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Benjamin B.

Benjamin B.

Joined on 07/09/13

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review
Corsair Certified CW-9060008-WW Hydro Series H80i  Water Cooler
Corsair Certified CW-9060008-WW Hydro Series H80i Water Cooler

Pros: Fits, cools (a lot better than the 92mm aftermarket hs/f I had). Temperature sensors were reading +10c (relative, obviously) or more under ArchLinux and were irratic, now they're at +1c Idle. Don't remember what it was at under load before, but now it generally stays under +30c. I'm sure it could do better if I could use Corsair Link to increase the fan/pump speed (not that I'd want to, it's really quiet). This is with just one of the included fans. The Thumbscrew mount works pretty well, though it can be a bit difficult to get on if you have to twist the tubes. The sata power is an interesting idea, and works well in my case since I don't have many internal devices using the sata connectors. It's nice that the pump unit includes headers for fans, except...

Cons: The included Y-adaptor has two female ends instead of male, so they're pretty useless. Because of this, I had to connect the fan to the motherboard 4pin header instead, which kind of worked out (because I can control those headers from within Linux), but is still pretty annoying (what if I needed those for other fans, for instance? I only have two). There are no screws to mount the radiator if you only use one fan. I made due with some case screws that I canibalized from the HDD that I had to remove to make room for the radiator (see other thoughts), but could have been a problem if I didn't have those. Fan is a bit loud at higher RPMs (usually not an issue, but should be noted).

Overall Review: AMD FM2 motherboard with A10-6800k processor. SilverStone Sugo SG06 mini-itx desktop case. The radiator barely fits flush against the front of the case (I had to nibble a lot of the USB connector away to make it fit, and it's still pushing on it a good bit), and the pcb of my VisionTek 7770HD is flexed against the opposite side. I had to remove the CD/HDD tray altogether, and the slim DVD drive is now free-standing above it. :D There was no room left for the HDD (left side GPU, right side cables, back PSU, front Rad), so it's currently in an external dock, though if it was a SSD/laptop HDD I could probably have slid it under the radiator or GPU. Still, I'm happy with my purchase so far. I'm thinking I'll probably swap out my case next, since it's a really tight fit. I'll probably go for something shorter, but with a much wider base, so I have room next to the motherboard for the radiator, and above it for the GPU/HDD. I may just end up making my own case. ;)

Most Critical Review
HDMI Switcher 3-to-1 Pigtail Cable
HDMI Switcher 3-to-1 Pigtail Cable

Pros: It works...

Cons: A bit big, but I guess there's not much you can do about that. Electrical whine coming from either the cable or the monitor (hard to tell which; it's not there when the switcher isn't used, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's where it's coming from) when monitor is asleep and no other outputs are on. Red LEDs are really bright...but then, it's hard to find electronics that don't have obnoxiously bright LEDs.

Overall Review: When a device is turned on, it automatically switches to the output of that device. Can be a bit jarring, if you weren't expecting it, but usually when you turn something on you probably want to see what it's showing. Don't know if ethernet or audio works through it; my monitor has no speakers, is not exactly smart, and needs no network capabilities.

12/15/2013
SilverStone Sugo Series SG06B-USB3.0 Black Aluminum/SECC Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case SFX 300W with 80 PLUS certification Power Supply with 2 x USB3.0 ports (Black)
SilverStone Sugo Series SG06B-USB3.0 Black Aluminum/SECC Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case SFX 300W with 80 PLUS certification Power Supply with 2 x USB3.0 ports (Black)

Pros: Slick, sturdy, USB3.0, overall a nice case. Powersupply has a PCIe connector Vent on the side provides lots of fresh air to your video card, if you have one.

