Pros: Super sharp, ultra bright, fantastic monitor. No motion blurring whatsoever. Powers on almost immediately.
Cons: No way.
Overall Review: Had it for over a year, still works as great as the day I bought it. Thanks Asus!
Pros: Worked for a few weeks.
Cons: Started randomly turning off and would not turn back on. Troubleshooted and I was able to turn it back on if I drained the power. It would run for anywhere between overnight to a few hours. I returned it and instead got a different Asus motherboard.
Overall Review: I wasn't out too much money as it was part of a bundle deal. I purchased it anyway despite the reviews. Note to self: listen to the reviews. I know Asus has rock solid boards, I feel they just got this one wrong.
Pros: 3.3 Ghz and 6 cores, what's not to like? Price was very good as well.
Cons: The heat sink was quite frankly, pathetic. If I hadn't gotten this processor for my parents, who do very little other than e-mail and browse the web, I would have gone with an aftermarket. I highly recommend upgrading the heat sink and fan.
Overall Review: Everything moves quickly on this build, my parents can't believe how fast it is. Sometimes I can't either.
Pros: Solid memory, installed easily and boots to Windows. Should have gotten 2.
Cons: None.
Pros: I had been looking forward to this game ever since the trailers came out. It did not disappoint. I was thoroughly impressed by all aspects of the game, the graphics looked real, I mean the people actually looked real. I've never seen such an effect in a game. The sound was very good as well. As usual, the plot is what really made this game, it was phenomenal. The interactions with everyone was perfectly done.
Cons: Bogs the GPU down but that is par for the Metro games.
Overall Review: Without a spoiler, several gripes I had regarding the first Metro were vastly improved on in Last Light. This is the best game I have ever played.
Pros: There are a lot of cables with this drive. A lot, I could have done dual CPU with this guy. Luckily my case has decent space to store the extras. I was most impressed by the sheathing of the cables, as compared to my last PSU this was very nice, and blended in with my case.
Cons: None
Overall Review: Freaked me out at first the fan doesn't spin, the only times I tax the system I'm on the computer so I've never noticed it spinning, but it definitely makes for a quiet computer. Doesn't seem to put off much heat.
Pros: Drive is quiet and fast. Didn't take very long to install Windows 7 Home Premium. Windows boots in about 50 seconds.
Cons: None
Overall Review: I bought this drive as a build for my parents, after the hard drive failed on the last computer they had (about 9 years old). I'm hoping the extreme hour rating on this drive will last them for a long time.
Pros: This fan is huge! It is super quiet and moves a lot of air. Also, the LED lighting is extremely well done. In reality there are only 4 LED's, but the design truly makes it look as though the entire fan is lit.
Cons: None.
Overall Review: I always agree, larger fans can spin slower and move air more quietly.
Pros: Big case, ample room for any device, numerous graphics cards. It also has nice cable management features behind the motherboard. I have the power cord for the processor routed through it and it pops out right where it has to plug in. Excellent airflow, and the front bezel has easy removable inserts for DVD drive, CD drive, etc.
Cons: I was mistaken and thought a top fan was included. Ordered a 200 mm which fits perfectly and works great.
Overall Review: Again, it is a big case, so make sure your cables can reach. Naturally extension cables can be utilized as well.
Pros: These came free with a recent build I made, I looked at them at thought, "Well, thanks for the freebies I'll never use them." I couldn't be more wrong. The sound is incredible! Outside noise is virtually blocked out and the bass just absolutely thumps! Who says you need air traffic controller sized headphones for great sound, these rock.
Cons: None
Overall Review: Included are numerous ends in case the attached ones don't fit or get worn out. Also included is a spiffy case.
Pros: Very fast drive, able to boot into Windows 7 Ultimate in under a minute. It loads most any application quickly, and I can hardly hear it during loads.
Cons: None
Overall Review: Thought I would have to configure the jumper to reduce it to Sata II speed to accomodate my motherboard, but between the 2 components, no jumper was needed.
Pros: The case has solid construction, and is plenty big for my usage. It is easy to open and close on both sides, as is access to the front fans, which include a washable filter. There is a GeForce GTS250 in there which has plenty of room, and I did not count how many hard drive slots are available. The front USB ports have come in handy. Ample hardware was included, zip ties, screws, and standoffs. The cooling and airflow is great, my Phenom II quad raises 10-12 degrees under the heaviest gaming conditions, which for me has been Metro 2033 and Portal 2.
