Pros: In this holiday bundle I received two GREAT games.. not silly games that you won't play. It came with Assassins Creed Black Flag, and Splinter Cell. Both are $60 games, that are popular franchises. I assume this is something you can purchase for the $109 pricetag. I received it as a free gift with the purchase of a graphics card. So a free bundle with $120 worth of GOOD games is super special, and unexpected.
Cons: Not really a con.. but: When dealing with Ubisoft online with the codes -- it's a little confusing. The code you get has to be input at X place, then you get emailed another code that is input at Y place.. etc. The code you receive is not just THE code used to activate the game. Not a big deal, just took me a minute online to figure out the order of things.
Overall Review: If free -- well, it's a great gift.. something you will use if you game. Now $109.99 for two games that are $59.99 each. I suppose you save $10 -- But if you search around you could probably find a better deal on the games than BUYING this for full price. I believe this is simply meant for gifts/promo's when buying other hardware and not so much to purchase individually. Thus the price point simply represents the value of the games you are receiving.
Pros: Great game -- and it was included free with purchase.
Cons: None
Overall Review: You can't beat "free"
Pros: The name of this says it all. 1) It's the highest model, best, Graphics card on the market. 2) This model has been much improved upon by ASUS, better cooling,.. higher clock speeds than the Regular Nvidia GTX 780 offerings. 3) OVER-engineered by ASUS. They did one heck of a job on redesigning this Card so quickly. 4) It will run EVERYTHING at insane FPS. 5) It futureproofs your rig for gaming. If you don't game,.. there are few reasons to buy a card this expensive and of this caliber. 6) It has a 384Bit BUS/bandwidth. This is a big difference over the GTX 770, etc. This helps put the card into a class of it's own even when compared to the 770. The Card did take a big price cut from it's original price point when it released.. currently $539 -- It was considerably more than that. The 780 series is a much more powerful card than the 770. Don't be fooled into thinking that since the numbers of the 770 and 780 are so close that there is little difference in them. You are getting quite a bit more with the 780 than the 770. (That said, the 770 is definitely NOT a bad card.. it's just a mid grade card, vs the 780 is High end, at this point in time.)
Cons: 1) Expensive. The best graphics card on the market at any given time is going to be expensive.. likely the most expensive piece of your entire system. Think about what your needs and uses of the computer are. Don't just buy to have it if you don't use applications/games that will make use of it's power. Other than the expense.. there are no cons. Nvidia , imo, is more reliable, has better drivers, and has software designed to work BETTER than ATI/AMD cards do. I am no "fanboi" of Nvidia.. but Through all of my building experience,.. I always have gone back to Nvidia over AMD for graphics due to driver issues, compatibility, performance, etc. AMD cards DO offer great performance and obviously beat the price point on Nvidia cards -- but there is a reason Nvidia can be a little more expensive and still succeed. If AMD Cards were no different than Nvidia people simply wouldn't put more money out for them. It's that simple.
Overall Review: Only con here is the price. Otherwise, card was easy to install,.. and has ZERO issues with any software I've thrown at it.
Pros: 1) 2400 DDR3 RAM,.. this exceeds even the 4th Gen Intel specs for supported Ram speeds by almost 1Ghz. 2) G.Skill -- Reliable company. 3.) Works out of the box. Especially if you are using an ASUS motherboard. There was no need to change voltage, clock speeds, etc. On first boot it reported as 2400, and is stable and performing as such. 4) Fast! 5) The heatspreaders are not TALL. While it is not advertised as Low-Profile RAM,.. it is below what most Ram sticks I've gotten that have Heat-Spreaders on them as far as height. So it's somewhere between say Low profile RAM and Corsair Vengeance RAM, in height.
Cons: None
Overall Review: The price as of this writing is $149.99 -- For 16GB of RAM, 8GBx2.. This is very fair price. Remember this is 2400,.. Not 1333, 1600, etc.. It's fast! RAM makes a difference,.. and while 16GB's may seem a touch "overkill" we are definitely heading in that direction of needing more RAM on systems. It isn't uncommon to see 6GB RAM (or more) in computer systems you see in regular retail stores. No matter what you hear or read.. too "much" RAM is not a problem. Just make sure you have hardware and an Operating System that makes proper use of this large amount of RAM. IE: Do your homework. At this point in time you can get away with 8GB just fine to do pretty much everything. If you want to future proof your rig a bit.. at this price.. 16GB of highspeed RAM from G.Skill is definitely not a "waste".
