Joined on 06/05/01
Great RAM, DDR2-1066
Pros: Fantastic clocking, 4-4-4-12-2T @ 800MHz (2.0v), 5-5-5-15-2T @ 1066MHz (2.0v).
Cons: My setup (AMD Phenom 9950) will not run 1T command rate.
Overall Review: Runs over spec without a single problem. Heatsinks are large enough to dissipate heat well, yet small enough to not run into each other when side-by-side. Mushkin forums are fantastic and they regularly reply to all questions regarding their products. Highly recommended.
Terrible
Pros: Low profile, great size for Mini-ITX HTPCs
Cons: PWM? Doesn't work. Stays full speed all the time - 2900RPM. Noise? Louder than my desktop's fans - definitely not suitable for HTPC applications. Heatsink material? Aluminum only, no copper anywhere near this thing.
Overall Review: I ordered this thinking that it had PWM, it has 4 pins right? The box also has a little sticker on it that is emblazoned PWM FUNCTION. Guess what? On the board, either setting the fan throttling to manual or auto, it always runs full-bore 100%. And 28dB? Maybe if you have earplugs in. Considering I liked the low profile heatsink, and I have a 92mm PWM fan that with its heatsink was too tall for my application, I swapped the fans and lo and behold, on bootup the fan runs at 20% speed (700RPM) unless it needs to move more air - AND, I can't hear it. The cooler is simply not as described in more than one way (noise, PWM) and overall was not worth buying.
FAILED. Lost everything.
Pros: The card did plug in.
Cons: Everything. This was the worst purchase ever. Unreliable.
Overall Review: Don't buy this. I had this card for just over a month before the data was corrupted. I formatted the card and everything seemed OK -- until my new pictures are corrupted again.
Thought they were the best...
Pros: The best specs at the time. PlexUTILITIES something you can't get with other drives.
Cons: Failed. I get Tray In and Spindle Motor errors. I'm not a power burner either, this gets used maybe 2x a month.
Overall Review: About half of the time I get coasters and the drive just spins with a solid activity light. You have to power off the PC just to get it to stop - using a paperclip to eject the frisbee doesn't shut it down. It freezes and you're done. I thought Plextor WAS the best out there, and the price reflected it, and when I thought I was getting the top of the line I guess I was mistaken. Back to the sub-20 dollar burners for me.
Just 4 days and it's toast.
Pros: None.
Cons: Makes a terrible grinding noise after just 4 days in service.
Overall Review: Bought this in anticipation of my MiniITX server build. With not much room for case fans, this seemed like a great alternative to fill the single expansion slot in the case. At first, it was - temps were stable and a steady stream of warm air was being pushed out. However, after less than 100 hours in use, the fan makes a horrible grinding sound - signs that it is already failing. My assumption is that it may be due to its vertical installation rather than horizontal, as in most tower cases. Regardless, I will have to search elsewhere for a decent expansion slot fan, Masscool's is just junk.
Much better than MSE
Pros: Has blocked all sorts of intrusions, including those coming from Facebook news feeds and flash/java advertisements. Places I'd never suspect to have hidden viruses.
Cons: NONE
Overall Review: According to AV-Test dot org's 2011 report, Symantec's solution was near the top of the protection charts (5.5/6.0), while MSE's was near the bottom (2.5/6.0). You ALWAYS get what you pay for. Most people install the free software just to get Windows to quit bugging them about installing AV software. I have witnessed first hand tons of breaches that I have had to fix using MalwareBytes or ComboFix that the free stuff misses. I had MSE installed on 24 computers and was constantly fixing rogue antivirus installs and the ones that hide all your documents and tell you there is a hard drive error and to buy their software to fix it...ALL under a fully updated, MSE's lazy eye. Once I switched to Norton, my problems disappeared. Now, I get phone calls stating "I just got a message saying a recent attempt to attack my computer was blocked. Is that OK?" instead of "There is a message saying I have 78 viruses and to buy AntiVirus Pro XP 2011"....thanks Symantec for doing what freebies won't d