holes on the bottom to make up some extra room, the bottom filter may not close all the way. Use screws with a thinner head for this to work. Cable management with SATA cables is difficult when putting the drive bay in the middle. I know this is my fault for choosing this setup, but it works well. Just requires patience. Not really a con, but I wish I could remove just one of the optical bays instead of both at once. Not sure if that would be possible in the future anyway. The SSD mounts behind the motherboard tray require SATA cables that are flat on both ends (at least I couldn't get right-angle ones to work).

Overall Review: Overall, I am very satisfied with the case. It has very high build quality and looks very nice. I like the more simple-looking cases. I bought this for a more quiet build and it is doing well.