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Larry O.

Larry O.

Joined on 11/12/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Nice

NZXT Kraken X60 RL-KRX60-01 Ultra Performance Water/Liquid CPU Cooler 280MM
NZXT Kraken X60 RL-KRX60-01 Ultra Performance Water/Liquid CPU Cooler 280MM

Pros: My first use of watercooling. Didn't want to hassle with reservoirs, pumps and such. This was all too easy and provides great performance. Fans a little loud but not too bad. Pump is silent. Overall, very satisfied with purchase.

Cons: Would like to have an inline flow indicator. Being a closed loop system you can't really verify the pump is working except by the cooler temps. Of course, this would add to the price, but would be a nice touch. Control software could be better but is adequate for what it does.

Overall Review: One thing worth mentioning, if you're using an Intel LGA1150 socket processor as I am, the directions do not include the way to mount this. Simply use the mounting holes for the LGA1156 and everything will line up and mount perfectly with no issues.

Good Value SLI

MSI Gaming N760 TF 2GD5/OC G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
MSI Gaming N760 TF 2GD5/OC G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card

Pros: Good solid card. Cooling is more than adequate and nice and quiet. Overclocks easily, and easily surpasses specs on the EVGA equivalent. My first time using an MSI product and I'm very pleased. Running two of these in SLI and it blasts Crysis three in ultra mode. Should be good for a few years before upgrade and I didn't have to break the bank. Very pleased with the quality and performance.

Cons: None so far.

Excellent board

ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: 10 builds under my belt and an ASUS board in every one of them. Every one fired up first boot and this one has been no exception. Nice solid, HEAVY board. Layout is excellent and tweaking/tinkering software and hardware options abound. Supreme FX sound is great, no need for a soundcard. Plenty of on-board LEDs and even a digital trouble code display for troubleshooting should you need it. No probs with device recognition or hardware conflicts to date. SLI works beautifully with two gtx760's. BIOS updating is a snap and can be done 3 different ways. It would be tough to find a board in this price point with this many features. Highly satisfied.

Cons: None so far.

Solid case

Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - High Air Flow Test Bench and LAN Box Desktop Computer Case with ATX Motherboard Support
Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - High Air Flow Test Bench and LAN Box Desktop Computer Case with ATX Motherboard Support

Pros: I'm not a cooler master fanboy, I usually use thermaltakes in my builds. I was intriqued by the design of this case, however, and thought I would give it a try and it didn't disappoint. Case is STURDY. Double riveted at all joints, so even with the sides and top off it's rock solid. This case seems custom made for my kraken x60 280mm radiator mounted right in the front with no modding necessary. Plenty of room for push-pull fan configuration on the radiator and the motherboard tray is still easily removable. All drives mount easily with no screws, even the internal bays. Power and hdd lights are red LED just for you enthusiasts who like to color mod your case. Be careful with power supply selection. It says it will take a 700mm long but if you're going modular, you're better off with a 600mm deep. I'm using a Corsair 860W full modular AX (600mm) with no probs and a little room to spare. Airflow is fantastic with all the hot components on top and low-heat cables, drives, etc. on the bottom floor. Really no need to mount the top 200mm fan. Nice hard rubber feet that won't mar your desk top if that matters to you. Also nice easily removable filter screen for psu mounted on bottom of case. All in all, impressed and VERY satisfied with purchase. Good price for a quality, innovatively designed case.

Cons: None so far.

Overall Review: Cable management can be a little tricky but is manageable. Plenty of tie off points and it's not like you're going to be rewiring it twice a week or anything. With patience you can do a very neat build.