Pros: A close friend purchased 2 of these cards for me and I am truly impressed. I set them up in a CrossfireX configuration and am simply amazed at the performance boost over my original HIS IceQ Turbo 6790. ZERO lag on ANY game, including Skyrim with many graphics mods as well as an insanely modded Oblivion GOTY. Photoshop CS6? Ditto! Fan noise is negligible for the most part. This set of cards should "future proof" my system for at least year or two. Also, not that it really matters, but the WEI Gaming Graphic's score is 7.8.
Cons: These cards DO NOT come with a CrossfireX bridge, so if you are ordering two of them, be sure that you have a bridge available prior to installation. Usually the are supplied with the mainboard, but can be purchased separately from various sources including online vendors for around $8~$10 USD. Also, you might need to completely uninstall then reinstall the ATI Catalyst Control Center before your Crossfire configuration is correctly recognized by the CCC application. These cards easily OC to 800MHz GPU and 1100MHz memory, adding even more performance. If you OC, just be sure you have good ventilation inside your case. Also, due to the size of the cards I lost use of my only PCI slot and subsequently my PCI sound card and am using the onboard Realtek audio.
Overall Review: My current system hardware; Asus Sabertooth 990FX mainboard AMD FX6200 6-core processor clocked at 4.31GHz stable 16GB gSkill RipJaws DDR3-1600 memory Crucial M4 128GB SSD Corsair HX 750W power supply ViewSonic VA2702w 27" LCD running 1920 x 1080 native (DVI)
Pros: Another set of excellent memory sticks from G.Skill! Upon installation I ran a full memtest memory check with zero defects found. I purchased 2x8GB sets for a total of 16GB. These are installed on an Asus Sabertooth 990FX mainboard, AMD FX6200 processor and a Crucial M4 128GB SSD. ZERO problems found and were immediately and correctly identified in the BIOS. (v.1102) The height of the heatsinks are fine for all but the biggest of CPU coolers. The heatsinks are of good quality with no spaces seen between the heatsink surface and memory chips.
Cons: None as of this review. This is the 3rd set of G.Skill memory modules I have purchased within the last 12 months.
Overall Review: **This is directed at NewEgg!!** It seems that EVERY item I have purchased within the last year either goes on sale a few days after purchasing or has a discount "promo" code for 10~15 percent off of THE EXACT SAME ITEM I just bought. Every item. Every time. Overall good service and good products, but this targeted advertising of items I already purchased makes me question whether or not I should get what I need here or somewhere else that won't discount everything that I have already purchased "after the fact".
Pros: I purchased this power supply as a replacement upgrade from my Corsair HX650 I bought 3 months ago. Like the 650, this unit is modular and comes with plenty of additional cables. It is physically bigger that the 650, but not by much. The fan is silent except when under a really heavy load, but even then it's barely noticable. This is the 7th Corsair power supply I have purchased in the last year for various builds and every single one of them have performed flawlessly. The cables have plenty of length for mid and full tower applications, but would be just a bit too long for small, compact towers/desktops, requiring a little more creativity when concealing the excess wiring. The internal components are fairly high quality and well assembled and arranged in a fashion that allows for good airflow through the internal components.
Cons: Like I mentioned above, the cables are just a bit too long for smaller, more compact cases, but then again I am using a Lian Li Lancool mid-tower, so it's not an issue.
Overall Review: Current build; Sabertooth 990FX mainboard, AMD FX-6200 six core processor clocked at 4.31GHz, HIS Radeon HD 6790 iceQ turbo video, 16GB gSkill Ripjaws DDR3-1333 memory, Crucial M4 128GB SSD (for programs), Western Digital 750GB Black Edition hard drive (for media), Creative Labs X-Fi Fatal1ty audio, Corsair H60 liquid cooler, LG DVD/RW drive and 6 assorted case fans.
Pros: I bought this keyboard to replace my old Logitech G15, and after a few month's worth of constant use I am truly impressed. I really like the removable number pad, as it saves a lot of room on my desk. The backlit keys are easy to see at night and can be dimmed or turned off entirely when not needed. It's been both reliable as well as durable.
Cons: There are no folding feet to elevate the top of the keyboard like most others, but I "modded" a set of 1" feet which made the keys a bit easier to see and use.