Pros: I have been using Corsair's Hydro series since 2009,.. started with their original H50,.. and purchased this H60 for my recent build (i7-4770k Haswell). 1) It's Corsair.. everything they make is excellent. 2) It's "all in one",.. water cooling used to be reserved for those who wanted to have open loop systems, and build their own. You could buy kits of course, most did.. but there was more risk in these setups due to leaks, et al. This is a self contained unit, coolant already sealed inside. You install it, and essentially forget it. 2) It's roughly on par with the best Air cooler on the market.. in my opinion the top of the line Noctua ND-14.. Which I also use in another system. Price points are very similar. The edge goes to the H60 though,.. but I found the Noctua air cooler (traditional heatsink/fan) to be virtually identical to the H50's performance. 3) Improved design in several areas. The tubing is higher quality and thicker than before. The radiator is larger, and the heatsink contact (which is also the pump) is redesigned. The pumps of the new products are also "fixed" with an issue that used to cause an audible humming noise. (Was a power issue). 4) Great , long, warranty -- Corsair has fairly good customer support. 5) Keeps temps down when OC'ing. There is little need for a cooler of this caliber if you aren't overclocking your CPU. Use the stock heatsink and fan (or buy a $20-$30 heatsink/fan combo if you are not into overclocking.) With my 4th Gen Haswell (Intel 4770k) I have it up to 4.8Ghz, stable, and temps with this cooler (with it's STOCK , pre-applied Thermal compound) run 29c Idle,.. and top out around 70c under load (prime95, etc). Haswell chips run a bit hotter due to intel using thermal paste instead of directly soldering the "lid" to the cpu die.. This isn't new to the 4th gen chips, they've been doing it a few gen's now. But the "haswell running hot issue is greatly blown out of proportion.). Point is this cooling solution works, and I am proof with an intel i7-4770k at 4.8Ghz (which would be a bit over 5Ghz on a previous generation chip).
Cons: To be objective -- It's hard to come up with any major cons.. But,.. A con would be installation. This won't apply directly to most. However, I am using an ASUS Z87-PRO motherboard with my i7-4770k. With this H60, the backplate bracket didn't fit properly. It has a 1-2mm more clearance after secured than it should. It needs to be mounted where there is no "play" or movement in the bracket or securing screws under the motherboard or on top where the socket is. I'm not sure if this is a production issue/error with Corsair and the brackets, or the Asus motherboard I have being thinner than most other 1150's. MOST people would either not realize there was a problem and install the cooler with the "loose" backplate.. OR realize it isn't secured properly and contact corsair for a replacement bracket, which may end up being the exact same thing. Given my nature, and my career I work with fixing issues and coming up with solutions for things like this every day. So I just modified the bracket to fit my particular motherboard - where it would secure tightly, with zero movement. My method requires special tools. However, if you happen to have this issue -- You can pull off the backplate rivets/inserts (that go through the 4 holes on the motherboard) and simply find washers of the right thickness then put the black pieces back on TOP of the washers and use trial and error until you get a perfect fit. (Search the web, you can find some topics and pictures on this.) I would recommend contacting corsair specifically just to be safe.. if you aren't confident in modifying "new" equipment. Another con -- The pumps can "still" make a little noise. This is a voltage/power problem. If you have your pump plugged into a motherboard header (as is instructed by the manual) and it is making noise.. Use the supplied 3pin to Molex adapter and plug it directly into a Molex from your PSU. This WILL eliminate pump noise as it will be fed a solid voltage that does not vary. The pump makes noise when it gets variable voltages, or is otherwise under powered. The pump is designed to be "able" to run at variable RPMS -- but it does not decrease pump life to plug into a PSU molex and thus it will run at max rated "rpm" .. and frankly, this is what I recommend when installing from the start. A pump is more likely to fail, or have lifespan shortened with a less stable power supply (ie: Off a MB header) than from a stable rail off the PSU. The only disadvatange of this is you will lose the direct ability to plug the pump into the CPU_FAN header, which is only beneficial to actively detect if the pump fails (falls below X rpm) and the computer would then shutdown. To counter that, Chips/CPU's(motherboards) today are designed to shutdown at X degree's celcius to prevent damaging your CPU (ALL motherboards have this feature now).. so having the pump into the CPU_FAN header is NOT a must.
Overall Review: I gave this 5 "eggs" -- even with the small issue(s) i had.. which were BOTH a bracket that didn't fit properly, and a product that was made just a few months ago (Fall of 2013) that still had the pump make a slight noise when plugged into a motherboard header. (In all odds I could have gone into my ASUS UEFI bios and moved that fan header to maximum RPM at all times and the header would have likely stopped the pump noise. I wanted to put my push/pull (2 noctua) fans on the radiator on the CPU_FAN header for monitoring purposes anyways, so the Pump going to the PSU directly is quite comfortable with me. The bracket is custom fit for my motherboard now.. and the cooling temps are on par with what the cooler should do.. so I am a happy camper. Essentially -- Intel Haswell i7-4770k Oc'd to 4.8Ghz on the H60 is running at 29c Idle, and 70c under "Stress tests" -- This actually exceeded my expectations of the H60,.. I expected such a High clock with the haswell to push 85c or so under Stress tests.. Definitely a recommended Buy, though I would keep an eye out for specials on it.. if you can grab it for $10 off or so , it's always nice. But, that said at $80.. it's worth the money. It's a watercooling system.. fairly sophisticated method of cooling any electronic device. Installation is straight forward, but give yourself some time. For those who aren't naturally good with their hands/savvy technically you may need 45mins-hour to properly install it. Otherwise, install time is about 10-15mins, especially if you've ever used a Water cooling product of any sort before.
