Joined on 04/24/06
Works Great
Pros: Works wonderfully. My previous Netgear router kept randomly slowing down and dying. I'm not sure if it was my ISP dynamically changing my IP on me, but it was getting annoying. It'd slow to a crawl then stop. Firmware upgrades did nothing. I had a Linksys that worked ok back in the day, but that still required occasional restarts. As such, I wasn't about to give my money to either of those two again. This was dirt cheap and had acceptable reviews, so I gave it a shot. Setup was very easy. It's the usual 192.168.0.1 from your web browser, then following the quick setup instructions. There's no user name, just a password, with the default next to it in parenthesis. So, you'll never have to dig through and search for this stuff later on when you need it. It's easy for beginners, yet is also loaded with expert option menus/settings, too. Best yet, most options have a description next to it. It's one of the most user friendly menus I've ever seen on a router.
Cons: It's not as cool and metallic looking as in the picture here. It's a relatively cheap plastic outside. So, don't buy it for its looks, though it is still pleasant to look at. Nothing special though. As someone else said, the AC power plug on the back is L-shaped. You can't face it left, as the antenna is there. Facing it right blocks/hits LAN port 4. Face it down, and and it sticks out past the casing, so the casing won't sit flat. Facing it up leaves it slightly visible. So, if you're one of those rare people using all 4 ports, expect this plug to be at an awkward angle cosmetically. No biggie. I just wanted to fully describe it.
Overall Review: I'm not sure if I like this because it's a good router, or if I just like it because it works correctly and none of my other routers ever has. So, for lack of aggravation, it gets one of my uber rare 5 star reviews. I can't see any way to improve it, other than the casing, which is decent, and I could care less about. It has a ton of status screens and options to monitor, like connection subscription timer to see if my ISP is about to renew my IP address soon. That'll help to narrow down connection issues if any ever arise like my previous routers had. I'm an electronics guy, but don't know much networking. But, this router seems very well designed and I would definitely choose it over the major brands if I had to do it again. Oh, the power cord is a slim cord, no bulky AC adaptor component. A novice should be able to just follow through the quick setup and get connected. Note: I had to reset my cable modem the first time to detect the connection, and retry once. Perfe
Not bad, but a little noisy
Pros: Runs cool (~50 C), occassionally hits 55 C but will drop right back down when the fan picks up. I used the Radeon software, and it easily overclocks from 770 to 800 with no noticeable temperature changes. A great improvement from my last card's 75-85 C range.
Cons: It's quite large, but it fits my case. Also, they didn't supply any power adaptors, so I need to find and order some separately when I go for crossfire. The fan is also loud for a moment on startup while things are initializing, and brief moments where the gpu breaks 55 C and has to cool down. I'd say it's about 25dB cruising at idle, but jumps to 35dB when it's under load and had to drop temps. It does that about...every 10 minutes for 5 seconds maybe while gaming. I like my case quiet (under 25dB), so anything over 30dB bothers me. Still though, the cooling looks better than everything else in the price range, so I'd rather a peep here and there than overheating.
Overall Review: Not sure if it's a noticeable improvement from my last card, a 8800GTS with 640mb. Framerates seem about the same. I'm averaging about 50fps in Left4Dead, which jumps to 120 or so in empty spots. Lowest is 40 maybe. I never recorded framerates with my old card, but it feels about the same. World of Warcraft is also about the same as my old card, but I think I'm limited by my cpu/ram/mobo now. So, performance is about average for the price. Everything is smooth for gaming, but it's still not the increase I expected from the upgrade. If you're running a single card, I'd go for 1GB.
Not as good as it looks
Pros: Very small. Decent price for 16GB and retractable. You get what you pay for, they just misrepresent it as more. I'm seeing 8-9MBps on a transfer of assorted docs/pdfs/pics to the device.
Cons: Doesn't look and feel nearly as good as it does in the pictures. The picture has a leather look, and the description says "leather-like texture." So, I assumed a pleather or some kind of fake fabric. Nope. It's cheap plastic, the whole thing is two plastic pieces molded into that shape, then snapped together around the memory stick. It has a light, cheap and hollow feel to it. My coworker said it felt cheap, that was her first comment.
Overall Review: I originally gave it 3-4 stars for this. I expected excellent, and it was average. Then I noticed if you search for pictures, the pictures they provided were clearly photoshopped or doctored. When you look at the back of the stick, with the connector extended, you see all the round imperfections or whatever, from when they removed the plastic from the mold. The picture doesn't show them. They're not a big deal at this pricepoint, I'm just annoyed they tried to hide it. That drops my view of it from a 3-4 to a 2.
Works with WD Live Hub
Pros: Works with my Western Digital Live Hub. Plug and play....but requires an extension if you want to fit it in the rear port (too big)
Cons: It's your average USB wireless dongle. It's just a little wide and may not fit in some tight USB locations. It is cheap though.
Not bad
Pros: Not a bad knife. Does its job. The file works well and is durable
Cons: The red paint flaked off mine in a spot before it arrived. I thought it was anodized, I guess not. Also, the blade has some play in it (not held snugly), so it's not great for fine cutting.
Not bad, not amazing
Pros: They're good in terms of headphones, but not as amazing as others would have you believe. They're about on the skullcandy level for sound. Excellent for value, but nothing amazing. Probably comparable to $25-35 sets. My personal feeling is that the skullcandy is a hair better for bass response, but these have a better quality in the wiring and connector.
Cons: Don't seal as well as expected. Especially with a helmet, which dislodges. My search continues.
Overall Review: I have major earwax issues. eww.