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Michael F.

Michael F.

Joined on 10/26/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 34
Most Favorable Review

Good Basic IP Cam

D-Link DCS-933L Day & Night Wi-Fi Security Camera with Sound and Motion Detector
D-Link DCS-933L Day & Night Wi-Fi Security Camera with Sound and Motion Detector

Pros: Fast 2 day shipping. Like new condition. Easy set up with a non-dlink router. Works pretty well in dark conditions. Mic works fine. Camera can be viewed remotely using phone, tablet, or PC with free mydlink+ app and free website. Have not tried Wi-Fi extender or sound/motion detection.

Cons: Basic 640 X 480 resolution, manual pan and tilt, no SD storage.

Overall Review: Will definitely buy another if/when there's another promo deal.

Most Critical Review

Cheaply made, but quiet

LOGISYS Computer PS550E12 550 W ATX12V Power Supply
LOGISYS Computer PS550E12 550 W ATX12V Power Supply

Pros: Used it to replace another no-name PSU that sounded like a vacuum cleaner. Very quiet and has been going 24/7 for over a week now.

Cons: Cheap construction, grommet that shields wires from case was detached. Wires are thinner than most others I've seen, could be the insulation.

Overall Review: Needed one in a hurry. If time isn't an issue, wait for a better one to go on sale.

Feature Rich

ASRock AM1H-ITX AM1 USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
ASRock AM1H-ITX AM1 USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Has quite a few bells & whistles for the price. Powers with a laptop brick. Great for a general use machine or an HTPC or both. A quad-core build for about $250 is possible with this platform.

Cons: I, too, had problems with the USB 3.0 controller driver. Solved by getting the chipset drivers directly for the AMD site.

Overall Review: Build: AMD 5350 2.05Ghz Quad-Core Processor MSI AM1I Mini ITX AM1 Motherboard Team Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory Western Digital BLACK SERIES 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM HDD Mini-Box M350 HTPC Case ASUS 19V 3​.42A 65W A​C Adapter

Easy Peezie

SiliconDust HDHR4-2US HDHomeRun CONNECT 2-Tuner Streaming Media Player for Cord Cutters
SiliconDust HDHR4-2US HDHomeRun CONNECT 2-Tuner Streaming Media Player for Cord Cutters

Pros: Super easy to set up and get working. Excellent integration with Windows Media Center. Can watch OTA TV on all my devices.

Cons: Looks like it will be a bit of a challenge to get it set up with EPG on Kodi/XBMC.

Overall Review: A few more tweaks to my entertainment system and it's Good Bye Cable!

Outstanding Value

Intel Pentium G3258 - Pentium Haswell Dual-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 53W Intel HD Graphics Desktop Processor - BX80646G3258
Intel Pentium G3258 - Pentium Haswell Dual-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 53W Intel HD Graphics Desktop Processor - BX80646G3258

Pros: Overclocked to 4.4GHZ with 1.2v core. 65c under full load, idles around 35c, with aftermarket cooler. Have not tried to go higher. Got lucky with this one. Was also fortunate to get this in an awesome combo deal featuring a z97 motherboard over the July 4th weekend.

Cons: None whatsoever.

Excellent Budget Case

NZXT Source 220 CA-S220W-B1 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
NZXT Source 220 CA-S220W-B1 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Well built, sturdy side panels, decent cable management, includes 3 big quiet fans. No problem fitting full size motherboards, big graphics cards, and aftermarket CPU coolers.

Cons: Not crazy about 1 USB2 & 1 USB3 on the front panel. Have to use 2 USB headers on the MB to get them working.

Overall Review: Although it's pretty roomy inside, it doesn't appear all that large from the outside. It has very nice proportions, and looks sharp.