Pros: This is my first OCZ PSU. So I was skeptical,.. but no longer. 1) Quiet. People are complaining about noise, and I don't DOUBT them.. but if you get one that is functioning properly.. It is silent. Bottom line. 2) HIGH power and stable power on the rails.. be it 5v, 12v, etc.. this PSU delivers the power.. it's a $200 PSU for $119. 3) No annoying LEDS on this version. BIG PLUS. 4) Easy installation. 5) MODULAR. Modular is so , so handy. If you haven't ever had a modular power supply, you won't go back once you get one. 6) Reputable brand. 7) It does what it says.. and for a PSU.. that is all you want. 8) I run an ASUS Z87-PRO MB, i7-4770k (OC'd to 4.8Ghz) , PC2400 16GB ram, Asus Nvidia GTX 780 , 3 Platter HD's and a 240GB SSD, Optical Drive, 6 Fans, Fan controller, etc.. And this PSU under load has more to give. 9) This PSU *IS* Haswell compliant. Meaning it supports to new states for power stepping. Many conflicting reports on the internet about it. Don't worry I've tested it, it is. Further newegg lists it as so, and I contacted OCZ about it.. all confirmed before I actually tested it.
Cons: For me -- None.
Overall Review: Buy this PSU if you need a higher wattage PSU for future proofing or running a high end rig. -- Now, I've read negative reviews about how it's noisy etc.. But, by design it is NOT loud .. it's quiet. Now there may be some defective units out there. But go read reviews on 99.999% of products here, and you are going to see DOA's.. and negative reviews. This just happens, go read reviews on ALL the pSU's.. you are going to find people who've had Bad ones. That's the way it goes. It's a good buy, one of the best priced 750 watt modular PSU's that is built with quality components.
Pros: Quite simply these are the best 120mm fans in the world. 1) Silent.. Run at a few hundred RPM's.. 2) Even when pushed when CPU temps rise (if used for that purpose (ie: on a push/pull radiator/WC) -- they don't go much over 900-1100 rpm.. still very quiet. 3) LOW dB accoustics. 4) NOCTUA brand.. Noctua makes the best product in the world.. it's unquestionable. 5) These particular fans are PWM. 4 pin.. Thus will function with any motherboard chipset software, or 3rd party software AND native BIOS features. 6) $29 -- May seem steep.. but they are the best. I'd pay $49 if that were the price. 7) SSO2 Bearings. These things have EXTREMELY long lives.. they will last the life of your system. 8) 6 YEAR warranty! That says it all right there for reliability.. a FAN that has a warranty greater than most any other hardware be it a CPU, PSU, RAM, etc.. means they trust their design. 9) Noctua doesn't skimp on their offerings. You get the Fan of course. It comes in exceptional packaging. Included is/are a Y adapter to connect 2 fans to one header (or molex). A low noise adapter to reduce voltage to keep fan at a max of 1200rpm.. AND comes with a Low NOISE adapter to further lower RPM .. Comes with an "extension" cable so the fan will fit to any MB header, or fan controller, or Molex off the PSU. Comes with the screws, comes with anti-vibration mounts built onto the fan to reduce vibration (not that there really is any. -- 10) NOCTUA -- Their customer support is among the best in the world. They will back their products 100%. If your fan breaks.. they will ship a new one.. often without you needing to spend a dime on shipping, OR even sending your old one back.
Cons: There are ZERO cons for these fans.
Overall Review: I said it all in the Pro's. Noctua makes the best fans on the planet, and come with 6 year warranty. If you need whisper quiet fans that have good static pressure and airflow at low rpm -- With lots of options built in.. This is it. I would go so far to say as to use ONLY Noctua fans in your builds. They are NOT overpriced,.. You get more than even their somewhat "premium" price dictates. Buy it.. There are two versions of this fan. PWM (4 pin) and Non.. 3 pin. MAKE sure you buy the type you need for your setup.
Pros: My career as a network engineer and system designer gives me a little credibility, but most people's opinions are, well, obviously subjective. Bottom line.. Windows 8.1 is > Than Windows 7. From a technical standpoint -- Windows 8.1 is more efficient, faster, handles hardware better, more efficiently, AND is easier to use. People complain it is "hard to learn". No it's not. With 8.1 you boot straight to desktop.. (if you want). People complain about the Metro tiled interface (which is not an issue now) -- I get it.. but it's nothing you have to boot into now.. and it is USEFUL for many things.... being able to just type phrases for anything you want to do, and the resulting output it gives is amazing. Windows 8.1 is essentially Windows 7 Stability with improved ability to handle South Bridge, North Bridge, CPU's, Logical and Physical threads/processors, Memory (RAM), CPU GPU designs,.. EXTERNAL PCI_E 3.0 tech/cards... USB 3.0 improvement, and the list just goes on. Vista was terrible.. it never improved. Windows 7 was and still IS a great OS. No need to move to windows 8.1 just because it's out. BUT, if you like new things, or want/need better OS integrated support for your hardware.. OR are building a new system.. 8.1 (in my case.. PRO).. IS the way to go. Take that for what you want,.. as you obviously will. But, I was skeptical.. and it didn't take me more than 15 minutes to get a good handle on 8.1 and am discovering new awesome features every day with it.
Cons: Cons.. hrmm. For me there are zero. -- But, to be objective. The Metro interface just being present can turn people off who have zero willingness to learn. Personally, I preferred the Aero looks of Win 7 over Win 8.1 -- that's minor and can be added with a 4.99 piece of software if you wish. Other than that.. nothing is a con.
