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Adam R.

Adam R.

Joined on 01/27/11

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review

Very nice

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR 80+ GOLD 750W Fully Modular EVGA ECO Mode Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply
EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR 80+ GOLD 750W Fully Modular EVGA ECO Mode Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply

Pros: Nice finish on the PSU itself, not sure what to call it though almost like a speckled matte. Very quiet, I leave ECO mode off so the fan is spinning but I can't hear it. very easy to cable manage being full modular. Prettty decent cable sleeving. Excellent packaging.

Cons: Probably the only con to this is that the cables have capacitors soldered onto them so sleeving might be difficult. From some reviews I've seen for older power supplies the purpose of the capacitors is to help with ripple suppression. Didn't think the added sleeving difficulty was enough to knock off an egg, just be aware of it before purchase.

STRIX 970 - Solid at stock speeds

ASUS GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5
ASUS GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5

Pros: Quiet whether using the 0-db setting or using a custom curve. The price for performance is amazing and the card is fairly compact compared to other non-reference designs. The single 8-pin means less cable-clutter in your case and possibly greater compatibility with systems that don't support more than one such cable. Monitoring the power-draw at the wall I am only drawing about 350 watts at full load with an FX 8320 and this GPU, both overclocked.

Cons: The single 8-pin seems to hinder the card's overclocking performance. I have for the first time had blue-screens, and I believe it is because the card is not getting sufficient power after overclocking. While monitoring the card in stress test if I turn up the fan then the card's frequency actually drops from the fan's increase in power draw. I am only able to achieve about 1312 mhz core before there simply isn't enough power to push the card any further. I am unsure as to whether the BIOS is preventing more power-draw but I doubt that as I have seen cards with stock BIOS reach higher core clocks.

Overall Review: If you aren't planning on overclocking then this card will do just fine, otherwise look elsewhere.

Rosewill RDRD-11006 3.5" HDD Mounting Kit for 5.25" Drive Bay
Rosewill RDRD-11006 3.5" HDD Mounting Kit for 5.25" Drive Bay

Pros: Cheap and they do what I expected them to do.

Cons: Very thin and flimsy metal, difficult to attach to hard drive, no room for rubber spacers to reduce vibration.

Overall Review: They are cheap and get the job done (barely). Be mindful if you have a steel case as when the hard drive is mounted the vibration will be transferred directly into the case and can cause annoying rattling sounds (mine is a Corsair C70).

Great Radiator fans

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

Pros: Purchased for use in a Corsair H100i (eventually to be upgraded to a custom loop) and they have made a gigantic difference. Improved temperatures and make as close to no sound as you can get while still maintaining good airflow.

Cons: Only con would be the price. I ended up getting only two of these because they cost so much per fan, but it is highly recommended if you need good radiator fans.

Overall Review: A lot of people say the NF-F12s have very little airflow but that's because these are optimized for static pressure, not massive airflow, letting them force air through thick radiators much easier, but it feels like they aren't as effective if you aren't looking at the temps.

Solid Value

COUGAR CF-V12HB Vortex Hydro-Dynamic-Bearing (Fluid) 300,000 Hours 12CM Silent Cooling Fan (Black)
COUGAR CF-V12HB Vortex Hydro-Dynamic-Bearing (Fluid) 300,000 Hours 12CM Silent Cooling Fan (Black)

Pros: I bought three of these for use in a Corsair Vengeance C70 as case fans along with 2 Noctua NF-F12s for my radiator. Main reason I went with these was to keep my costs down a little bit. Sleeved cable, black color, somewhat low noise, decent airflow, high-quality feel, pretty low-cost

Cons: They are louder than the Noctua fans but that was expected. only major con would be that the rubber pins are too large for the holes in the C70 and would need either a washer or one of the round rubber grommets included with the C70, not a huge con but just something to be noted.

Overall Review: I bought three of these for use in a Corsair Vengeance C70 as case fans along with 2 Noctua NF-F12s for my radiator.