Joined on 03/14/04
nice unit for the price
Pros: 6GB RAM, 64 bit Win7, 12 USB ports, media reader, built-in wireless card, PS/2 keyboard/mouse ports, HDMI port, quiet
Cons: moderate bloatware needing removal, 5400 RPM Caviar Green hard drive
Overall Review: This is a nice little machine for the price and I am pleased with it - not for gaming, but fine for productivity work and web access.
UPDATED: solid board - when not DOA
Pros: see previous review
Cons: see previous review
Overall Review: This is an update to my previous review. I would like to thank ASRock support for responding. To ASRock support on the temperature issue: I am running the latest posted BIOS (1.40) and the issue still exists. Since that review I have ordered 2 more boards, both of which were good. One came with the older 1.10 BIOS and one came with the newest 1.40 BIOS already installed. I also need to take back one con from the last review: the system freezes turned out to be unrelated to the built-in video, but were the fault of a different add-in component. For the boards that have arrived good out of the box, the servers have been solid and stable and I have had no issues I can pin on the built-in video (which is slow, but functional). I am adding one star to the review - the only issues I have are the occasional DOA board and inaccurate temperature reporting.
2nd time acceptable
Pros: Cheap, acceptable output quality
Cons: toner adherence on labels, occasional smudged output, toner life stats sometimes questionable
Overall Review: Updating my two previous reviews, we used a second cartridge and are on our third. The cartridge life stats on the second one seemed more valid and it printed just over 24,000 pages before the output started getting light. Output quality on plain paper has been fine, but we printed a series of several thousand Avery file folder labels and the toner did not adhere well to those, flaking off easily with a fingernail. Overall, we are still buying these because of the low cost, but there are tradeoffs: occasional smudging, occasional bogus cartridge life stats, and toner adherence to surfaces other than 20lb plain copy paper.
works without issue
Pros: Installed in a machine running 64bit Windows 7 Home Premium with no issues. Solid signal strength.
Cons: could be cheaper, but otherwise none so far
Overall Review: Did not have any of the hassles installing with 64bit Win7 that some have reported. Always a little wary when I get a device (like this one) with a driver rev marked v1.0, but no issues thus far.
solid basic PC
Pros: Quiet, little bloat-ware, speedy enough for basic productivity work, 4 DIMM slots, 7200RPM HD, PS/2 ports, nice little PC.
Cons: no DVI port - RGB only
Overall Review: Not good for gaming. but a good basic PC at a cheap price for day-to-day computing.
works pretty well
Pros: Works with most batteries. Indiviudally charges batteries, each on its own circuit. Runs cool. Uses little power (measured no more than 4-5 watts using a plug-in power meter).
Cons: Charge cycle is long (several hours) and a single cycle is often not enough to fully recharge a battery. Will not charge a very depleted battery (one with a voltage output that has dropped below about 1.1V).
Overall Review: This has done what I wanted it to do, and though it is not "perfect" it has certainly paid for itself over the past year. I check each battery using a volt meter on the terminals when I take it off the charger and I put it back on the charger if the voltage is still below about 1.6V. It can take 3 charge cycles to bring some batteries back to life, and with each charge cycle being several hours in length, speedy it ain't. I have used Duracell, Energizer, and the Costco house brand batteries with good results. I can recharge most batteries about 5 times. I would say that a recharged battery does not have the life of a new one, even with the voltage levels back above 1.6V, but they do have most of the life of a new battery and given that it is only costing a few pennies to recharge them the economics make sense.
smooth transaction
Item was shipped promptly and was as advertised. Smooth transaction. Quality seller.