Overall Review: If you are hesitant,.. but reasonably willing to learn the differences present in 8.1.. Buy it! If you just can't stand the thought of anything being different with your Start button and the same setup that's been present since Windows 95.. Don't buy it. Very simple decision.
Pros: 1) Model K -- Thus unlocked and highly over-clockable. 2) Relatively inexpensive in the 4th gen i7 series price ranges. 3) Very near 4Ghz (on a Haswell chip) stock (This is roughly 5.3Ghz on a 3rd Gen, say 3770K. 4) Has all the 4th gen tech. built into it. - Onboard voltage controller. - Much better Onboard graphics - Larger L3 cache - Hyper-threading.. - 22nm architecture - Good TDP - Great Energy effeciency (even those of us who overclock still don't mind being "efficient" while doing it.) - The list goes on and on.. just read up on the technical specs of the Haswell chipset/4th gen intel. Easy Installation (nearly identical to your previous installs due to 1155 socket (which is practically identical to 1156 sockets.
Cons: It's a Haswell. The bad things - 1) It runs a bit hotter due to the TIM used in the manufacturing process instead of solder.. (No idea why Intel wouldn't solder a chip meant for enthusiasts who push the chips to the limit. 2) Bit pricey for the clock speed. -- This is really, at THIS time,.. for one of two people. A) The person who likes to overclock and MUST have the latest tech. B) Someone who is building a new system from scratch anyways. Otherwise, if you are running a 3rd gen CPU (and I'd argue even a 2nd Gen and don't due super duty multi core tasks/applications often.. Don't waste your money. That said -- It's a great chip, very solid and definitely reliable.
Overall Review: It's at best 10% better in sheer "speed" than the 3rd Gen. That's a lot of money to pay for 8-10%. If you are going to use it's on board Intel-HD graphics, then it IS worth it -- The graphics are MUCH, MUCH improved. If you are building a new system this is the processor to get. It's not worth it to go with "old" tech to save $50 .. go with the 4th gen .. trust me.
Pros: 1) Cheap. *Note: I was able to take advantage of Black Fri/Cyber Monday and (Black Nov) sales.. and purchased this monitor for $90 shipped. I see it is , as of this writing, $169.99 -- (Which makes more sense due to it's quality of picture). 2) Great picture. 3) EXTREMELY lightweight. The lightest monitor of that size I have ever handled. Easily handled with 2-3 fingers.. it's THAT light. Light electronics often signify junk.. but this monitor has good color saturation, standard 60Hz refresh,.. etc. It does have a relatively high GTG latency -- which you may want to consider at 14ms compared to other LCD's in this price range of 150-175$. 4) Zero dead pixels. 5) NATIVE 1920x1080 resolution
Cons: 14ms GTG (Grey to white then back to grey again) -- This is considerably higher than most monitors. If your intentions are to game with a high end Rig and Gfx card -- don't skimp on the monitor. This monitor can play games, but you will see motion blur, etc when side by side with other monitors with faster response times. At the $169 price tag, a bit expensive for what it is. This monitor is worth every penny of $130.... Not getting ripped off at $150 -- but any higher and you can do better.
Overall Review: Great all around monitor. I'd recommend it for someone who needs another screen to utilize as a second screen (extend desktop) for 2D applications, web browsing etc.. That said, it is native 1920x1080 resolution.. so it has some great qualities combined with some not so great qualities. Overall if you aren't picky about your screens.. this is just fine.
Pros: Umm.. I have another Caviar Black that has been running for 5 years now... So good brand? *I'll be sure to post a follow up review on the RMA'd new drive I receive.. to even out everything*
Cons: This is my first item from new egg that was broken "DOA" (dead on arrival) in over 10 years of ordering from them. It's a shame.. I really hate to have to pay for shipping and wait for another drive.. as this drive is for a more time sensitive matter (work). The client expected this to be done Tuesday.. Anyhow.. The issue is the drive has "S.M.A.R.T" errors which are recognized immediately when you boot.. BIOS halts, and asks you to go into BIOS. I have to turn OFF S.M.A.R.T for the computer to boot and I never put anything ON this drive.. I used an SSD for the OS, this drive was merely hooked up to later be used for Data/backup. Don't hate on Newegg or Western Digital too much from this review though. You will be hard pressed to find ANY Platter hard drive on new egg (or anywhere) that has immaculate reviews. EVERYONE has received some bad drives.. it's the nature of the game.
Overall Review: From my experience,.. hard drives are going to fail quickly (first day, first week.. or first few months) -- If they last a year or two.. they generally hang on for a while. I have a 10GB Fireball drive from 1996.. still runs like a champ. So hopefully the second drive will not be DOA. So, my first RMA experience with Newegg will happen today (and into the weekend) -- I hope it's an easy process. Would be fantastic if they would cross ship the same drive while I shipped this drive back.
