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Michael L.

Michael L.

Joined on 07/13/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Works

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Memory for Apple Notebook Model KTA-MB667K2/2GR
Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Memory for Apple Notebook Model KTA-MB667K2/2GR

Pros: Upgraded a friend's MB Pro from 512mb to 2gb. The increased amount of RAM helped with OS X stability and load time issues. The RAM is also pretty stable and operates at a good temperature under load.

Cons: I can't load RAM into my brain to increase my memory potential.

Overall Review: I hate Apple :P

Most Critical Review

Terrible

WD My Passport Essential SE 1TB USB 2.0 2.5" Portable External Hard Drive WDBABM0010BBK-NESN Black
WD My Passport Essential SE 1TB USB 2.0 2.5" Portable External Hard Drive WDBABM0010BBK-NESN Black

Pros: * Decent Speeds * Physical size to drive capacity ratio * Not necessary to install any bloatware for it to function

Cons: * The Passport comes with a permanent virtual UDF drive (CD Drive) that you are unable to remove through formatting or firmware updates. * Bloatware takes up physical space on the drive, and I will reiterate this: you CANNOT remove it * The virtual UDF drive pops up EVERYTIME you plug in the drive unless you install the useless drivers and embedded bloatware and run the newly installed bloatware to disable the embedded bloatware. * Cheap USB cable and USB connection on drive. Over 10 Passports' USB ports have been damaged with light to moderate use. * Bloatware causes unforeseeable problems among different operating systems.

Overall Review: The bloatware I'm referring to is WD SmartWare. I would NOT recommend this drive, or ANY OTHER WD external drive that has WD SmartWare on it. As a member of the IT staff where I work, I have experienced the many flaws of this specific drive and others that have SmartWare. Despite WD's claims that you are capable of disabling the virtual UDF on this (and other) drives, the procedure for doing so REQUIRES you to install the useless junk that's provided on the drive. AVOID ENTIRELY.

Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse
Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse

Pros: - Smooth, comfortable design - Accommodates large hands - Great precision - Large Teflon pads on the bottom

Cons: - Sensitivity buttons don't get in the way, but are a little awkward to use. I don't use them much anyway.

Overall Review: I go back and forth between Logitech's and other brand's gaming mice all the time and I've found that this mouse is best for first-person shooters. I have another mouse with 17 buttons which is great for MMOs. Yeah, I like using different mice. Also works great for generic productivity, although it looks out of place in a work environment... unless your work environment involves video games. The M500 is pretty good for a generic mouse.

Great Price-to-Performance ratio

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T - Phenom II X6 Thuban 6-Core 2.8 GHz Socket AM3 125W Desktop Processor - HDT55TFBGRBOX
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T - Phenom II X6 Thuban 6-Core 2.8 GHz Socket AM3 125W Desktop Processor - HDT55TFBGRBOX

Pros: A lot of people here have already commented on stability, over clocking abilities, and speed in general, so I won't elaborate on any of those. Mostly contributing my 5 stars. Out of 18 builds, none have had any issues thus far.

Cons: I've never been fond of the stock heat sinks and fans, but they do their job for the common consumer.

Overall Review: Like most AMD / ATI products, you need to be knowledgeable about other components' brands and their qualities. A novice system builder should be aware that picking cheaper quality products (motherboard, RAM) will often reduce system stability, and is generally not the fault of the CPU. More often than not, problems originate from the motherboard.

Awesome

Logitech 5.1 Game Console Audio Adapter
Logitech 5.1 Game Console Audio Adapter

Pros: This little guy let me use the RCA sound outputs on my PS3 and Xbox 360 in combination with my 21" LCD. Sweet.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: One day, I might use the optical connections.. but this was a cheap and great alternative. Also, this little contraption came with the Logitech X-530 speakers I purchased through Newegg a while back.

Can't say anything new

Linksys WRT54GL 802.11b/g Wireless Broadband Router up to 54 Mbps/ Compatible with Open Source DD-WRT (not pre-load)
Linksys WRT54GL 802.11b/g Wireless Broadband Router up to 54 Mbps/ Compatible with Open Source DD-WRT (not pre-load)

Pros: Can't say much more than what other people have said. This router rocks.

Cons: Isn't N.

Overall Review: Heavily modifiable, from third-party firmware to memory and processor upgrades. Hardware modifications require computer engineering knowledge/experience.