Cons: A bit bigger than I expected (but I guess that's necessary in order to fit a full length/height video card), but it still manages to feel a bit cramped, especially since the power supply isn't modular and there are a few (in my case) unnecessary connectors that are a pain to hide. The fan on the front isn't PWM controlled (and is a bit light-winded), so if you have a PWM motherboard and plan on using anything that generates a decent amount of heat (say, an a10-6800k, or a fancy video card), you may want to replace it. I had a bit of an overheating issue, though I can't say for sure that it wasn't due to me futzing the heatsink install for my CPU. I feel like they could have come up with a better configuration for the HDD cages; maybe allow you to remove the big drive cage and keep the small one, or allow some way to turn around your drive and still screw it down. Oh well... I find myself craving a custom bezel for my slim dvd drive (small gap all around, not quite flush), but that's asking a bit much. lol

Overall Review: As far as cable routing goes, I put as many as I could between the HDD cage and the powersupply, routing them into the unused portion of the cage if they weren't needed, or when convenient. I had to use a 90° SATA cable to fit my slim HDD in the cage next to the video card. If you plan to use a full size video card, be prepared to fiddle with it a bit before it settles into place. I just barely fit mine in. The motherboard I have doesn't help the matter, having most of the connections on the right next to the smaller of the two side vents. That leaves the top vent (mostly blocked by the slim drive and PSU), the other side vent (blocked by the PCIe card, if present), and the vent for the PSU itself (which you probably don't want to pump heat through). Just remember to plan accordingly. ;) As others have mentioned, there is no slim SATA adapter included. Can't think of anything else, so...system specs: Gigabyte GAF2A88XN-WIFI AMD A10-6800K 8GBx1 Crucial Ballistic Sport (low-profile) VisionTek RadeonHD 7770 GHz Ed. Runs like a champ, except for the afore-mentioned overheating issues. Considering the purchase of an aftermarket heatsink with heatpipes and large fins (would work better than stock with the large fan pushing air over it, I would think), but need to measure it out to see what will fit first. For now, I'm just running my APU with the multiplier set to 21 (about half) to reduce heat build-up. If anyone has suggestions in this regard, please post them to my question on this product (not there yet, but should be soon) and not in the review section. Thanks! ^_^

AV CVBS Composite RCA to HDMI Video Adapter Converter For TV PC PS3 DVD PAL NTSC
AV CVBS Composite RCA to HDMI Video Adapter Converter For TV PC PS3 DVD PAL NTSC

Pros: Works well, can be powered by a USB cable and a 500mA charger (or any USB port/hub). Really compact, appears to be solid construction. Very clean look. If there is any added latency, I couldn't tell.

Cons: Not sure if it's the NES's output format or the way this device handles it, but the deinterlacing doesn't appear to be done right. Looks like every other scan-line is to the left or right one or a few pixels.

Overall Review: If you have an old device that has no HDMI outputs, and you don't feel like spending a fortune to upgrade, this device is for you. Just don't expect it to make your VHS movies look like Bluerays. ;)

12/15/2013
Blu Dash 4.5 D310A Unlocked GSM Dual-SIM Android Cell Phone 4.5" Black
Blu Dash 4.5 D310A Unlocked GSM Dual-SIM Android Cell Phone 4.5" Black

Pros: It's more responsive than my old phone (an amaze), supports two sim cards, and has a decent amount of storage space (but you'll probably want an SDcard anyway). Big screen, doesn't choke on videos like my old phone. :D

Cons: Only has 500MB RAM, would be nice if it had at least 1GB; it's a bit annoying when your browser closes while browsing Facebook. Camera flash only has a single level of brightness, which is plenty bright, but would be nice to have. Also, camera has no physical zoom, only digital. And no capture button. No search button. Something I often reached for after switching from my Amaze is the search button next to the home button. I miss being able to search documents, contacts, etc., without having to first search for the application's specific search button, if it even has one.

Overall Review: Overall a nice phone. Hopefully when/if they upgrade to Kit Kat, memory usage won't be such a big deal. Power button is on the right side, rather than the top. Often hit it by accident when holding the phone in my left hand, like it better on the top, myself. Audio quality isn't quite as good as the amaze (probably lower quality speaker), but the headphone jack hasn't been damaged on this phone like it was on the amaze (dunno if that was a manufacturer defect or what...) from just inserting some headphones.

12/13/2013