Pros: I've been building computers for 15 years now (since I was in highschool) -- and I've been through every brand of motherboard you can think of. This is the BEST quality board and most feature rich I've ever had the pleasure to work with. 1) It's ASUS - Top 1 or 2 company who builds Motherboards. Thus reliable, and quality. 2) It has solid heatsinks on the Mosfets, has 5K capacitors.. just all around everything on this board is over engineered. 3) Let's mark some of the things off: -- It's 1155 (the newest Socket... holds the latest generation of the Intel processors). -- It has Incredible North and south bridge chipsets. After I've been using it a bit now.. the design asus did around Intels original Z87 board is astonishing. It has plenty of PCI-E (3.0) slots for SLI/Crossfire (dual or three way if you wish). It has 4x and 1x slots.. -- It has THREE display ports on the motherboard headers.. HDMI, VGA *iirc*.. and DVI (that's just if you want to use the GPU on the CPU. It has PS/2 slot for legacy keyboards/mice.. It has (8) USB 3.0 NATIVE ports! (plus some 2.0's if you want to use them.. I didn't due to backward compatibility). It's USB 3.0 ports are 3 times faster than industry standard.. -- The USB ports on the back will charge your devices when the computer is OFF! The motherboard even lets you put the bios on a flashdrive and into a USB slot to flash the bios -- WITHOUT a CPU in, RAM, etc.. If you have a PSU you can flash the bios (some of you know how handy this can be.) It has built in WIFI a/b/g/ and n! (And I've been using it.. it's fast and has distance!). It has Bluetooth at the latest standard 4.0! It's already designed to handle RAM speeds up to 2800-3000 DDR3. And this board takes the OC'd RAM and reads it properly right away.. no hassles like other motherboards you've dealt with. I through in 16GB's of 2400 DDR3 RAM and I didn't have to push one button in bios. It has a Power button on the mother board. It has a Bios "restore to defaults" BUTTON on the motherboard. It has a button to boot directly INTO the BIOS on the motherboard. (Also has two pins where you can plug your reset switch into (what I did) so your reset button now is a button that boots straight into BIOS). Running out of room here -- But you know how most MB's software packages are just bloatware? This board's software is actually GOOD. You WILL want to use it. The BIOS is the best design I've ever seen (and that's saying a lot). Further, ASUS put thought into where to put the USB front headers, the CPU_FAN/CHA_FANs.. etc -- So your cable routing WORKS! It has 8 Sata 6.0GB/s ports. 6 of which are run off the chipset,.. the last 2 (which you probably won't use.. run off a proprietary "shared" method). For a $200 Price point MB,.. I think this one ranks up there with the best.
Cons: Everything worked as it should for me.. They didn't forget one thing.. even has the Q connector to make the wiring of the power/reset/hd/.. etc very painless. At the $200 pricepoint (sub 200 if you get it on special) -- you just aren't going to be do better.
Overall Review: I didn't mention it -- But this board is designed for someone who wants a rock solid stable Motherboard -- AND for someone who is big into overclocking their CPU's, RAM, etc. This board is designed to Overclock,.. the amount of options in the BIOS is unreal! The software that you WILL use in your Windows (X) is fantastic. (It even includes it's own version of CPU-Z.. if that tells you anything). To note: This board is IDENTICAL to the ASUS Z87-DELUXE. The only difference is this board has Wifi a/b/g/n (which can be an access point or just pick up a signal from a router) -- AND this board has Blue tooth v.4 -- (as opposed to 3) -- BT v.4 is worth it for speed, but primarily for battery life on your devices.
Pros: I purchased this on special for like $16 or so.. but even now it's $19.. Think about that money.. it's a few coffee's.. a half or third tank of gas.. a case of beer.. --- you get the idea, it's cheap. BUT -- I took a chance,.. It's ASUS.. it's a CD Reader, a CD Writer, A CD-RW, A DVD drive, DVD Writer, and DVD RW drive.. all at respectable speeds. Again, it's ASUS! It's in my HAF XB EVO case now.. and I've used it extensively with windows installation, driver installations, chipset installations.. etc -- Let me put it this way -- It operates exactly like the $70 Drive I bought a few months ago for a clients computer. -- Some people complain about "noise" with DVD/CD drives -- Yes.. they make noise. But, this makes NO more noise than any other drive you buy. They are spinning discs are incredibly RPM's. This has never bothered me.. because the time in which I am using the drive is an installation, or a burn of a DVD or CD -- A brief moment and I never even notice the noise of CD/DVD drives. What else can I say -- It looks nice.. it's well built,.. has a big fat ASUS factory painted brand on the front tray (no cheap stickers).. And again, it works like every other CD/DVD burner I've purchased.
Cons: No cons on this one. For $19 bucks,.. you can't go wrong with an ASUS CD/DVD burner.
Overall Review: Stop debating.. unless you NEED a BlueRay drive.. Buy it. Save the money, this will do the job just like the drives twice or three times the money.
