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SHANE W.

SHANE W.

Joined on 10/10/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

So far so good...

WD Red Plus 3TB NAS Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s, CMR, 64MB Cache, 3.5 Inch - WD30EFRX
WD Red Plus 3TB NAS Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s, CMR, 64MB Cache, 3.5 Inch - WD30EFRX

Pros: I am running three of these so far in a QNAP 8 bay NAS in RAID6. I have had zero issues so far. Two were bare drives, one was a retail box. NO DOA's, all formatted, installed, and were rebuilt on the array in less than 24 hours.

Cons: None so far.

Overall Review: I'll post back if and when I experience issues. There are so many negative reviews, I wanted to post my positive experience for balance.

Most Critical Review

Will not run in my Gigabyte GA-H55USB3 v2.0 motherboard

G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8Q-16GBZH
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8Q-16GBZH

Pros: Heat spreaders are nice looking

Cons: Will not run in my Gigabyte GA-H55USB3 v2.0 motherboard. Updated BIOS, reset CMOS memory, etc. Motherboard is fine (runs with other RAM) and I suspect this RAM is probably fine if run in a different motherboard, but the two items do not play well together for some reason.

Modules changed despite same model number

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

Pros: Had 1 of 2 sticks go bad of my older version of this RAM. Thus my order of the new stuff - which did not work.

Cons: Older versions of this RAM model number run fine in my Gigabyte GA-H55USB3 motherboard, but newer versions (same model number) do not. Design architecture must have changed despite exact model number. NewEgg is charging me a $13.00 re-stocking fee to take back the RAM that does not work in my motherboard. May have to switch to ordering from my somewhere else.

Looked cool, but seized.

Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 - Sleeve Bearing 120mm Blue LED Silent Fan for Computer Cases, CPU Coolers, and Radiators
Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 - Sleeve Bearing 120mm Blue LED Silent Fan for Computer Cases, CPU Coolers, and Radiators

Pros: Nice cool blue glow. A bit noisy.

Cons: Failed. Simply seized.

Love it.

QNAP TS-869-PRO-US Diskless System 8-Bay, All-in-One NAS
QNAP TS-869-PRO-US Diskless System 8-Bay, All-in-One NAS

Pros: It's a NAS. It's a cloud. It's a DLNA media server. I can access it from any PC on my network. Or my iPhone. Or my i-Pad. It's an FTP server. It has integrated antivirus. It does all that and more. I love it. It is expandable, can do RAID level migration, RAID 0,1,5,6 or 10 and it has both hot swap and hot spare capability! Make sure you use NAS rated drives. I currently have 5 WD Red 3TB drives and one Seagate NAS rated drive in a RAID 6 array and one WD Red 3TB marked as a standby in a slot.

Cons: My only con is that this thing is capable of doing so much that it is overwhelming. It can do things that only a really techie person can understand...such as an IT or SYS ADMIN. That means it can do everything that I, a home user, wants it to do and more.

Overall Review: If you want a NAS and don;t wnat to have to buy again for a long time, this is the one to get. 8 bays, easy to set up, looks great, easy to install and remove drives, easy to use GUI menu through your browser, and iPhone / i-Pad access makes this thing a big winner. I even have my own FTP server and cloud hosted by this beast.

It's big, but easy to work on.

Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - High Air Flow Test Bench and LAN Box Desktop Computer Case with ATX Motherboard Support
Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - High Air Flow Test Bench and LAN Box Desktop Computer Case with ATX Motherboard Support

Pros: I have built many computers in the last ten years...probably 10-15. I just built PC's in three of these to give my kids "matching" PC's for Christmas. This case is one of the easiest to work on with one exception: Routing the wiring harnesses for power, SATA, etc. are a bit challenging. Lots of open space, good easy to fit big video cards...thumb-screw access, removable motherboard tray, power supply and drives separate from motherboard, and the top flips over to make a "test bench".

Cons: Biggest con is it does not come with the 80MM exhaust fans to keep the lower case cool, nor does it come with a 120MM rear exhaust fan. You should add all three. It does have two top-front fans. Second con (from reading reviews) is that it comes with a "hot-swap" card that your SATA 3.5" drives plug into...I read it is unreliable - so I immediately un-installed it and never even tried using it. It is big. The big square, so although it is shorter and not as deep as a tower, its footprint is big, so placement can be a challenge.