Joined on 07/25/06
Big, Quiet Drive
Pros: I've accumulated years of data and this drive was an excellent new home for it in addition to my newest software installations and media acquisitions.
Cons: Wish I had read the reviews here sooner so that I would have known about that jumper I should have pulled off to make it faster - but it has done great without, as well.
Overall Review: Computers with older hard-drives are just too slow for me to use anymore. And the size is nice too. I like knowing I can create virtual machines with 120gb virtual hard drives and not worry about filling up my storage space too soon.
Good OS, At The Right Price
Pros: A great OS. Very stable, very friendly. The OEM pricing is what made it a done deal for me.
Cons: A little too user friendly for me, and the change in the user interface has introduced a slight learning curve - but I got over it. Lots of updates to get for it already, but they are well worth it - especially SP1.
Overall Review: Most complaints about Vista are either not well-founded or not considering the proper context. This was a good step for Windows. Glad Newegg sells OEM versions or otherwise I'd be stuck with XP. (Full pricing on Vista is simply not worth it.)
Lots of Ram, Great Deal
Pros: Excellent buy! I doubled up for a total of 8gb, and I've never had a happier computer.
Cons: Can't speak to any, as I haven't tried anything like overclocking.
Overall Review: I bought two sets of the two - and with the rest of my hardware, I can easily handle running multiple instances of Visual Studio, plus Windows Media Player, and some Eve Online, without hiccups. All on Vista x64 Ultimate. You need RAM for Vista. Remember: If you are using 64-bit Vista, and your RAM + video RAM > 4gb, you will have serious problems. So start out with one stick of RAM, and add the others after installing the Vista hotfix or Vista SP1.
Good PSU, Cheap Connectors
Pros: For the 720W this thing can pump out, its a great buy. I also like that I don't have to have extraneous power connectors floating around in my case.
Cons: You will need the extra connectors included. The connectors that make this thing "modular" are rather cheap - the little pins like to break off and float around inside the plastic covering that you are expected to attach to the power slots on your drives. Just be gentle and you should be okay. (And if you break one, hope you have an extra, or *alot* more patience trying to get the broken plug to work.)
Overall Review: Supports my baseline Spider system really well - I haven't had any problems, much less ones from insufficient power. It likes to audibly complain if it loses AC power without a chance to run your fans for you for a little while after shutdown. Its not a big deal, I got over it.
Good Card, Good Price
Pros: This was a great buy! Worked out of the box with no problems, and maxes my Vista Experience Index (for graphics) at the current cap of 5.9.
Cons: None that I can think of.
Overall Review: Unreal Tournament 3 pushes my system to the limit (8gb GSkill RAM + Quad-Core Phenom) and I'm pretty sure its this card causing the loss of FPS. But I can run Eve Trinity with full settings on 1680x1050 without a hiccup. If you want more horsepower, spend more money on a single card or double-up. Also, it goes without saying - but you should always check the ATI/AMD website for the latest Catalyst drivers after installing a Radeon.