Pros: When I first saw this case,.. I was immediately intrigued -- Towers, let's face it.. are SO common and old-hat now. That a Tower/Desktop hybrid is interesting. Pros: 1) The whole thing breaks apart with thumb screws -- The Front comes off.. the sides come off.. the top comes off.. the mother board tray comes OUT!. 2) It allows for extra long PSU's. At the back it has a bracket that the back 2-3 inches of your PSU will fit into (and mount to this bracket) that attaches with thumb screws.. This allows you to mount your PSU to this bracket.. and then just slide the PSU in a tiny bit.. while you build. You route cables, etc.. then when you are literally DONE with the cables and motherboard.. you can just push that Bracket in along the guide rails and use the thumb screws to tighten it up. 3) Being able to take the motherboard out is invaluable for building AND for modding, showing off, and tinkering with your computer. It's such a pleasure to work with this case. It's not even heavy to my surprise. 4) Build quality. Extremely well built! Solid metal work.. painted on the inside.. no sharp edges.. purpose built holes around the case for cable management, etc. 5) You can think of this case like a Two story house. The first floor is where you mount your hard drive, ssd(s), CD/DVD drive.. PSU, and so on. Then on the second "top" floor -- you have a motherboard tray you can take out and build out of the case. (IE: Mount motherboard, CPU, CPU cooler, RAM, etc.) Then you slide the motherboard in and attach the sata cables and power cables you routed on floor number (one). ;) 6) Cooling! I just built with this. It comes with 2, 120mm fans in the front, which are mounted to pull cold air outside inward. (you can reverse them if you need to). -- It has a slot on the back right (top floor) to mount a 140mm fan. (I mounted a 140mm Noctua fan, then Corsair Radiator, then another Noctua 140mm fan in push pull here.) No problems with room/clearance. I ordered a 200mm fan, because I wanted to use the top for exhaust, but I was building in this case to be whisper quiet.. so large fans, low rpms = quiet. For reference, here is a perfect fit fan that is whisper quiet for this case to use on the top: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103178 Lastly.. it just looks cool. I have it ON my desk, right next to me. Most of my towers are on the ground, or 5-6+ feet away.. this one has USB 3.0 NATIVE ports on the front of the case,.. audio/headphones.. power, reset, etc.
Cons: Cons.. The ONLY con I found with the case was with the hot swap covers. They are a bit fragile. With a lot of "hot swapping" of HD's,.. these will break unless you are VERY careful with them. Other than that.. it's so worth the $99.
Overall Review: Most unique and innovative computer case I've seen and used in a decade or more. If you are on the fence with this.. Buy it, you won't regret it. I was very, very surprised at how light (yet well built) it really was for how much room it has.
Pros: It is not overly complicated! It isn't touchscreen! It has HIGH watts per channel! It doesn't have ridiculous LEDS like EVERY other Fan controller on the market! This thing has sliders.. 6 of them.. Which you slide up and down.. Obviously down all the way is off (or 10%).. and all the way up is 100% speed. I prefer mechanical tactile rheostats/fan controllers vs. that touch screen junk -- When you want to adjust fans, you don't want to work with some VERY cheap touch screen that just doesn't work well. I literally spent 10 hours one day reviewing/researching every fan controller on the "online" market (about 100).. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a Fan controller that does NOT have blinding , ugly, LED's that will keep you up at night (if you sleep in the room with the computer on).. And are annoying even sitting beside the computer. Then once you do find one.. it will inevitably have a 75% negative review rate.. for failure, being a piece of junk .. etc. The problems you run into are fan controllers that are under powered per fan header.. and cause buzzing noises on the fans due to power/voltage issues. You will find a "pretty" touchscreen fan controller but in reality it is a pain to operate and you will end up not using it. If you are anything like me.. you are tired of the LED's on everything,.. you want something that is RELIABLE.. simple.. but WORKS. This is your product. It will take 2, 3, or 4 pin sockets -- and it operates on two Molex connectors powering it.. which gives it something like 30 watts per channel (6x30 = 180 watts) -- That is a TON of power. You will NOT have fans that will be too powerful for the headers. At 30 watts you can put , technically,.. 6 fans on each header (though I wouldn't advise more than 2-3 a header). It's easy to install.. pop it in a 5.25 bay like you would a CD/DVD drive.. plug in the power.. and plug the fans into the back. That's it.. no need to read manuals. I did the research for you -- If you aren't after some LCD touchscreen Fan controller -- THIS is the one you need to buy. About 50-60%+ of fan controllers on the market are absolute trash.. This has the Numbers (1 2 3 4 5 6) lit up , but in a slightly blue/white tint that is NOT too bright. It looks classy. Perfect to adjust those chassis fans that you want to keep in check for noise levels.. and even push/pull fans on radiators if you wish. I run 5 fans off mine,.. and it can handle so much more than that with 180watt capacity.
Cons: Cons? At $34.. not a one. I'd pay $50-60 for this now that I know it works and is not a piece of junk.
Overall Review: I said it all in the "pros" -- But it bears repeating .. if you are after "flashy".. this isn't what you want. If you are after something that is classy looking, doesn't have blinding LED's.. has tactile sliders.. and will handle as many fans as you can fit in a case -- This is your product.
Pros: Guys, SSD's are the future.. they are slowly becoming a real option with the prices vs GB. That said,.. I build, on average,.. 200-250 computer systems a year of all types, client computers to servers and so on.. I've used SSD's a lot since 2009. It IS the single biggest upgrade you can put in a computer due to the immense bottleneck a platter HD is. But.. there is an issue with reliability.. The other brands really had issues a few years ago, but they are starting to get stability now. Point is -- I spend the extra 20% on Intel SSD's because they are tough as nails. They work, they are fast.. and they LAST. My Intel SSD's are by FAR more reliable than the WD Caviar Blacks, blues, greens, red/nas, etc Platter drives I go through. Pros: It's reliable It's FAST It's becoming affordable It's Intel.
Cons: Cons -- None really. To be critical,.. if I had to put a 'con' -- it would be price, that you can't get more GB per dollar than you do right now. But, that said a 240GB drive like this is under $200 -- An Intel 240GB 2 years ago was $500.
