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Brenner F.

Brenner F.

Joined on 07/21/01

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Overclocking enthusiast. Hardware Reviewer. Find me on HWBOT as MrFox or at ExtremeHW as Mr. Fox.

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  • 6
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product reviews
  • 42
Most Favorable Review

Gigantic Case with TONS or Room

Thermaltake Level 20 XT E-ATX Extreme LCS Capable Split Level Modular Gaming Cube Case CA-1L1-00F1WN-00
Thermaltake Level 20 XT E-ATX Extreme LCS Capable Split Level Modular Gaming Cube Case CA-1L1-00F1WN-00

Pros: - Huge, absolutely cavernous interior - Horizontal motherboard tray - Easily removable motherboard tray - Lots of drive bays - Flexible PSU mounting (left or right, or both for dual PSU) - Good assortment of front panel I/O ports - Well made, quality construction - Very heavy (yes, I consider that a pro, not a con)

Cons: - Would breath better with mesh instead of glass front panel - No 200mm fans included - No place to mount an optical drive - Spacing of front and rear feet is almost too much for the depth a standard desk top surface, so I am using it sideways on my desk

Overall Review: I love how massive this case is. It is like working on an open bench that has glass side panels that can be installed. I find it miserable to build a PC in cramped spaces and the cavernous interior gives you tons of room to work, install liquid cooling components and other things without being cramped. If I had to do it over again, yes, I would still buy this case. I like it a lot. What would be a nice feature is if it had an extra inch or so of clearance on the bottom with brackets to mount an optical drive under the case floor between the front case feet.

Most Critical Review

Great CPU but Poor Silicon Sample

Intel Core i9-14900K - Core i9 14th Gen 24-Core (8P+16E) LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - Boxed - BX8071514900K
Intel Core i9-14900K - Core i9 14th Gen 24-Core (8P+16E) LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - Boxed - BX8071514900K

Pros: Priced correctly by NewEgg. Not a scalper price tag.

Cons: Horrible silicon sample required abnormally high voltage and temperatures were impossible to manage even with an elaborate custom loop. It ran too hot to be worth using. Intel has been saving the good bin for selling as "KS" with a higher price and leaving the culled garbgage bin for normal distribution. This has happened every time a "KS" version has been offered.

Overall Review: I had to buy four CPUs to find one good enough to keep. Always buy as close to launch day as possible to help avoid getting culled leftovers that run too hot, use excessive voltage and have no headroom available for overclocking. Your chances of getting a good CPU sample are much greater during a new product launch.

Excellent Value and Easy Build

Phanteks XT M3, Compact Micro-ATX Gaming Chassis, High Airflow Performance Mesh, Tempered Glass Window, 3x 120mm D-RGB fans, Black
Phanteks XT M3, Compact Micro-ATX Gaming Chassis, High Airflow Performance Mesh, Tempered Glass Window, 3x 120mm D-RGB fans, Black

Pros: - Easy to build in - Good thermals - Excellent value

Cons: - Snap-on plastic top and front panel - Lightweight steel body

Overall Review: I chose the M3 version for the front fans and added ventilation, although aesthetically the V3 look a little nicer with the popular fish tank design that has become a loved standard for good reason. I found it easy to build in this case. Things are tight, but not so tight that the experience is cumbersome and limiting. The thermals are great and it looks fantastic overall. The value is outstanding and it was affordable enough that forgiving the lightweight metal chassis and somewhat cheap snap-on plastic top and front panels was easy. At this price point I could not expect more and as long as it holds up over time it doesn't really matter. If the tabs break off the top or front panels that could be a problem. If they do not then who cares. I added an inexpensive Cougar single-frame 120mm trio fan to the case floor and it's working nice. Would I buy it again? Yes Do I recommend it? Yes Other Components: MSI B850MPOWER EPYC 4585PX ASUS RTX 5080 Prime OC 48GB Kingbank DDR5-8400 7x 2TB NVMe (four in Sabrent quad NVMe card in lower PCIe slot) 1x 1TB SATA SSD 1x 2TB SATA SSD Thermaltake GF3 1200W PSU

