Joined on 12/09/05
Finally a perfect DVD burner that doesn't give out
Pros: Nice size, Nice Speed, Easy to install, Different types of burn options i.e. DVD-RAM, DL, RW etc. Solid product.
Cons: None so far.
Overall Review: I bought 2 different drives before this one....2 VERY VERY popular ones...1 gave out in a week only after 10 burns, the other ( which is up for a customer award ) was DOA. This one has already burned 30 discs flawlessly with no coasters and keeps going. I would recommened this to ANYONE who is tired of trying to find a drive that is going to work and keep working. I have ended my search.
Coolest Card I have Owned.
Pros: Have owned this card for about 3 months. You should know about this card the following things: 1. May not be the best overclocker if you get newer batches as confirmed by many newer reviews, as well as my experience. What it will do is transform immediately to a Ghz Edition after switching the BIOS to the 2nd preset. (this switch is on the outside of the card -- very small. 2. Extremely Cool running card on Air within a medium equipped airflow computer case. After pumping the voltage, for instance, to around 1.2, on load this barely gets above 69 C. On Stock settings (even the Ghz setting) this will have trouble getting above 61. 3. Noise -- minimal. At full 100% fans it can be liken to someone humming softly about 10 feet away. Very impressed with this. 4. Good looking design. 5. The updated version (rev 2?) requires (2) 8-pin connectors. My PSU only has a 8-pin and a 6-pin however the this Sapphire OC comes with a 6-pin+MOLEX-to-8-pin connector, which I have been using thus far. No problems with the latter setup. As much as I would want to put overclocking as a 'con', that would actually be taking something away from this card when, of course, it is not guaranteed to do anything above stock clocks. This card, out of the box, has a 2nd BIOS for which it is *guaranteed* to get to a Ghz edition clock. AMD is already saving you money for this one aspect. ----------------------------------- Overclocking (my card): 5/10 The most I could push this thing, without pumping massive voltage into it, was : 1150 on core and 1700 on memory. With stock voltage I could not get it above 1050 core. With a push to 1.2 I was able to hit the 1150 and no amount of voltage above would push it anymore. ASICS quality: 71%. This being said, the difference between a card that would OC to 1300 and my 1150/1700 is minimal. At the latter OC results, I am pushing 2300 Unigine and ultra settings on every game I have tried. This card, even though now outdated, is still fantastic for the current prices. Certainly a classic card that shown the quality of AMD, the company.
Cons: None.
Much Included With Such a Small Size
Pros: Almost owned for a year and have had nothing other than good reports to say about this PSU. For this review, you have to have a perspective of my system to judge what I have done to correctly 'push' this unit. Here is a layout: 3770k overclocked to 4.4Ghz at 1.18 Radeon 7970 OC to 1175/1700 4 Fans (3 120mm) (3) Hard drives - 2 platter 1 SSD (Samsung 830) Gigabyte Z77 UD3H motherboard If the above system runs properly you can tell that I have been able to juice my PSU probably up to 550w or so when heavy work is done (editing, converting, while playing games). There have been no whines, smoke, or crashes due to the PSU Note this is not a modular PSU. Size is fairly small and this fits within a Mid-ATX case.
Cons: None
Great Performance-to-Cost Ratio
Pros: Bought 2 for a dual screen setup. Neither had dead pixels and output a clear and crisp image. Picture: 8.5/10 The benefits to buying these screens are for the fact they are fairly inexpensive, they are large in size, and they are great in latency at 2 ms. For gaming this are great. No ghosting, or lag as demonstrated in my RPG games and quick, fast-paced, games.
Cons: The base is wobbly. Not a big deal to me as I am not moving them around much however, they will move with ease. Even after tightening the (1) screw under the base as tight as allowed lest I strip it out, it still feels unbalanced. In the base there is a slim 'neck' that connects to the monitor and it cannot sit in its 'seat' properly. This is why the monitor is not secure enough.
Quiet Fans, Nice Quality
Pros: This is a case of 120mm fans. The benefits on this particular brand are: 1. Quiet (I would say above average however not completely silent). Noise is: 8/10 2. Quality : 9/10. Have been using for almost a year and so far no sound increase or degradation in quality. Running this on a 620w PSU along with a 7970 and overclocked i7-3770k.
Cons: Does not output...or input as much air as I suspected.
The Controller For Your PC
Pros: With this controller the only thing left that will be different between PC gamers and Console gamers will be *some* games as this Xbox Wired Controller performs seamless with a Desktop. In Windows 7/8 plugging in the controller will be enough to install drivers--no need for a CD. It automatically picks up the controller and installs drivers. There is also no need for calibration. One of the benefits to console games is the controller and perfectly playing 'games'. However, with the power of the desktop and now, with the perfect controller, PC users will have their PC and console in one--as long as the games can all be ported. Until then you have a nice substitute. Construction: 10/10 Not cheaply made and is the 'original' feel and quality of the xbox 360 controllers. Fairly Heavy and has a green LED in the middle (like the originals) that stays lit up while you play. The USB cable is also strong and sturdy. 10/10 Great purchase and not just for Xbox games or console games.
Cons: Does not come in other colors.