Overall Review: Bottom line -- if you haven't tried an SSD for your OS, and main programs yet.. BUY one. If you are concerned about reliability and don't know which brand to pick -- Just spend a little extra and go with Intel.. Even if you have to down grade to a 128GB.. You will be surprised how much you can place on the SSD at 120-240GB - I am able to keep my OS of course, and ALL my productivity applications.. and even a few large games. I always grab an SSD + a 1TB-2TB drive for Data/moving data over from SSD , etc.
Pros: This router has incredibly more and faster hardware than its competitors. You know the common Linksys WRT54G? Many versions have 8-16MB ram, and even less Flash.. and run on a 200Mhz CPU. In contrast this router has 132MB Ram, 32MB of Flash (2 to 4times Flash than other routers have total RAM!) -- and a 533Mhz CPU (480 from the factory) -- So 2 to 3 times the CPU. Now on the level: It is Wireless N,.. so has 802.11b,g and n capability. It is a Gigabit all the way around on the ports -- that is 1000Mbps. It Has 3 Antennae (contrary to some reports excellent range). It has 2 USB Ports (more on that later) Comes with CD with utilities and EASY install if you so choose, Cat5e Cable, Manual, Power Supply, and Router. It is reliable! Something I don't see listed often. The dimensions of this thing are: L = 8 1/2inches, W = 6 1/2 Inches and Height = 1 1/2inches. Not gigantic, but plenty of room for all that hardware.
Cons: From a personal viewpoint -- None. Not one thing has occurred problematic, it doesn't fail, range is better than old.. and the old was plenty. I tested the default firmware but quickly flashed to Tomato-Teddy 1.27. The default was very nice looking, and seemed incredibly easy for a novice to get things running. Though I have to recommend this router for someone who is willing to use a third part software to take advantage of its capabilities.
Overall Review: The router has all this hardware,.. combined with tomato-teddy firmware it is solid as a rock. I can literally set it and forget it. Further it has not 1, but 2 USB ports. So you can add an external printer, scanner, and hard-drive(s) to it. (Plus other USB devices.. if you want to go into other things you'll need to look into the third party versions of firmware for capability.) But the NAS storage costs as much as this router or more already just for the case WITHOUT harddrives to network. If you need NAS, and everyone really can use it -- bam already paid for itself. Don't have a network printer, and hate configuring all the clients? Turns your USB printer into a 'wireless printer' -- Money. Remember you CAN daisy chain USB devices.. so think of the possibilities. For those 'afraid' of flashing -- Literally with this router, you press a button, run firmware restoration and you are done. So basically two button presses. It can't get easier. Though do read bef
Pros: It works!
Cons: None!
Overall Review: What can you say, it is a DVI-D cable.. they work or they don't. This does, it is cheap,.. no brainer.
Pros: 1) Cheap,.. under 100$ (when I purchased) 2) OCZ Brand, generally a good thing. 3) 4gigs, low/standard profile ram.
Cons: 1) Won't hit 1600Mhz at rated timings/voltage -- Despite going to OCZ's tech support forums (which shouldn't be required).. not much help was offered. -- Is it the RAM itself? Who knows.. 2) Just not impressed with this OCZ product. I would love to replace the RAM, but do not want to deal with having my main system down and having to pay for shipping costs for incompatible/defective/ etc RAM.
Overall Review: OCZ, if you wish to make this right with me please contact me through newegg/email address. Otherwise this will be the last purchase from OCZ I ever allow. I try new companies based on reputation and word of mouth.. sometimes you get burned. Live and learn. Not saying all their products are bad,..I would shy away from this particular product though.
- External Link(s):
- OCZ Support Page
Pros: This is a QUALITY brand, Lite-ON product,.. that does everything a drive can do , basically: Reads CD's, Reads DVD's, Reads Blu-Ray discs. Writes CD's and Writes DVD's. Only thing missing is a lightscribe technology.. but I have it in another drive.. it is a novelty really.. a bit too slow to be worth it imo.
Cons: -None-
Overall Review: $100'ish dollars for a brand name drive that does it all. Hard to beat.
Pros: 1) Best price for the complete Operating system. 2) It is Professional grade -- not all the features, but all the ones that matter. 3) If you can utilize the professional grade features, you shouldn't need any 'tech support' from Microsoft.. 4) Price for product, that is all there is to it.
Cons: 1) No tech support -- but that is why it is cheaper. You buy this to get the full version of the product minus phone tech support from MS on the product. --do you want to pay 30-40-50+ for phone support? If so, this isn't for you.
Overall Review: Windows 7 -- DVD format, 64 bit,.. Have not been dissapointed, and a MUCH better release than Vista was. Much cleaner, and less bloated. I thoroughly enjoy it.
Pros: 1) Easy to use design,.. doesn't come out too fast. 2) Thermal properties at onset are what you get today , tomorrow, and next year. -- In other words the product works instantly without any burn in cycle.