Overall Review: Except for the lack of folding feet/tabs, this has been an excellent keyboard with zero defects. The keys remain clear and easy to see and shows zero wear in over 3 months of continuous use.
Pros: I bought one of these 50-count spindles and after using all of them over the last 3 months NONE were defective/bad! Not one single disk! I better order a couple more while I'm thinking of it...
Cons: None.
Overall Review: I have always liked Verbatim media, ever since the 3.5" floppy disks. I have had hardly any problems with Verbatim products over the years, and will continue using them simply because they work. Excellent manufacturer!
Pros: Design is solid. It makes a really good paperweight. At least the USB interface works.
Cons: Where do I start? The eSata interface doesn't work. Period. Tried different cables and system ports. Nada. By way of comparison, my other eSata drive (NOT a Rosewill) works flawlessly. Front LED's are REALLY bright. Yup. 2 Eggs, one for keeping papers from blowing off my desk and 1 egg for the USB interface....
Overall Review: Well.................It WAS under $20 with promo code. As the old addage goes "you get what you pay for...
Pros: Picked this case up for $55 shipped a few months back. It's a good case for the money. Cable management is good when combined with a modular power supply. Construction is solid for a case that's pop-riveted together. 3 months of use and no rattles yet.
Cons: You will experience some installation difficulties when using the Corsair Hydro series liquid cooling. The 120mm radiator will make contact with one of the rivets on the case. The power/reset buttons can be difficult to locate due to their position, but easily fixed with a bit of white model paint applied to the recessed markers on the button faces.
Overall Review: The power/HD activity LED's colors can bleed into each other creating an odd looking purple color, but easily fixed by glueing a small "divider" between the LED's. (I used a an old drive jumper for mine) Overall a very solid case. I'm just annoyed at times by the little things. (I'm a bit OCD'd)
Pros: Excellent overall cooling and ease of installation, with the exception of the AMD mounting hardare. There was no need for me to remove the mainboard to install this but there are only 4 screws to attach the included single 120mm fan. If you intend on installing a push-pull dual fan setup, you will need to find 4 more screws to attach them with.
Cons: As stated above, the AMD mounting hardware leaves a lot to be desired. The bracket/tabs that holds the heatsink to the mainboard is cheap and thin, and can bend easily when screwing the heatsink to the mainboard.
Overall Review: The overall performance is great, with the exception listed above. This is installed on an Asus Sabertooth 990FX mainboard, FX4100 processor clocked at 4.2GHz in a Lian-Li Lancool case. Somewhat of a tight fit as the CPU is in close proximity to the rear of the case. The coolant hoses have some adjustment to allow for different configurations and should work for most, but the hoses are somewhat rigid and will not allow for sharp bends. This would get 5 eggs if it weren't for the cheaply constructed mounting brackets.
Pros: A very good and reliable PSU so far. It's modular design is a plus, as well as price and performance. I tested this PSU right out of the box and voltages were nearly perfect, which suprised me at first. Tested it with another PSU tester and the results were the same. It's fairly quiet, even under load. So...I'll order 2 more.
Cons: Mechanical/performance=none. It does what it's supposed to at a good price. ($10 promotional code and a $20 mail-in rebate, dropping this PSU to right at $80 shipped)
Overall Review: It comes with the usual "custom" storage bag, but this one is kind of a ballistic nylon like material. All-in-all, this is an excellent product.
Pros: First of all, this card is both cool and fast. The stock heatsink/fan is well made and fairly quiet. LOTS of video connectivity options. This is my first experience with the manufacturer HIS, and I am not dissappointed. It's also a well constructed card with good component placement on the PCB. You could install an aftermarket VGA cooler, but the OEM cooler is more than suficient for most games/applications on relatively high settings.
Cons: I truly cannot think of any real "cons" with this card, as this card is quiet, cool and fast. (see "other thoughts" below) I plan on purchasing an additional card for my second computer as well. The card's price makes this an affordable alternative for gamers. (best "bang-for-the-buck" card I've found)
Overall Review: The only issue I originally had was the heatsink's unpolished contact surface. I ran the card for a few days prior to removal of the heatsink and subsequent "lapping/polishing" of the heatsink's contact surface. After applying Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 thermal compound and running the card (burn-in) for a few days, I noticed a 4-degree centigrade decrease in GPU temps under load (playing Skyrim) and a 2-degree drop at idle. Please note that modifying the stock card like I did will probably void the manufacturer's warranty. Unless you are familiar with heatsink "lapping", it is best to leave the card in it's stock condition. My primary system components are; Asus Sabertooth 990FX mainboard (Latest BIOS update version 0813) AMD FX-4100 quad-core BE clocked at 4.0GHz 16GB GSkill Ripjaws DDR3-1333 memory (4GB x 4) Heavily modded" Dell XPS 700 case with LOTS of fans. I "modded" this case from a BTX to an ATX and use the original Newton 1000W OEM power supply.
