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Russell H.

Russell H.

Joined on 04/18/08

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 2
Most Favorable Review
VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card 900244
VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card 900244

Pros: Extremely fast for the price. The 4870 lives up to the hype. At this price point, the 4870 is without a doubt the champ. It can compete with cards twice as expensive. For the first time in 10 years, I can say that I'm 100% sure I made the correct choice in video cards. VisionTek offers a lifetime warranty for their graphics cards!

Cons: Runs very hot with 8.6 drivers. The fan runs at only 26% with temperatures around 88 degrees. After manually changing the fan speed to 55% the temperatures dropped to around 50 degrees at idle and 60 degrees under load. The fan is loud at 55%.

Overall Review: The high temperatures reported are due to a driver issue. The current drivers aren't running the fan at a high enough speed. This problem should be resolved soon. The 4870 uses two 6-pin power connectors. Make sure you have that before you order.

Great case

Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: I was looking for a nice case that didn't have a bunch of plastic on the outside, windows on sides, and lights everywhere and settled on this. I'm very happy with my choice. The case looks great. This case is roomy enough for large coolers and the long high end video cards. I like the bottom mounted PSU and the airflow provided for it. Fan mount options are good and can accomodate a variety of setups for nice airflow. The mostly tooless construction works pretty well. Optical and hard drive installation is a cinch. The clamps that hold the expansion cards are above average. I was able to put thee cards in easily, although it was slightly difficult to get it to clamp on my video care, but I managed. There are hooks for cable management between the drives and the motherboard. The case comes with many motherboard and PSU screws in the optical drive housing which is really nice was to store them.

Cons: Very bright power and hard drive LEDs. The front panel is slightly difficult to remove and replace.

Overall Review: I'll buy another one of these if they're around when I put together a new build.