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Jaroslaw J.

Jaroslaw J.

Joined on 05/01/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 19
Most Favorable Review

A LANers DREAM

Shuttle SP35P2-Pro Intel Socket T(LGA775) Intel P35 prima small form factor  fingerprint recognition wireless black XPC Barebone
Shuttle SP35P2-Pro Intel Socket T(LGA775) Intel P35 prima small form factor fingerprint recognition wireless black XPC Barebone

Pros: Supports high-end video cards, and duo/quad intel processors. Exceptional cooling. Finally a compact PC that can compete with a full tower.

Cons: Onboard sound is not the best, this is coming from a spoiled audio enthusiast.

Overall Review: I recommend adding the OCZ memory cooler, it helps to cool the northbridge and also adds a nice touch. My PC: SP35P2 PRO, e6750 @ 3.2Ghz given 1.34V, eVGA 8800gt superclocked, 2x2GB G.Skill PK's w/ OCZ Memory Cooler, vista x64 BenQ FP94VW Silver-Black 19" 2ms, Asus 20X DRW-2014L1T

Most Critical Review

Pay 20-30 more and get something better

Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset
Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset

Pros: Comfortable.

Cons: Right from the start, you have to tweak the equalizer (which I hate doing) to make the output as flat as possible otherwise you get really exaggerated lows (bass) and attenuated highs. Overall it just sounds like a cheap plastic driver. Some may like the ghetto bass blaster sound, those looking for quality should stay away. Not worth more than 20 bucks.

Overall Review: I really wanted to like these but right from the start I new something was off with the sound. Creative and Fatal1ty disappointed with this product (unlike their sound cards). I won't purchase another Steel Series 5Hv2 because they'll just stop working after sometime like the previous 2 that I purchased. Have to search for another quality headset, maybe 7H?

Works better than a Linksys PLEK500

TRENDnet TPL-308E Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter Up to 200Mbps
TRENDnet TPL-308E Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter Up to 200Mbps

Pros: 100% consistent connection. I have this between my modem and my router and get no bandwidth loss 35Mb down and 11Mb up. When I tried a Linksys PLEK500 in the same configuration (between my modem and router) The Linksys bottle-necked my connection to ~20Mb down and 11Mb up. Highly recommend this Adapter. Make sure you get the kit (TPL-308E2K) or 2 of these (TPL-308E). My condo was built in 1968, I live in Chicago. Just including that as a reference for electrical lines.

Cons: Does not work well on the same circuit with my Linksys PLEK500. When I plug in the Linksys my speed gets even more capped at around 8Mb so I can't use them together. This is one of the situations where the less expensive product outperforms .

The best case I have ever owned

SilverStone Fortress Series FT02B-WRI Black/Red Aluminum / Steel Computer Case
SilverStone Fortress Series FT02B-WRI Black/Red Aluminum / Steel Computer Case

Pros: The best airflow I have ever seen in a computer case. The fans are large and operate at low speed which makes for a really quiet yet effective design. Power supply is implemented in such a way that it's heat/airflow never reaches other parts of the system. This case is gorgeous. This limited edition (red interior) comes with Silverstone's new Air Penetrator fans, look those up on youtube and you'll be amazed at their performance.

Cons: My DVD burner was a very tight fit in the uppermost 5.25" bay. A non-modular power supply is not ideal for this case, cable management was tough with a Corsair 750w PSU. This case is pricey, but its also unique, there is no similar designs out there at this budget. It is on the heavy side, make sure you don't have to move it often.

Overall Review: If you buy this case, pick up a modular power supply, you won't regret it. If you use sata ports with L shaped plugs a regular sized DVD burner should fit without force.

Plays all my movies

Western Digital WD TV Live HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN
Western Digital WD TV Live HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN

Pros: Plays every movie in my collection. Mostly blu-ray rips.

Cons: No built in Wi-Fi but one can add a USB wireless adapter to fix that problem. Their site gives a list of compatible devices. The firmware it shipped with was not acceptable. Would get video stuttering and other problems.

Overall Review: New firmware 1.17 fixed movie stuttering and now I can play 10GB+ movies with no problems with DTS audio through digital output. I went with WD TV Live over the competitors because western digital has a couple years experience already so the interface and overall integrity of their unit will be more polished.

LaCie Rikiki

LaCie Rikiki 500GB USB 2.0 2.5" Portable Hard Drive 301909
LaCie Rikiki 500GB USB 2.0 2.5" Portable Hard Drive 301909

Pros: Decent file transfer (write speed) for a USB powered external. I get anywhere from 25-45MB/s when transferring different size movies. Copied an 80GB movie collection in just over a half hour. Virtually silent. The case is made of a very sleek brushed aluminum. Very low profile, sits nicely next to my Western Digital media player.

Cons: The amber activity light is kinda old school.

Overall Review: I'm using this for movie storage and playback through a WD TV LIVE! It's recognized fast and my large (13GB and up) movies play flawlessly. Lacie website says 2 yr. warranty while the egg specs only say 1 yr. The product seems well built. Hope it lasts.