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Anthony M.

Anthony M.

Joined on 11/25/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Works great!

StarTech SATADOCKU2E eSATA USB to SATA External HDD Dock for 2.5" or 3.5"
StarTech SATADOCKU2E eSATA USB to SATA External HDD Dock for 2.5" or 3.5"

Pros: Was pretty much plug-n-play for me. I hooked to my computer via eSATA and plopped a drive in it. I've been using it day in and day out for months now and haven't had a single glitch. Since the drive sits in the open air, cooling hasn't been an issue. Noise hasn't been a problem either. I've been very happy with this product.

Cons: Don't really have any...

Overall Review: In all fairness the one feature of this dock that I have not tested is whether my drives are truly hot swappable. I primarily bought this dock to use for back ups, and I only have one drive that I use for that purpose. So I have never had the need to remove the drive while up and running.

Most Critical Review

Cheap for a reason...

Dell P1911 Black 19" 5ms Pivot, Swivel & Height Adjustable Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 DC 50,000:1 (1000:1)
Dell P1911 Black 19" 5ms Pivot, Swivel & Height Adjustable Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 DC 50,000:1 (1000:1)

Pros: Inexpensive. Can pivot into portrait position.

Cons: Sometimes inexpensive is bad... Viewing angle is a huge issue. Pathetic max widescreen resolution. Pixel size.

Overall Review: I bought this monitor as a second screen that goes next to my 30" Samsung 305T. I picked it specifically because of its portrait mode and size. A 19" widescreen in portrait mode is exactly the same height as a 30" widescreen in landscape (about 16" of vertical screen). Sadly, I didn't bother to notice that the max resolution of this monitor. The closest widescreen resolution I can use is 1440x900 (or 900x1440 in portrait mode). My primary screen is perfect at 2560x1600... so 1440 right next to 1600 just doesn't quite cut it. But my number one gripe is the pathetic max viewing angle of the screen... especially in portrait mode. You might as well be wearing $12 polarized sunglasses when looking at it. If your POV drifts at all to the left, the screen goes dark and becomes utterly useless. Light distribution is ok, but I have to angle the monitor so that I always view it a little from the right so that I can actually see what is on it. Pathetic... Pixel size of .284mm is '

Good Card - A few concerns

GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Graphics Card GV-N680SO-2GD
GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Graphics Card GV-N680SO-2GD

Pros: Runs FX-heavy games and 3D apps with no problems. Never worry about frame rates again. ...probably.

Cons: Minor issues with heat. Video playback in #2 monitor goes wonky from time to time.

Overall Review: Bought this card as an upgrade to my aging EVGA GTX 570 HD. I do 3D and VFX work so I wanted a CUDA based card that would play well with Maya, Adobe products, and rendering programs like Bunkspeed. This card has done a fine job for the price. Also, when I find time to play the occasional game it is nice to be able to crank the FX setting to their max and still pull frame rates in the 60s or 70s. I have noticed that when I am running the system hard the card does live on the warm side. ...but this is hardly a surprise and I haven't had any shutdowns, so I prolly shouldn't list it as a con. But it is a concern... My only real gripe with this card is that I have had rare cases where my screens will flicker for a few seconds. A driver update seems to have helped. But even now, my #2 monitor will still occasionally go out of sync if I am playing video on that monitor. A quick power reset on the monitor resolves it for a while. It only happens on that screen and it only happens when I am running video (i.e. Netflix in a browser or a movie in Media Player..) I suppose I *could* look at the monitor as the problem... but I never once had this issue with my older GTX 570 doing the same things in the same monitors. <shrug> It's annoying... but it hasn't stopped me from working. Yet.

Excellent Machine

MSI GT Series - 17.3" NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M - Intel Core i7-4700MQ  - 16GB Memory - 128 GB SSD - Win 8 64-Bit - Gaming Laptop - (GT70 2OD-001US )
MSI GT Series - 17.3" NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M - Intel Core i7-4700MQ - 16GB Memory - 128 GB SSD - Win 8 64-Bit - Gaming Laptop - (GT70 2OD-001US )

Pros: Super fast. Handles heavy 3D applications very well.

Cons: Keyboard a bit fragile. Heavy as a cinder block...

Overall Review: I am a freelance 3D modeler and VFX artist. I needed a powerful laptop that could allow me to take my work on the road from time to time. This beast has been excellent in that regard. I can run Maya and my entire Adobe Production Suite without any lag or hiccups. One concern - the keyboard keys are a connected with very fragile plastic clips. I accidentally discovered this while wiping down the keyboard the other day. I managed to snag a key and it popped right off. The good news is that was easy to disassemble the popped key, put the clip back in the keyboard and then pop the key back over it. My only con is the weight. I knew going in that this machine is a brick... but it really is a factor if you have several bags to wrestle and this is in a case with a shoulder strap. Use a backpack if you can find one that fits this monster. I wish I had before taking this machine to Hawaii... after crossing several airports my neck was killing me.

It looks better than it is.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Silicone Over Hard Plastic Case Snap On Cover W/ Bottle Opener, ID Holder & Stand - Black
Samsung Galaxy S3 Silicone Over Hard Plastic Case Snap On Cover W/ Bottle Opener, ID Holder & Stand - Black

Pros: The case is nice looking, is made from high quality materials. I'd even say that the construction quality is quite good. And it holds your ID! ...sort of. But I gave it 1 egg anyway...

