emmanuel r.
Joined on 11/30/11
- 9
Excellent budget card for gaming

Pros: Price, performance. Upgraded a Galaxy GT 430 with this and Ive noticed a huge increase in performance. Some games that would struggle in 1080p such as Batman: Arkham Asylum now run smoothly. Other games like Starcraft 2 and CoD: MW3 run smooth maxed out. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 can run smoothly in 720p but slows down at 1080p.
Cons: Mini-HDMI instead of full HDMI connection. Nobody uses mini-HDMI, why would you do that?
Overall Review: Came with a DVI to VGA adapter and a Zotac sticker to put in your case. This is not a $200+ card and will not perform like one, but for a sub-$100 card, especially with mail in rebate, excellent value. Im running this on an i5-2500k CPU, 8GB Patriot Sector 5 RAM, Biostar H61MGC M/B.
There are better solutions out there, please pick one

Pros: Extends wifi coverage and has one port to use as an access point. Easy to setup.
Cons: Drops connections often. Coverage is not spectacular but I wasn't expecting magic due to the size of the device. I can hear the high pitched whine from the device that some people complain about.
Overall Review: I ended up getting a free generic wifi router when I purchased a modem on newegg. I set that router in repeater mode to extend my wifi network. That solution worked 2x better than the TP-LINK extender.
You will NOT be disappointed!

Pros: I was on the fence about what kind of performance upgrade I would get upgrading my old EVGA GTX 285 512bit 1GB card. All I knew was that I wanted to continue using EVGA products. This card was everything I hoped for and more. Running games like COD: BO2 in 1080p with all settings maxed. Games look and run amazing. I do not regret purchasing this card one bit and you wont either. Also came with Assassins Creed IV Black Flag and had no trouble redeeming my code, just follow ALL directions on the screen correctly.
Cons: I was having image quality issues using the DVI to VGA adapter that came with the card. Attaching a DVI cable to my monitor fixed the problem. You should be using the DVI or HDMI connections anyway!
Overall Review: I can hear the whining noise that some people complain about when I am benchmarking my video card but I have never heard the noise while actually gaming. Not enough of an issue to knock an egg off. My rig: i5-2500k CPU, 8GB Patriot Sector 5 RAM, Velociraptor HDD, Thermaltake 700W PSU, Alienware mid tower case. Gaming goodness!
Works great and runs very quietly

Pros: Bought this for a new build and I am very pleased with it. My Biostar H61 MGC motherboard detected this with no problems and I was able to install windows vista on a fresh hard drive. It runs very quietly, my last drive on my last desktop sounded like a jet plane taking off when it was reading a disc.
Cons: Wont stream DVD movies and software directly to my brain, perhaps one day...
Intel keeps setting the standard

Pros: Very fast processor and only requires 95W so runs alot cooler than a comparable AMD cpu. With the stock CPU fan (and 2 case fans in a push/pull setup) My cpu runs at 45C with a case temp of 25C - 30C after a long day of playing starcraft 2 and dead space 2 with graphics settings maxed out. If you cannot decide on Intel or AMD, go with the Intel and you will not be disappointed!
Cons: The stock CPU fan is kind of a pain to install on the motherboard. I wish it attached with screws to a mounting bracket but instead it connects to motherboard with plastic tabs. The fan is free and it works so I cant complain too much.
Solid motherboard for a budget build

Pros: I recieved this motherboard in an upgrade bundle paired with an i5-2500k CPU. I was a little skeptical, not having used biostar products before, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Very sturdy with solid construction, plenty of USB 2.0 and SATA connections, and zero problems or conflicts with the rest of my components. This mb is perfect a budget build.
Cons: This is a budget micro atx motherboard so its list of features and available slots is short, you get what you pay for.
Overall Review: I have this paired with an i5-2500k CPU, 8GB Patriot Sector 5 G Series RAM, Galaxy GT 430 1GB video card, and this makes a great mid level gaming setup on a budget. It was my first new build in probably 8 years so I was very happy that everything is playing well together.
