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Neil B.

Neil B.

Joined on 03/28/01

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 12
Most Favorable Review

sounds good, bad rebate processing

Pioneer SW-8-K 100W Powered Subwoofer Single
Pioneer SW-8-K 100W Powered Subwoofer Single

Pros: The sound is great. It has inputs for regular speakers, which I needed because I'm using an old receiver that does not have a sub out.

Cons: -The rebate is in processing and has been for 2 months. It's beyond ridiculous and the others submitted that day were in my hand months ago. -Toddlers can easily put things into the front-facing port. A grill or at least a cross-bar would have been nice. -The auto-on occasionally "ons" when it shouldn't.

Overall Review: I'd get it again. For the price, it is a fantastic supplement to any system. It does not shake you like a 12" fancy-name sub, but it does 80% of the job for 1/8 of the price! We have stressed this unit and have had no issues with it.

Most Critical Review

great for a year

ASUS RT-N16 802.11b/g/n Gigabit Wireless Router up to 300 Mbps DD-WRT Open Source support with USB Storage, Printer and Media Server
ASUS RT-N16 802.11b/g/n Gigabit Wireless Router up to 300 Mbps DD-WRT Open Source support with USB Storage, Printer and Media Server

Pros: Awesome solid, stable...until WAN went out. It acts as if nothing at all is connected to it. I literally hadn't touched anything about this network for a year. It was great. I guess something near the port is not made with longevity in mind. I have to look at replacement through Asus.

Cons: The WAN port's longevity.

Overall Review: My WRT54G 1.1 came out of a box and is an excellent "until the warranty comes back" device. It still works. That router was seriously overengineered!

works, seems solid

Kensington PowerBolt 3.1A Dual (2-Port) Fast USB Car Charger for  iPhone 5/5s/5c & iPad K39705AM, includes one detachable Lightning to USB charge and sync cable
Kensington PowerBolt 3.1A Dual (2-Port) Fast USB Car Charger for iPhone 5/5s/5c & iPad K39705AM, includes one detachable Lightning to USB charge and sync cable

Pros: Not using it for an Apple product (it had a great rebate), but the adapter provides stable power to my Nexus 4. No audible screech/noise. It is reasonably small and has a pleasant/non-blinding LED.

Cons: None. Well, price, if not rebated.

Lasted 4 years, then let out smoke!

Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-350 350 W ATX12V Power Supply
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-350 350 W ATX12V Power Supply

Pros: It worked pretty well for 4 years.

Cons: When it went, it filled one floor of our house with misty smoke. Everything still stinks. I mean it REALLY stinks. The inside of the computer reeks even after a thorough cleaning. Having the fans on releases a ridiculous stench. I am happy my wife noticed it and unplugged everything. This could have evolved into a fire.

Overall Review: This is common with SP350s. I cannot believe mine lasted so long, but it was always in a low-wattage and minimal usage home computer. After reading about how poorly made these are (caps and all) I will NEVER buy an Antec again (I have had probably 5 or so over the past decade). I had considered them to the pinnacle of quality as they were years ago. I sure don't think this way anymore!

It was NOT a bad cap!

MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: It is cheap, works, and it really fast.

Cons: It comes from the factory with a frustrating BIOS setting that can lead you to thinking it is defective. I went through the hassle of an unneeded return and an MSI employee who did not know the real fix (below).

Overall Review: Thanks to the previous reviewer from the first reviewer. It is not just a squealing noise, it is (when connected via VGA only, DVI is fine, and HDMI likely would be too) something that makes the display shake several pixels side-to-side like crazy. SOLUTION: BIOS>Overclocking>CPU Features>Set C-state to disable ended up not only getting rid of the noise, but it got rid of the video shaking too!

OK, but got one with a bad cap

MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Cheap, has all the connections you likely need (or headers, if not). Seems fast.

Cons: I had to return one due to a noisy cap that feeds the on-board graphics (chirpy noise that coincides with waves in video out on cap between video out and CPU--case otherwise empty, including testing with 2 new PSUs). I hope it was a one-time bad board.

Overall Review: This is the board that Micro Center uses in it cheapy bundles.