Cons: 1) A little tough to push the compound out, but nothing worthy of complaining about. 2) It isn't the best thermal compound on the market. --
Overall Review: Absolutely nothing wrong with this stuff. If you are trying to achieve the absolute cutting edge temps for the maximum OC from your processor, skip the $5 compound and ante up for a little more expensive compound. You do get what you pay for. Otherwise, this stuff beats any stock compound hands down, and on a stock or mildly overclocked setup is perfect. --Tip: For best spread and temps, place a bead about th size of a large grain of rice in the middle of the CPU. Do not attempt to spread this stuff (it is not designed for it). After you put the bead out, mount your block/heatsink and forget about it. Don't question it unless your temperatures are going 80c+ for no apparent reason.
Pros: I can't hear the drive. Amazing! Never heard a 7200rpm , and Dual platter drive this silent. -- It is huge. -- It is extremely fast. Anything else?
Cons: Absolutely nothing.
Overall Review: One of my most overlooked yet most appreciated purchases this year in terms of surprise for the money. I would recommend this drive to anyone who asked... over any other in the same class/size.
Pros: 1) Gigabyte name -- They stand behind their products and support them extensively. This board currently has 6 bios revisions. Up to F6 (IE: F1-F6) -- Could sound bad, but alot of companies release a board and don't follow up very long with fixing compatibility issues. Gigabyte is good about that. 2) Built in heatsinks on every conceivable area of the MB. NB/SB/Mosfets, etc. 3) Dual LAN and Gigabit! 4) Dual channel, easy layout. The board is as described. It is solid,.. I've personally removed and remounted for various reasons over half a dozen times without problem. I must comment, someone said big heatsinks don't fit well on this board? Not real sure where they get that from -- This board works fine with large heatsinks. I have a Noctua NH-D14 (one of the largest you can buy) -- and it sits just fine. I can even remove all the ram chips without removing the outer fan.
Cons: The Bios -- It is a little finicky if you are into overclocking and such. Things like voltage settings for DIMM voltage, say you want to set it to a manual 1.65v -- well the bios has 1.64 and 1.66. Why not 1.65? Weird things of that nature. It has worked for everything I have wanted it to.
Overall Review: I run an i5-750 2.66Ghz with this Board. I overclock this chip to 4.011Ghz (x4 cores) stable on air. What more can you ask? If you are looking for a stock board,.. this will do the job just fine.. it has a MILLION usb ports on it.. good lord, just count them ;) Good buy, definite 5 eggs.
Pros: Well others cover the general -- So I'll cover the absolute Technical Specs of this Chip! Launch: Q3, 2015 - i5-6600K (Unlocked) - 64 Bit Intel Smart Cache: 6MB DMI3 = 8 GT/s (8 Billion Data Transfer Operations per Second!) Extensions: SSE 4.1, 4.2, AVX 2.0 Size (Lithography) = 14 nanometers Thermal Specification PCG 2015D (130W) Core Number = 4 Thread Number = 4 Base Frequency = 3.5Ghz Default Turbo (non OC) Frequency = 3.9Ghz Thermal Design Power = 91Watts Cache: 6 MegaBytes Max RAM = 64GB RAM Compatiblity = DDR4/DDR3L Memory Channels = 2 Memory Bandwidth = 34.1 GB/s Graphics! (Impressive) Intel HD Graphics 530 Base Frequency = 350Mhz Max Frequency = 1.15Ghz Video Memory = 1.7GB Graphics Output Support = eDP, DP, HDMI, DVI 4K Support! Max Resolution = 4096x2304 *Native* DirectX 12 Open GL 4.4 Intel Quick Synch Video = Yes Intel InTru 3D Technology = Yes Intel Insider = Yes Intel Wireless Display = Yes Intel Clear Video HD = Yes Displays Supported Simultaneously (Just CPU) = 3 PCI Express = 3.0 PCI Express Configs = 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4 Max PCI Express Lanes = 16 Socket Supported: LGA1151 Intel Turbo Boost = 2.0 Intel Virtualization = Yes Intel TSX-NI = Yes Intel 3 = Yes Idle State = Yes Enhanced Speedstep = Yes Thermal Monitoring = Yes Intel Small Business Advantage = Yes Protection/Security-- OS Guard = Yes Execute Disable Bit = Yes This CPU has the ability to create Ciphers for encryption better than ever before. (Which does protect you). Has Native Hardware/CPU Support to protect Malicious software/programs in Memory Addresses. (It protects the Kernel) Intel Boot Guard = Yes Intel OS Guard = Yes Conflict Free = Yes VMCS Shdowing = Yes Identify Protection Tech = Yes Integrated Memory Controller = DDR4 has higher performance via prefetched algorithms, lower latency, and higher memory bandwidth than any prior generation. Gives higher transfer Speeds (And speeds in general) at lower power. The DDR3 to DDR4 step is a huge one with this Chipset Generation. It's a Great Chip, really the only issue right now is how New this generation is at the time of this review and how difficult it is to get these chips.. Quite limited at the moment. Prime Time to upgrade would be Q1 of 2016+ imho.
Cons: Wit this particular Chip -- The price is quite fair, and given it's performance vs say a 4 series i7 .. at i5 levels,.. it's hard to find Cons with this particular Skylake 6600K.
Overall Review: If you are waiting around for a different 6th Gen Chip.. And have a few months patience.. Wait for what you want. If you want the latest technology (Generation) in a new build, or are building machines like I am (Built 2 of this chip today) this is the way to go over going to a previous Generation or Two prior, imho.