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Michael M.

Michael M.

Joined on 09/20/10

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Still Evaluating

ARRIS SurfBoard SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
ARRIS SurfBoard SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem

Pros: Blazing fast; definitely no problems keeping up with 45+ mbps down speeds.

Cons: Runs a little warmer than some other DOCSIS 3 modems, specifically Cisco modems.

Overall Review: Had heard from a few techs from the local ISP that earlier revisions had horrible QC and high failure rates; they had to pull them from their offerings. They've switched to Cisco. On a brighter note, mine seems to be doing well, and since there is no way to check the hardware revision I can only assume/hope I have a later one. Evaluation will continue.

Most Critical Review

Was great while it lasted.

NETGEAR WNDR3700-100NAS V.5 Wireless Gigabit Open Source Router/ USB port Rangemax 2.4/5 GHz Simultaneous N600 Dual Band IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab
NETGEAR WNDR3700-100NAS V.5 Wireless Gigabit Open Source Router/ USB port Rangemax 2.4/5 GHz Simultaneous N600 Dual Band IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab

Pros: Great throughput at first, looks decent, and priced within the competition. Firmware is decent and if the Netgear firmware isn't up to task for you it is supported (all revisions 1-4) by OpenWRT/DD-WRT.

Cons: Starting failing after about 4 to 5 months. Losing throughput/speeds; I'm noticing a [fairly random] drop of 30-85% compared to directly wired to the modem. Aforementioned measurements were taken wirelessly on a 300mbps 5Ghz N band on channel 161 with no other broadcasts on that channel using AES encryption at a range of 2-5 feet and wired with a 6' CATVI cable. Tests were conducted over a period of ~2 months with a Mid 2012 Macbook Air, 2011 Macbook Pro, 2nd gen iPad, iPhone 5, Dell Latitude notebook, and a Samsung Galaxy Nexus - results were consistent. Also recently I've noticed dropping transmit power/range that is more than minimal.

Overall Review: I had heard of similar problems with revisions 1 and 2; they were supposed to be fixed with rev. 3 (like mine). Apparently not. Also, stock firmware has been used since purchase.

Good bang for your buck.

Turtle Beach Ear Force XC1 XBOX 360 Communicator Headset
Turtle Beach Ear Force XC1 XBOX 360 Communicator Headset

Pros: Decent sound and mic quality, definitely worth it for the price.

Cons: Ugly as all get out, feels extremely cheap, and not particularly comfortable.

Overall Review: Cant beat it for the price.

Top Notch

SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PD256BW
SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PD256BW

Pros: Blazing fast and good endurance. Samsung has a great reputation with their SSDs and this one is no exception.

Cons: None

Overall Review: Definitely worth the money over the regular 840 series due to the use of MLC NAND instead of the slower and less durable TLC.

TV Clip Mount Stand Holder for Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor
TV Clip Mount Stand Holder for Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor

Pros: Fairly priced and effective. really the best solution I've found. Plenty of adjustment. Kinect sensor is sturdy when attached.

Cons: item was broken into pieces upon arrival. Had to put it back together with Gorilla Glue. Frustrating, but somewhat expected for overseas products.

Overall Review: Honestly I think its just as functional/sturdy being glued back together as it would be normally, and probably not worth the RMA trouble based on the price of the unit or the difficulty of the repair. As I mentioned earlier though, definitely frustrating.

MASSCOOL UHB-2233 Aluminum 2.5" Black SATA I/II USB 3.0 External Enclosure
MASSCOOL UHB-2233 Aluminum 2.5" Black SATA I/II USB 3.0 External Enclosure

Pros: Great price, simple, and worked out of the box. Still working after almost a year. Looks halfway decent.

Cons: Not quite precision engineering. The USB port on the case doesn't quite line up perfectly, and as a result the cable has to be inserted on an angle.

Overall Review: Completely worth the price - no real complaints besides the not quite perfect lineup of the port.