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Patrick S.

Patrick S.

Joined on 07/10/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 17
Most Favorable Review

It works

StarTech.com GCHDMIFF No HDMI Coupler / Gender Changer - F/F
StarTech.com GCHDMIFF No HDMI Coupler / Gender Changer - F/F

Pros: Connects two HDMI cables perfectly without any issues. Connections nice and tight.

Cons: None.

Most Critical Review

Doesn't work x2

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS

Pros: none

Cons: Neither of my systems would recognize this drive properly. The drive is shown in BIOS and WIndows for a few minutes then it acts like it doesn't exist. Even after RMA the second drive did the exact same thing. System 1 is GA-EP35-DS3L and System 2 is GA-Z77X-UD5H. Both exhibited the same issues. Very disappointed since this drive is rated so high.

Overall Review: I guess I'm going to have to eat the cost of this drive since shipping it back costs nearly the same amount that it does to purchase it.

Great fans

Noctua NF-F12 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (120mm, Brown)
Noctua NF-F12 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (120mm, Brown)

Pros: Much quieter than the stock fans that came with my Corsair H100i. Also keeps it cooler than the stock fans. Works well with the CorsairLINK software. No obnoxious LEDs.

Cons: Not quite as quiet as I would like when running at full speed. The colors Noctua uses doesn't match my case and does make it look out of place.

Overall Review: Perfect design for radiator cooling due to the high static pressure. They keep air moving through my radiator with ease.

Not the best

nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Steel HTPC 2000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Steel HTPC 2000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

Pros: It looks nice in my rack. Solid all-metal construction. HDD and optical drive mounting was convenient as the unit swings out.

Cons: Where do I begin? First, my PSU didn't quite fit as the fan grill would hit the rear 80mm fan on the case. Bending the grill on the PSU caused the 80mm fan to bind making it useless. The other fan is fine. The built-in card reader doesn't work. I tried plugging it in every available USB header but failed to be recognized. The HDD LED in the front isn't visible. You can see it working from behind the case but not visible from the front. MANY SHARP CORNERS!!! Not only inside the case but the rear expansion slots. Due to the front USB connectors being behind the lower door, it needs to be remained open for my infrared USB dongle to work. Would've been nice to have one built-in. The optical drive doesn't mount flush in the front. Thankfully it sits behind the upper door so it's not visible but it also has sharp corners on the opening. Some of the screw holes don't quite match up. They fit but are not straight. It is also missing some holes to fit my motherboard which makes plugging in cables a challenge. The board hangs on the right side and any pressure causes the board to flex. While the included fans are a nice touch and are silent, they don't move much air.

Overall Review: This case could be an overall nice box for an ATX HTPC but fails in quality control.

Awesome Cooler!

CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance Water/Liquid CPU Cooler. 240mm
CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance Water/Liquid CPU Cooler. 240mm

Pros: Easy to install, as long as you have a case that will fit this beast. It keeps my i7-3770k @ 4.6GHz under 80c whereas with the stock HSF temps ran around 80c @ stock 3.5GHz. CorsairLink software allows to change the fan speeds and LED color of the cooler.

Cons: Significantly more expensive then air coolers. Although they seem to move air, the fans are extremely noisy at any speed. Careful with the mounting as it can be vary easy to strip out the bolt holes in the radiator (thankfully mine holds tight), so don't overtightened. While the USB and fan headers on the cooler are removable, the power and fan sensor is not and can make proper cable management a slight pain.

Overall Review: I replaced the thermal paste with Arctic Silver 5 as I normally don't trust the paste that comes pre-installed to the cooler. I also replaced the fans with a pair of Noctua NF-F12 which keeps things just as cool and much quieter. Overall, this was a great buy. Despite having some minor annoyances I would highly recommend this.

It works

Nippon Labs MHDMI-6 6 ft. Premium HDMI Male to Mini HDMI Male Adapter Cable, Black
Nippon Labs MHDMI-6 6 ft. Premium HDMI Male to Mini HDMI Male Adapter Cable, Black

Pros: No issues connecting my EVGA 460GTX to my 46-inch. Much cheaper than I could ever find at local stores (they want $20 or more!)

Cons: None.