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Kevin C.

Kevin C.

Joined on 11/20/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 39
Most Favorable Review

REALLY nice card for the money

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 512MB DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Ready Graphics Card 100252HDMI
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 512MB DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Ready Graphics Card 100252HDMI

Pros: First let me say I'm not a gamer so don't read this thinking it's about gaming. This card installed into my Win7 x64 system extremely easily. The motherboard had ATI HD3450 video embedded graphics already which kept the machine rating at a 3.4. After installing this card (and using the same Win7 beta drivers) the machine scored a 4.8. The extra horsepower is VERY noticable when using Photoshop or editing video files. Since this card is fanless it contribute NO noise at all. It also came with 2 low profile brackets. One for DVI/HDMI and one that only offers DVI.

Cons: None really. Being fanless you'll want to install it in a case that already has good cooling. That's about the worst thing I can say so far. Oh wait, I forgot. The heat sink is mostly on the front side of the card, but there is a small portion on the back side so if the PCI-e slot on that backside needs all the rom it won't fit. Are either of these really a con? Not for me.

Overall Review: At $29 shipped after MIR rebate and email promo discount this thing is a no-brainer. As of June 2009 the current ATI Win7 x64 v9.5 Beta drivers are pretty stable. I'm pretty happy with this card

Most Critical Review

Decent case

Spire Coolers SP121-NEB Aluminum 3.5" USB + IEEE 1394 External Enclosure
Spire Coolers SP121-NEB Aluminum 3.5" USB + IEEE 1394 External Enclosure

Pros: Small size for 3.5" case, fanless, toolless entry into case, no stupid bling-bling lights.

Cons: fanless (yes, I listed it for both)

Overall Review: This case should NOT be termed as an "Aluminum" case. It is really a plastic frame with a thin aluminum skin.

Great little router

ASUS RT-N12/B1 SuperSpeedN Wireless Router with 2x5dBi Antenna / Open Source DDWRT Support IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g/n
ASUS RT-N12/B1 SuperSpeedN Wireless Router with 2x5dBi Antenna / Open Source DDWRT Support IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g/n

Pros: As part of an IT staff that has to make sure our guest Wifi access is always working I'm more interested in RELIABLE access than absolute speed. Guests make complaints when there is NO access, but rarely when the speed of access is less than full rated speeds. This is my second RT-N12/B1 router (I've just purchased two more). The first has gone months without needing to be rebooted. This one has gone about a month. I have several Linksys that need to be rebooted every week. I have a couple D-Links that also need rebooting every so often. Asus routers have been the most reliable so far. I have a pair of RT-N10s that haven't needed to be rebooted in almost 2 years (since they were installed). I have one RT-N16 that went 9 months. No other manufacturers routers have been able to do this in our environment. This makes me happy. Their speed is also comparable to others.

Cons: As far as the RT-N12/B1 is concerned the only downside for me is the temptation to play around with DD WRT or Tomato firmwares.

Overall Review: Overall all a great value for $40. Make sure to update to the latest ASUS firmware.

Easy Audio for your HackIntosh

SYBA External USB Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows, Mac, Linux Extra Audio Source with 3.5mm Audio Mic Jack C-Media Chipset SD-CM-UAUD
SYBA External USB Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows, Mac, Linux Extra Audio Source with 3.5mm Audio Mic Jack C-Media Chipset SD-CM-UAUD

Pros: Plug it in and it works. Seriously. After futzing around with kexts and hacks to try and get audio working on a Dell Vostro 220 running OS X 10.6 or 10.7 for months, for $9.00 ($7.00 on sale) this is a NO BRAINER. No drivers, no firmware, no kexts. Just plug it into a USB port and speakers and you have sound. You don't even need to reboot for it to start working.

Cons: For a Hackintosh build the only down side is that it is a USB device and it sticks out. So, we're talking esthetics, not function.

Overall Review: Wish I had known about these earlier.

Good board for Sandy Bridge ONLY

MSI H67A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI H67A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Great feature set in a value priced motherboard when coupled with the $20 rebate.

Cons: Only works with FIRST GEN, Sandy Bridge CPUs. Will not work with Ivy Bridge processors. So be aware which CPU you buy this board for. With an Ivy Bridge processor installed it won't even post. It will just cycle power on, four beeps, power off, power on, 4 beeps, power off, etc, ad infinitum.

Overall Review: Newegg is usually great about product specs in their ads, but missed the boat on this one.

So far a rock solid router

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: We're using this unit to connect 12 Dell 2305 All-In-Ones to a networked database. So far, this unit has performed flawlessly. No dropped connections, no locked up router. Just solid performance.

Cons: So far, none.

Overall Review: We've had several different brands and models of wireless routers over the years. Some have been really horrible, some passable, few rock solid. So far this router seems to be in the latter group. Although it's still early in the game I think if I buy any more routers this ASUS will be on the short list.

12/13/2011