cover
Magic C.

Magic C.

Joined on 02/19/03

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 28
Most Favorable Review

Probably the *BEST* AMD Phenom II mobo

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: - Onboard video - 2 PCIe slots for CrossFireX (x8 if using 2 cards) - Lots of USB ports - HDMI, DVI, and VGA connectors ONBOARD!! - Lots of tweakable options in the BIOS - runs 1066 DDR2 memory just fine - able to overclock my AMD Phenom II 720 BE to 3.5Ghz (200mhz x 17.5) by only changing multiplier...and didn't change voltage one bit!! It was completely stable and probably could have upped it even more!! - Vista probably would have screamed using this hardware! - mobo runs VERY COOL and stable; overclocking is easy - 6 SATA RAID ports (S.M.A.R.T. only works in RAID mode)

Cons: It was hard to install WinXP using SATA/RAID controller drivers; gives blue screen when trying to install straight to SATA HDDs. I've slipstreamed drivers for the VIA 8237 SATA RAID Controller, and it was much easier. So, I had to use "Native IDE" mode for SATA in order to install Windows XP. No biggie though. I just installed XP using IDE mode, then moved cable over to RAID side. It works perfectly.

Overall Review: - memory runs best in "Unganged" mode on this board (MUST use EPP mode for 1066 speed) My Systems specs: - Antec 300 Black Steel Midtower Case - AMD Phenom II X3 720 @ 3.2Ghz (OC'd) - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H - SAPPHIRE 100265 HDMI Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCIe x16 - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA II - LITE-ON 22X DVDRW Burner - ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Windows XP SP3

Most Critical Review

VERY tight fit, better for mini-ATX rather than ATX

Gamdias VELA M1 Black ABS / SPCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Gamdias VELA M1 Black ABS / SPCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Cheap price

Cons: - Not enough motherboard mount posts came with the case for an ATX motherboard (9 required, but it only came with 4) - parts seem non-standard so you cannot use spare parts. If I could get more motherboard mounting posts and screws, I would would at least five this 4 eggs. Right now...only 2

Overall Review: VERY tight fit, better for mini-ATX rather than ATX

Nice MacBook Pro refurb

Apple Laptop MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (2020 Model) Intel Core i5-1038NG7 16GB Memory 512 GB SSD Intel Iris Plus Graphics 13.3 macOS 5WP72LL/A
Apple Laptop MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (2020 Model) Intel Core i5-1038NG7 16GB Memory 512 GB SSD Intel Iris Plus Graphics 13.3 macOS 5WP72LL/A

Pros: - Great Condition: no smudges or damage to keyboard, screen, or case. - Came in what seemed to be original packaging. - Charges using a USB-C cable. - Can be upgraded to latest MacOS.

Cons: - Bad battery: says I need to take it in for service - Will only work when connected to power cable (due to bad battery).

Overall Review: Nice MacBook Pro in pristine condition for a refurb. I wish the battery was at least 80% capacity or I would have given at least 4 eggs.

Great motherboard and quality

GIGABYTE X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI AM4 AMD X570 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI AM4 AMD X570 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: - Layout of MOBO is very good. - SATA ports along the bottom-right edge. - Built-in WiFi is good (one of the things Intel is really good at) - Heatsinks on all major parts. - 2oz Copper PCB

Cons: - Expensive, but well worth the cost - Audio ports are not color-coded, but this is to maintain conformity to the aesthetics of the motherboard.

Overall Review: - Definitely recommended if you have a higher-end Ryzen 3600 or higher.

Great gaming graphics card for the budget gamer!!

XFX Radeon R7 370 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Double Dissipation XXX OC Video Card R7-370P-2255
XFX Radeon R7 370 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Double Dissipation XXX OC Video Card R7-370P-2255

Pros: - 256-bit memory interface - 2GB graphics RAM - Plays many games @ 1080P without ANY lagging

Cons: - a bit longer than I expected...make sure to measure inside of your case!!

Overall Review: -Definitely recommended!!

Good laptop for the price and features, but not great as it could be....

Toshiba Satellite E45DW-C4210 RADIUS 2-IN-1 AMD Quad-Core FX-8800P 2.1GHz 750GB 8GB 14" (1366x768) TOUCHSCREEN BT WiDi WIN10 Webcam BLACK/BRUSHED METAL Backlit Keyboard 4.5 lbs
Toshiba Satellite E45DW-C4210 RADIUS 2-IN-1 AMD Quad-Core FX-8800P 2.1GHz 750GB 8GB 14" (1366x768) TOUCHSCREEN BT WiDi WIN10 Webcam BLACK/BRUSHED METAL Backlit Keyboard 4.5 lbs

Pros: - Touchscreen - Tablet mode...great for presentations! - WiFi AC - Newest AMD Carrizo APU

Cons: - Toshiba hamstrung the APU by pairing it with a single-channel memory design instead of dual-channel. This automatically kills the graphics horsepower by half.

Overall Review: Not sure why OEMs are killing the Carrizo product by pairing it with inferior parts like single-channel memory design (like the Toshiba) or b/g/n WiFi (HP Envy 15). At least the HP version has a dual-channel memory design though. You would think with the cost savings on the AMD APU in comparison to a similar Intel part that the OEMs would pack in a discrete graphics (for dual-graphics use) or pump up the APU speed, but they don't. Makes you wonder if they are doing it on purpose...