Pros: This stuff works great. It does "set" pretty quickly, so be sure to have everything that you plan on bonding clean and ready. This item was purchased to bond some copper heatsinks on the memory chips of my GTX280 video card. I tested it on an old mainboard first. After gluing the northbridge heatsink to the chipset, I allowed it to cure overnight. I pried on the heatsink the fillowing day and it literally tore the northbridge chipset off of the board with NO failure of the adhesive. (junk board to begin with) Good stuff.
Cons: You only have a few minutes "window" to apply the paste after mixing. If your doing multiple items like I did, mix several small amounts rather than one big amount.
Overall Review: Good stuff. Strong as hell! Excellent heat transfer between bonded surfaces.
Pros: Solid, stable board with a huge amount of BIOS settings. Stable platform for overclocking and runs cool as well. BOTH SLI and Crossfire-ready for those who run multiple video cards. Gone are the floppy controller interface as well as the old 80-pin IDE controller interface. This is an excellent board that is USB 3.0 AND SATA3 compliant.
Cons: Haven't found any yet.
Overall Review: A good "future-proof" mainboard, as it accepts AM3+ processors and DDR3 memory. I currently have 16GB of g.Skill "Ripjaws" memory and an AMD Phenom X4 965 Black Edition processor mildly OC'd at 3.62GHz. All of the hardware is installed in a "converted" Dell XPS700 case. Yes, it's converted from a proprietary BTX to standard ATX with pretty extensive modifications to the interior over a two week period.
Pros: Small, affordable and works great. Windows 7 has native drivers, so no problems with compatibility. (64-bit)
Cons: Absolutely none.
Overall Review: This thing is little/small/tiny. As such, it is easy to lose/misplace. The best way to avoid that is to simply pop it in a rear USB port, set it and forget it.
Pros: Affordable and fairly rugged. (good construction) Sound is good.
Cons: The microphone is junk. The ear covers are essentially soft plastic, so sweaty ears are common. Buy (or make) a set of 75mm foam covers and that problem is solved.
Overall Review: Take the covers off of the headset and cut the center out of each speaker. That along with a small piece of foam padding behind the speaker adds a lot of clarity to this unit. Fairly good bargain, even with the "mods" I felt were needed.
Pros: Fast. Real fast! Bought from Newegg, arrived fast as well.
Cons: OEM Heatsink makes an excellent paperweight for your desk. Simply cut the wires flush with the fan housing, clean off the thermal paste and place it on a pile of loose paperwork. JUST DON'T USE IT AS A COOLER!
Overall Review: Core 2 Quad, 8GB OCZ Gold DDR2-800, Asus P5N-D mainboard, EVGA 9800GTX+ Video, Asus Arctic Square CPU Heatsink, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Plextor Optical drives, Dual WDWD6401AALS 640GB drives, NZXT 850 Precise Power PSU, CM830 Stacker Case
Pros: Does a good job at cooling for the little amount of money spent. Took some time to assemble, as I used heatsinks everywhere that they were needed. Quiet when running, even when plugged directly into a 12v feed.
Cons: Near useless instructions, which has already been said. I used Arctic Silver 2-part thermal adhesive rather than taking a chance on the OEM "glue". I suggest cleaning both the chips as well as the heatsinks with a high quality electronics cleaner prior to heatsink installation.
Overall Review: This is installed on an XFX Radeon HD 6850 DD. It is overclocked at 850MHz, and shows a 3*C drop in temps at idle and roughly 15*C under heavy load. The dual fans power wire is attached to the 12v dongle supplied with the cooler. It's a shame it won't connect directly to the video card's fan power plug. Too bad the heatsinks weren't made out of copper instead of aluminum, but then again this cooler would be a lot higher priced.