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Robert L.

Robert L.

Joined on 06/18/10

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 11
Most Favorable Review

Best MB I've owned

MSI MSI Gaming Z97-G45 Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI MSI Gaming Z97-G45 Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Turning on my new build for the first time, I was amazed by the BIOS that was very easy to navigate.

Cons: Not really a con, but if you have a full length video card in the bottom PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot, it goes right over the SATA slots, so make sure you plug in your SATA devices before inserting your video card.

Overall Review: I was scared to death that I might have broken my i7-4790k due to the amount of force needed to close the socket clamp in place. As I was closing it, it sounded like light crunching, like velcro ripping. But it closed, and I'm typing this, so it worked. But man was I sweating while I was closing it.

Manly tears were shed

Intel Core i7-4790K - Core i7 4th Gen Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1150 88W Intel HD Graphics 4600 Desktop Processor - BX80646I74790K
Intel Core i7-4790K - Core i7 4th Gen Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1150 88W Intel HD Graphics 4600 Desktop Processor - BX80646I74790K

Pros: -This CPU has everything that anyone could ever want. This processor can handle absolutely anything without breaking a sweat. It merely laughs at anything you throw at it and continues to stand there with it's arms folded, smirking and one eyebrow raised in disdain, asking "that's all you've got?"

Cons: -You don't even need this processor because there's nothing in your life that's worth processing by this Intel deity. This CPU is too good for you.

Overall Review: Pro tips: -Never use stock fan/compound. -If you even considered an AMD processor, get out. Just get out. I wish I worked for Intel so when people asked me where I worked, I would enthusiastically exclaim "I work for Intel!" And they would be like, "whoa man that's awesome!" And I'd be like, "yeah, it is."

Fantastic cooler

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes

Pros: Idling CPU temp on my i7-4790 is 31C. Temp of my CPU during two hours of heavy use was 58C. The temp immediately dropped right down after ending heavy usage. CPU hasn't gone above 60C. Fan is detachable, can go on either side of heatsink.

Cons: Bulky and kind of a pain to install but it's worth the end result.

Overall Review: Heat sink is massive. Make sure to insert your RAM first. Obviously, attach the screws for the base of the fan to the motherboard before putting your MB in your case. Unless both side panels are removable. I used arctic thermal 5 for compound.

Excellent case

Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid-Tower Gaming PC Computer Case, Expansion Ready: Internal 3.5" Bays & External 5.25" Bays, 3 Pre-installed Fans with Side Fan Mount Option
Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid-Tower Gaming PC Computer Case, Expansion Ready: Internal 3.5" Bays & External 5.25" Bays, 3 Pre-installed Fans with Side Fan Mount Option

Pros: -My favorite thing about this case is the fact that both side panels are removable, which helped immensely with the installation of my hard drives. -Comes with adapter for 2.5 SSD to fit in 3.5 bay. -Enough mounting brackets included for 4 hard drives. -Raised off the ground about half an inch.

Cons: None that I can think of right now.

Overall Review: The fans that came with the case have plugs that are made for three pins, and I have a motherboard where all the plugs for fans are for four pins. So I had to use the molex plugs and connect to my PSU. It's not a big deal, but since it's not connected directly to the motherboard I can't directly control fan speeds, they will always operate at full speed.

Still running fine

hec X-Power Pro 600 600W Continuous @ 40°C ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply
hec X-Power Pro 600 600W Continuous @ 40°C ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

Pros: I've owned this PSU since 10/8/2010 and it's still running strong after three years. No noise, no signs of anything going wrong.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: I've doubled my RAM and upgraded my video card in the time since and the PSU has handled it fine.

Just Some Perspective

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ

Pros: A year after I purchased this, the memory is still working just like the first day I bought it.

Cons: None!

Overall Review: When I bought this memory on 10/08/11, it cost me $83.99. Today, it is $32.99. That's less than half! Not only is this memory an absolute steal, memory prices have SIGNIFICANTLY dropped. Now is the time to upgrade!