Cons: Even though the materials are nice and the construction quality of this case is very good, the functional design is BAD. Like as in BAD BAD. For starters, the first thing you notice about this case it that it is primarily a giant bottle opener. If there was any one feature in the world that I DON'T need in a phone case, it is that it opens old-fashioned bottles. Even worse, the opening created for the almighty bottle opener exposes the back of your phone to water, dust, small critters, small children, large children, monkeys with sharp sticks, etc... actually, now that I look at it again, EVERYTHING on the back of this case (including the ID card slot) is open to the back of your expensive S3. Not a smart design feature there... The fold-out stand is nicely constructed. Unfortunately you need a screwdriver or some fingernails made of steel to pop it out. That sucker snaps in tiiiight. The case is THICK. Your nice thin S3 will feel like a small book in your hand inserted into this case. Next is the fact that the entire back of the case is hard plastic ...oh wait, except for that METAL bottle opener! There is a nice felt liner on the inside to avoid scratching your phone... unless that monkey gets its sharp stick though one of the many large openings in the back. But if you drop your phone in this case, the shock is going straight through to the phone. ...assuming your phone stays in the case at all. Which leads me to my next issue with my new bottle opene-- I mean phone case... Ok, to be fair the corner sections of the hard case are actually sheathed in rubber, and this rubber wraps all the way around to the front to act as the "seal" (...but did I mention some rather large holes in the back of the case already?...). Unfortunately that lip only overlaps the edges of your phone on the front about 1/8 of an inch and the rubber is thin and soft so it does not do a good job of keeping the phone in. I actually managed to accidentally push my phone out of the case while using the large opening in the back trying to get my ID card out. I honestly think your phone could fall right out of this case if you dropped it. Sort of defeats the purpose of putting the phone in there in the first place... Final gripe(s): the ID card (or credit card) holder slot. This is the reason I bought this case... I wanted a case that would allow me to grab only my phone and go out running or biking or... anything! But more specifically I need a case that can hold my ID AND a credit card. This isn't the one. Yes it will hold a single ID card, but 2 cards won't fit through the tiny slot in the back. And good luck getting your ID out once it's back there. The slot is narrow and the hole in the back meant to help you get the card out doesn't actually help. However, since that slot only places your ID card behind the phone and not in a protected slot, when your phone accidentally falls out of the case your ID card will fall out with it! Huzzah

Overall Review: I bought this case and also Item#: 9SIA0UW0D98108 at the same time so I could compare and choose between them. Guess which one I am using! I also wrote a review on Item#: 9SIA0UW0D98108 if you aren't too tired of reading my gibberish. Carry on!

Well made case

Samsung Galaxy S3 Plastic Snap On Cover Over Silicone W/ Kickstand & ID Slot - Red/ Black Digital Cube Design
Samsung Galaxy S3 Plastic Snap On Cover Over Silicone W/ Kickstand & ID Slot - Red/ Black Digital Cube Design

Pros: Quality construction, excellent fit, nice looking, and practical. This is a well made enclosure for the S3.

Cons: A single ID card or 1 credit card in the holder on the back of the case is rather loose. The card could *possibly* (although unlikely) fall out if you held the phone upside down and shook it in just the wrong way. This could be a potential issue if you always put the phone in your pocket top-down like I do. However, because I carry my ID AND a credit card in the phone case, the 2 cards fit quite snugly and there is no concern about them falling out. If anything it can be a bit tricky getting them out. I wish they had more color choices... but that's a nit-pick.

Overall Review: I bought this case and Item#: 9SIA0UW0CE4021 at the same time because they were both inexpensive enough to warrant a comparison. After trying them both out, I quickly opted to stay with this case. It was a no-brainer. I made this choice for the following reasons: - This case actually wraps your phone in a silicon enclosure and then the hard plastic frame clips over it which means that my expensive S3 is MUCH better protected. The other case was mostly a hard backed hunk of plastic (and a metal bottle opener?? ...how useless it that?) with a loose rubber lip that ran around the front. If I dropped my S3 in that case the shock would be transferred straight to the phone, whereas the silicon tub in this case will take the brunt of any impact (except for a direct hit to the face of course...) In fact, the silicon rubber tub that encases the phone is so nice, you can even leave off the hard plastic cage that clips over it if you want to. It looks pretty cool just that way. - The silicon wrap is not water tight, but it does have flaps that cover the headphone jack and micro-USB port. The rubber also seals cleanly around the camera lens, speaker, and light on the back. No dust will get in there. That is important to me for a couple reasons mentioned below... - Aside from the potential issue I mentioned in the 'Cons' box above, I needed a case that could carry my ID and a CC in it. I am a runner and mtn biker, and I never carry my wallet when I do those things. But I ALWAYS carry my phone as my music player, GPS tracker, and in case I don't quite make it off the mountain with my bike (or me) in one piece. So to be able to have my ID and a source of cash with me by only grabbing my phone is critical. This case can accommodate both. I am very satisfied with this case.