Joined on 08/14/03
Awesome cheap chip
Pros: Great price/performance ratio with this chip. Low power, runs cool, great for a HTPC or entry level gaming box. Wolfdale w/ 2MB L2 Cache for under a hundred bucks, what else can I say?
Cons: The motherboard I bought with it did not support 45 nm procs (vendor site said all 775 chips, but their support said otherwise). Not really a con, but still a caveat to be aware of with this chip.
Overall Review: Just make sure your mobo supports 45 nm CPUs.
Alright case for the price
Pros: Good case for the price*. Looks nice, keeps your hard drives cool, comes with lots of fans,
Cons: *to install the HDDs, you have to remove both side panels to gain access to the 4 screws that mount each of the harddrive enclosures. You can then slide them out (through the front by taking off the bay covers). Once you have them out, you need a magnetic screw driver to actually be able to fish the screws down to where they need to go. In an age where cases have quick release/screwless HDD mounts/rails, this whole process is beyond words...[literally...newegg's language filter picked up my original review as offensive/obscene].
Overall Review: Case is still a deal if you can get it for under fifty w/ S&H as long as you aren't adding/working on drives very often. Also, the front door is a little cheap and only stays closed with a weak magnet.
OK cheap duster
Pros: It fit everyone between 5'8" and 6' who tried it on. Same one as in the Halloween store but for 20% cheaper.
Cons: Very thin, cheap material. If you are under 5'8", you will probably step on and rip it. The hem was not cut in a straight line, and there stitching was done with the absolute least amount of thread possible.
Overall Review: I'm glad I got the duster for my costume, but it would have been nice if they used a slightly thicker material. If you can find a real duster at a thrift store, I would recommend buying that instead.
Better out there for the price
Pros: Lots of SATA power, 20/4 +4 power connections, SLI/CrossFire Ready, 600Watts max
Cons: Way overpriced for what you get. All of the molex connections are on two leads, so unless you are using this with 6 SATA HDDs all right next to each other, your case might start to look a little cluttered.
Overall Review: For a hundred dollars I'm used to a modular PSU, but I got this as a bundle so for forty bucks, I can't complain.
Buy the retention bracket!
Pros: Fits well on even some of the most cramped motherboards. Keeps my 2.4GHz Q6600 under 50C overclocked at 3.0GHz under load (prime95). Relatively easy to install*. Super quiet and can be orientated however you need it. Optional air diffuser came in handy on a machine that was having problems with RAM getting too hot. Uses standard 120mm fan, so you can get crazy with your upgrades, and it can even work as a passive cooler with it's massive surface area and use of heatpipes.
Cons: *Do not even attempt to use this with the included Intel style mountings. It is nearly impossible to get all four plastic pins to snap in because of the heatsink's size (especially if you have the fan connected before install). If you do get them all snapped in, they will work themselves loose within a month, especially if you need to move the case or have it orientated vertically (almost lost a proc due to this). Spend the extra 7 bucks and get the retention Bracket (Xigmatek part ack-I7751, and buy from newegg!). It requires you to remove the motherboard for installation, but makes this thing rock solid.
Overall Review: I haven't used this in a micro ATX case, but I suspect it will be too tall. Just make sure you check the width of your case for clearance first. Also, I've never used this as a passive cooler, but I'm thinking about it for a new HTPC I'm spec'ing out.
Super fast shipping
Very fast shipping; I got my costume in 2 days.