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Peter D.

Peter D.

Joined on 06/19/02

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 11
Most Favorable Review

Powerful, reasonably-priced card

MSI NX8800GTS-T2D640E GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
MSI NX8800GTS-T2D640E GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Pros: Insanely powerful: runs every game I throw at it (including Supreme Commander and Oblivion)maxed out at 1280x1024 (LCD monitor) and 1360x768 (HDTV) without any slowdown. Reasonably priced for a high-end card after the rebate. Massive heatsink, but the card is surprisingly whisper-quiet. DX10/SM4 support means the card is somewhat future-proof, and ready for next-gen games like Crysis. More expensive than it's 320mb little brother, but I think the higher price for the extra VRAM will be worth it in the long run...

Cons: Gargantuan in size. It's both long and thick, so it may obstruct the slot next to it. Make sure you have a case large enough to handle it. Not sure of the exact power requirements, but they are high, so I bought a PC Power and Cooling 610W to be safe.

Overall Review: A great card for those looking to get an early start on next-gen, with a nice rebate to boot! C2D E6600, 2GB Corsair XMS DDR2-800, Intel D975XBX2, 640mb MSI GF 8800GTS

Most Critical Review

Corsair is cutting corners...

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4

Pros: Runs at 4-4-4-12 @ 2.1V with no errors in memtest 86+ on my Intel 975 XBX2. Should be fine for your average user.

Cons: Probably not for overclocking. Corsair pulled a bait and switch. They used high quality Micron D9 ICs in the early revisions that were sent to reviewers. They then switched to garbage ProMOS ICs that you typically find in el cheapo RAM so they could make more money. This is extremely deceptive and scummy on their part, and probably explains the high defect rate that others are reporting with this memory. I only learned about this recently, and feel a little bit ripped off.

Overall Review: The rebate is nice, but at its core this is basically value RAM that should already be cheap in the first place.

Excellent gaming monitor

SAMSUNG 22" WSXGA+ LCD Monitor 2 ms (GTG) D-Sub, DVI-D 226BW
SAMSUNG 22" WSXGA+ LCD Monitor 2 ms (GTG) D-Sub, DVI-D 226BW

Pros: 1680x1050, large, bright display, looks cool with its glossy finish, 2ms response time, low price

Cons: slight blue tinge, some light bleed on dark backgrounds (but that's par for the course for cheap 22 inch monitors from what I understand). Even with its faults it's still light years beyond the four year old 17 inch LCD I was using which was tiny, had bad light bleed, and a horrid response time of like 20ms.

Overall Review: My C2D E6600/GF8800GTS system was wasted on my old 17inch, so this monitor was practically obligatory. If you're looking for a large, cheap display with a fast response time for gaming, look no further.

best case I've ever owned

Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: cool and whisper quiet, 3 x 120mm fans, hdd cages simply slide out and optical drives use rails and are snapped into place, uses grommets and three layer construction to dampen noise, drive cages and even the PSU are sound dampened, power supply on the bottom is a welcome change, high quality construction with no sharp edges, great cooling for CPU as it's situated right between two 120mm fans, compartmentalized thermal zones for different components, simple and elegant exterior design with no gaudy junk like a window or flashing lights, easy to add additional fans if needed (as in an SLI setup)

Cons: no slide-out motherboard tray, running power cables from the power supply compartment up into the main compartment through a tiny hole is a nightmare, power supply compartment is small and probably better suited for modular power supplies (I had to practically ram my big PC Power and Cooling PSU into place), with the power supply on the bottom some cables may just barely reach or not reach at all and require extensions, power cables all come out right under the bottom PCI slot and form a messy clump

Overall Review: This isn't a case you can put together in your sleep. It's going to require some more planning and effort than usual to use this case. But if you are willing to deal with a few headaches while building, you are rewarded with an intelligently designed and exceptionally cool and quiet case. Core 2 Duo E6600, 2GB Corsair XMS DDR2-800, Intel 975 XBX2, MSI 640mb 8800GTS, PPC Silencer 610W

Do NOT upgrade the firmware

D-Link DGL-4300 Wireless Gaming Router IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g
D-Link DGL-4300 Wireless Gaming Router IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g

Pros: Seemed very reliable for the first few months I owned the thing...until I decided to upgrade the firmware to version 1.8.

Cons: Version 1.8 of the firmware bricked my router. I tried resetting it, but to no avail. D-link's tech support was awful. A woman with broken english made me jump through hoops for a good hour, long after it was clear the thing was dead, and I had to beg and plead for an RMA.

Overall Review: Between the bad firmware and the bad customer service, I would never buy from D-link again. They don't stand behind their products. There's no reason a firmware update should have gone bad if they had tested it properly. I'm also angry because the DGL4300 was quite expensive. I thought I had finally found a good router too. Why are all wireless routers such pieces of junk?

Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Excellent Layout, rock-solid stable just like you would expect from Intel, superb documentation written in clear English (not horribly butchered EngRish) with a huge fold out diagram

Cons: On the expensive side for a 975X board, but you get what you pay for, overclocking features are modest

Overall Review: C2D E6600, 2GB Corsair XMS DDR2-800, MSI GF8800GTS