Cons: My only complaint is in order to adjust the fan speed, the case has to be opened. Due to the length of the cable on the switch, it is easy to locate it to a convenient location. Not an issue for me, but the power supply is on the bottom of the case, which could be a problem if you have shorter cables.
Overall Review: I'm very happy with this case, I like the blue LED's and the overall cooling is great. Includes a side fan grate to add an addition fan for the graphics cards.
Pros: Works as stated, solid construction.
Cons: None
Overall Review: Has the nice flex cabling which allows for easy cable management.
Pros: If I were into overclocking, I wouldn't know what to do with myself, this board has oodles of options to be configured, memory timing, voltage, and includes a utility that lets you make changes from within Windows. Had no issues with recognizing a Phenom II quad and 8 GB of 1333 memory. It does include a button that can be used to assist in memory configuration, but I did not need to use it. There are also multiple options used for recovery from a corrupted Bios, or if a bad Bios change was made. I am not using it for SLI but as stated in the specs it does have full x16 speed for both slots. As seen from the pictures, it has good cooling for the north bridge.
Cons: Haven't found any yet.
Overall Review: I like this motherboard, and hope it will last me a long time. The included manual is very comprehensive and covers everything.
Pros: The picture is stunning. I looked at many different HDTV's, many different brands, and went with the one that looked best to me. I was very impressed by the sound. I wasn't expecting much due to the skinny design, but it is very good. Highs, lows, obviously no thumping bass but it has very accurate sound representation. The menu provides many customizeable features, but if you change too many settings there is a simple option to return to the defaults. One feature I don't use much are the Apps and the Internet features. I did check out Youtube and it displayed wonderfully. There are 5 or 6 different Netflix variations that one could choose to watch movies from. The 120 HZ Auto motion plus is one of my favorite features. On some shows there may be some "juddering" as they call it, but changing it to a different setting than standard resolved it. Watching sports - hockey and Nascar so far - has been very enjoyable, the motion is very smooth.
Cons: I could say the price, but as I began shopping for a TV, I realized there was no way I was going to get what I was looking for for much less than this model. They had a sale at the time which helped.
Overall Review: This TV can do more than I use it for and possibly ever will. I really like the smooth motion of the Auto Motion Plus. If I needed another TV, I would get this same model.
Pros: +Knob for fully adjustable backlighting brightness, Knob for volume control, I did a lot of research before purchasing this keyboard and this is the only model that has these features. +Detacheable Num pad makes for a very small keyboard, 16 inches in width. It is about 20 with the Num pad. +The backlighting, one of my main reasons for buying a new keyboard, is very even, very well done. The red is very visible, and in daylight with it off the letters have good visibility as well, though I usually use the backlight. +Tons of macros. I currently have one for Firefox and another for Notepad, though you can have many more than that, and set it to launch a program easily or do whatever you want. The software is very good and not a resource hog. I have an old computer, so this was a potential concern for me.
Cons: -Not a con for me, despite having larger hands than most: The keys are lower than a standard keyboard; I would say about half the press distance. Initially I thought "Oh no, not good," but after using it for 2 nights I learned I really liked it. I can press the keys much faster due to less travel; I play mostly Team Fortress 2 and other FPS. I have had no wrist pains/ issues despite this change, it just took a slight adjustment period. -The wristrest is not very good, I wanted to get a gel one anyway so I purchased that, this made the keyboard perfect as it helps suspend my hands despite the lower keys. -Volume knob is laggy, and Esc key is in the wrong spot. It is not really a factor for me, just took a slight adjustment. -The whole Ctrl + R (crouch + reload) and other keys issue: According to Keyscan, this is correct, you cannot move when hitting those buttons. But in FPS gaming, one should not move when doing either of those 2 functions, let alone both of them.
Overall Review: Despite the cons, I have no complaints about this keyboard. I find the x6 so awesome, I don't care about the volume knob lag, Esc key displacement, or Ctrl + R issue. I read many reviews about all the main gaming keyboards, and thought I was "settling" for this one. Until I give that G19 a try, this is the best one I have found. I would highly recommend this keyboard.
Pros: Works great, no complaints. Very reliable as it's for my parents I need a sure thing, since I don't see them as much as I wish I could.
Cons: .
Overall Review: Bought this for my parents as a replacement for the M5A97. They have had it for over a year now and no problems. I may get another one for my brother's build.