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Kenneth T.

Kenneth T.

Joined on 12/09/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 45
Most Favorable Review

Great Value

MSI Radeon HD 4350 512MB DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Graphics Card R4350-MD512H/D3
MSI Radeon HD 4350 512MB DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Graphics Card R4350-MD512H/D3

Pros: Low price. HDMI output. Comes with low profile brackets. Installation went smoothly. Displays HD TV on my 52 inch Samsung LCD just fine.

Cons: If you want to use the HDMI output, you need to have an S/PDIF cable to attach between the motherboard and video card. Unfortunately that cable is not supplied with the video card so you will have to obtain one separately. The Windows experience index value for desktop graphics is pretty poor but in actual use I didn't perceive any shortcomings. The rebate is a hassle but I submitted it. I hope it comes.

Overall Review: I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit. My previous video card was an 8500GT MSI card. That card gave a Windows experience index value of 4.9 for desktop graphics and 4.6 for gaming graphics. This HD4350 MSI card produced a value of 4.4 for desktop graphics and 6.1 for gaming graphics.

12/18/2010
Most Critical Review

Weak Sound

Bose Solo TV Sound system
Bose Solo TV Sound system

Pros: Easy to set up Remote works well even with a universal remote

Cons: Sound quality is ordinary at best. Unit shuts off after 30 minutes of inactivity. No control over bass or treble.

Overall Review: This was my first Bose purchase. I was under the impression that Bose was among the best in acoustics. I guess I was wrong. The sound quality of the Bose Solo is nothing at all to brag about. Huge disappointment for me. I would not recommend buying the Bose Solo to anyone. Look elsewhere. The auto turn-off after 30 minutes of inactivity is a nuisance and there is no way to defeat it.

Solid Signal

Tenda AC18 AC1900 Smart Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router
Tenda AC18 AC1900 Smart Dual-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router

Pros: Easy setup Automatic nightly reboot Small size

Cons: No bridge mode in factory firmware

Overall Review: I bought this router to replace my Asus RT-AC68U router, which was dropping internet signal from time to time. The Tenda AC18 router has been in operation now for one week, and it has not dropped the internet signal even once. If this continues, I will be very pleased. I am running the factory firmware and will probably continue to do so, but for the heck of it, I went to the DD-WRT website to see if the Tenda AC18 was listed in their database. It was not. Because of that, I am reluctant to load DD-WRT firmware onto this router for fear of bricking it.

Just Plug it In

TRENDnet Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapter Kit, Includes 2 x TPL-406E Adapters, Cross Compatible With Powerline 600-500-200, Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Plug & Play Install, White, TPL-406E2K
TRENDnet Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapter Kit, Includes 2 x TPL-406E Adapters, Cross Compatible With Powerline 600-500-200, Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Plug & Play Install, White, TPL-406E2K

Pros: Plug and play. Just plug it in and it works. If you go to Trendnet's support web site, you can download a very thorough user manual. Also available for download is a utility that you can use to manage these devices if you have several of them in use. No dropped signal so far. One adapter is out in the garage where it has already experienced -5 degrees F temperatures.

Cons: None

Overall Review: I am using these powerline adapters to send the signal from my modem, which is located in the garage, to my wireless router, which is located in the house. Connection is very solid through about 90 feet of house wiring and two circuit breakers. Both circuit breakers are on the same bus in the breaker panel, which I think is important for successful use of powerline adapters.

Good Ram

G.SKILL Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000) Desktop Memory Model F4-2133C15D-8GIS
G.SKILL Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000) Desktop Memory Model F4-2133C15D-8GIS

Pros: Good G.Skill quality. No problems.

Cons: None

Overall Review: My build is a compact Mini ITX, and much of the cabling passes over the RAM sticks. Things are crowded in that area. This RAM has no heat sinks projecting over the top of the RAM which could interfere with cables.

Good Quality

SilverStone SFX Series SST-SX550 500 W SFX 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supplies
SilverStone SFX Series SST-SX550 500 W SFX 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supplies

Pros: No problems with unit. Fan runs fairly quietly.

Cons: None

Overall Review: I thought the fan was supposed to stop running when load was low, but mine runs all the time no matter what.