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Darren E.

Darren E.

Joined on 10/28/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Outstanding Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: The 6Gb/s SATA ports make a big difference in I/O demanding applications (like gaming). Unfortunately I couldn't take advantage of the SSD caching feature which should increase I/O performance even further. Everything has run flawlessly for me, and I especially like the easy-to-use EasyTune software for overclocking.

Cons: I didn't have any problems, but the placement of the SATA ports can be an issue if you don't have adequate room in your case. Fortunately I had enough. My only real complaint was my older CPU cooler didn't match up with the holes in the motherboard so I had to use the stock CPU fan. It didn't occur to me that there isn't one universal hole position for all motherboards.

Overall Review: Great board packed with features for the price.

Most Critical Review

Not built to last

APC BR1300G Back-UPS Pro 1300 VA 10-outlet Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
APC BR1300G Back-UPS Pro 1300 VA 10-outlet Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

Pros: LCD display is informative. When it worked it keep the equipment protected and running during short-term power outages.

Cons: Unit worked for almost 2 years, then just shut itself off completely. It won't even function as a surge protector and/or PDU.

Works as advertised

NETGEAR XETB10GM-100NAS Xbox 360 Internet Connection Kit
NETGEAR XETB10GM-100NAS Xbox 360 Internet Connection Kit

Pros: Worked just as advertised. No software to install, just plug each into an electrical outlet and run the included Ethernet cables from each box to the router/console. Connection was solid while playing games and streaming video. I noticed no difference in speed over Xbox Live between this connection and my other Xbox 360 that is hard-wired.

Cons: None whatsoever.

Overall Review: I did not test this with anything but my Xbox 360, but I'm confident it would work with any device with an Ethernet port. This might be stating the obvious, but unlike a wireless network adapter, this does use up an Ethernet port on your router/switch, so be sure you have one free before using this.

Best cooler for my specs

AeroCool HT102 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
AeroCool HT102 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

Pros: This cooler met all of my requirements: copper coils, 92mm standard case fan for easy replacement, extra heat sink directly on top of the base, and mounting holes for a 2nd fan on the opposite side. None of the other coolers I reviewed met all of those requirements. The clearence on this cooler is perfect. No interference with memory sticks or the large northbridge heat sink that I have. The bracket that the fan attaches too is easily removable AFTER the motherboard is installed in the case to make fan replacement a snap. My CPU runs at 36C under heavy load.

Cons: My only complaint is the motherboard has to be removed to install this on my LGA775 CPU. But that's to be expected with the hefty mounting bracket that needs to be installed to support this cooler.

Overall Review: I did not use the paste that came with this product since I had some of my own already so I can't comment on the quality of it. The instructions were a breeze to follow (color pictures!). I love that fact that I can use whatever 92mm fan I want with this thing. Unlike some of the popular coolers where you HAVE to use their fan and nothing else. The fan has a 3-pin connector which will fit either a 3-pin or 4-pin motherboard design, so don't let that stop you from getting this product.

Good board

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard

Pros: When it comes to motherboards, the single most important factor to me is reliability. This was the obvious choice for that. It doesn't have all the frills of the expensive boards but it's definitely a board you can rely on. Never had one bit of problem.

Cons: My only complaint is the single IDE connector. It's not a big deal because right now I only have 2 IDE drives hooked up but I would prefer the option to add more if need be.

Overall Review: Solid board for the price.

Well worth it

XFX PVT84JU1D4 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
XFX PVT84JU1D4 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Pros: Runs cool (even with no fan) and runs reliably. No problems whatsoever. The nice part of having just a heat pipe and heat sink is you don't ever have to worry about a fan quitting on you and overheating your card, plus the lifetime warrenty seals the deal.

Cons: None at all.

Overall Review: DirectX 10 compatible :)