Zotac Solid OC RTX 5090 - Excellent GPU

ZOTAC SOLID OC GeForce RTX 5090 32GB 512-Bit GDDR7 PCI Express 5.0 x16 DLSS 4.0 Video Card ZT-B50900J-10P
ZOTAC SOLID OC GeForce RTX 5090 32GB 512-Bit GDDR7 PCI Express 5.0 x16 DLSS 4.0 Video Card ZT-B50900J-10P

Pros: - Overclocks like a banshee - Built like a brick house - Excellent cooling - Looks great - Dual BIOS

Cons: - Dual BIOS button versus switch - It wasn't free

Overall Review: It is extremely well built, performs marvelously and has excellent cooling. I like that has a very plain aesthetic and not a bunch of RGB rainbow puke. As far as 5090 prices are concerned, they are universally horrible. This one offers the best bang for buck I my opinion. This was my first Zotac GPU. After hearing comments from silly people that don't like the brand, and I think they are full of baloney. If I were in the market for a second RTX 5090 I would go straight to this one and not even look at other options. Anything that matches this one in terms of features and performance costs more and doesn't offer any benefit.

Acer Nitro Gaming XV273K V3BMIIPRX 27" IPS 4K 160Hz 0.5ms Monitor

Acer Nitro Gaming XV273K V3BMIIPRX 27" IPS 3840x2160 UHD Up to 160Hz 0.5ms Response Time DCI-P3 95% Wide Color Gamut AMD FreeSync Premium HDR400 Monitor, HDMIx2, DisplayPort, Speakers
Acer Nitro Gaming XV273K V3BMIIPRX 27" IPS 3840x2160 UHD Up to 160Hz 0.5ms Response Time DCI-P3 95% Wide Color Gamut AMD FreeSync Premium HDR400 Monitor, HDMIx2, DisplayPort, Speakers

Pros: I purchased two of these to replace two Predator 1440p 165Hz displays. The display quality and performance is very good. They are crisp, clear and bright. Alternatives offering similar specs and performance are overpriced and a poor value.

Cons: I haven't identified anything that I do not like so far.

Overall Review: Overall I am very pleased with them. The affordable price made buying them intelligent.

Good Plate for G1/4 Pass-Through Fittings

Turn 2x Full-Height PCIe Slots into 2x 40mm Fans | Improve GPU Airflow | Universal for PC Cases, Server Chassis and 40mm Fans | PCI Slot Cover Bracket | Matte Black
Turn 2x Full-Height PCIe Slots into 2x 40mm Fans | Improve GPU Airflow | Universal for PC Cases, Server Chassis and 40mm Fans | PCI Slot Cover Bracket | Matte Black

Overall Review: I used a 20mm hole saw to cut two round holes for G1/4 passthrough fittings to route my PC water lines to external pumps and a MO_RA 360 radiator. It worked fantastic for that. I contacted the seller that makes them and suggested they offer a version of this with 20mm holes already added to make it easier for those that do not have the tools.

seller reviews
  • 3

Good parts at a good price

I did not have any direct interaction with the seller but the transaction was seamless with an on time delivery of exactly what I ordered.

On-time
Delivery
Product
Accuracy
Customer Service
Satisfactory

Great Seller

I would recommend the seller to other buyers. The seller responded to inquiries promptly and thoroughly, and is very friendly.

On-time
Delivery
Product
Accuracy
Customer Service
Satisfactory

Unimpressed - Please Avoid Seller

Seller was friendly and responsive, but incompetent - invalid tracking number provided with order - item never received - seller said item was lost and promised to send a refund - several days later tracking number updated showing delivered on day 2 - delivery confirmation said delivered to "Lisa - Front Desk" (my home has nobody named Lisa and my home has no front desk) - 15 days later I have no refund and have no product

On-time
Delivery
Product
Accuracy
Customer Service
Satisfactory