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Patrick M.

Patrick M.

Joined on 03/21/02

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 36
Most Favorable Review

So far, so good

Rosewill RCR-IM5001 - 75-in-1 Internal Card Reader Hub - 3 x USB 2.0 Ports / eSATA Port / Extra Silver Face Plate / Molex Power Cable - Fits 3.5” Drive Slot
Rosewill RCR-IM5001 - 75-in-1 Internal Card Reader Hub - 3 x USB 2.0 Ports / eSATA Port / Extra Silver Face Plate / Molex Power Cable - Fits 3.5” Drive Slot

Pros: I've been looking for an internal card reader for my system. At $15 with free shipping, this Newegg deal was too good to pass up. The instructions are clear and I took my time installing it to make certain all the connections were correct. My PC boots up the same way it always has. I tested the the USB connectors and the CF and SD slots. They work just fine, which makes me happy because I bought this product specifically for those functions. Having the option of black or silver faceplates is nice. The silver one looks good with the silver trim on my black case. Getting so much functionality in such a small footprint is also a plus.

Cons: The unit came packed in a bubble envelope. I was concerned that it might have been crushed during shipping. I carefully inspected it before installation and didn't see any signs of damage. The envelope and packaging don't provide much protection. I wonder if this isn't contributing to some of the problems other reviewers have experienced. This product should be shipped in a box, not an envelope. As someone pointed out, switching the faceplates is more problematic than it should be. I solved the problem by using a small flathead screwdriver to align the USB ports and power connector with the openings in the faceplate. I couldn't get the faceplate to seat properly before doing that. If you're fussy about more wiring inside your case, you should be aware that this unit does add three more cables (USB, SATA and power). Some of the card reader slots are upside down, as noted in the instructions. I don't consider that a significant problem, although others might.

Overall Review: I don't have an eSATA drive yet, so I haven't been able to test the eSATA port. I plan to add one in the near future, which is another reason I bought this unit. It will be interesting to see if the Rosewill RCR-IM5001 stands the test of time. For now, my impression is far more positive than negative.

12/14/2009
Most Critical Review

Could be better

Belkin Holster Case for Zune F8M030
Belkin Holster Case for Zune F8M030

Pros: It fits snugly over my 30GB Zune just fine and provides the extra protection I wanted. It also has a belt clip. The microfiber lining provides scratch and wear protection. The plastic cover over the screen works reasonably well as long as the interior is kept clean.

Cons: There are two inexplicable design flaws. First, there's no hole over the locking switch, which means the velcro fastner must be opened every time you want to lock or unlock your Zune. Second, I'd much prefer cutout holes over the forward and back buttons because the covered buttons are sometimes unresponsive if you don't push them exactly right. Also, the cutout hole over the central control wheel button doesn't align all that well, but it's mostly just a minor annoyance.

Overall Review: For what I paid for this case, which wasn't much, it fulfills the primary goals of providing extra protection for my Zune and better protability. But I'm going to continue looking for something better.

12/31/2007

Great airflow!

Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower Computer Case with High Airflow, Supporting up to Six 120mm Fans and USB 3.0
Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower Computer Case with High Airflow, Supporting up to Six 120mm Fans and USB 3.0

Pros: - Budget priced. - Fantastic airflow if you make use of all fan mounting points. - Enables removal of CPU heat sink without removing the motherboard. - Bottom-mounted power supply. - Roomy interior provides good cable management options. - Makes my system look more powerful than it really is. ;-)

Cons: Some minor nitpicks: - I wish the hard drive LED was a different color from the power LED. - I like the front bezel design, but it has nooks and crannies that tend to attract and hold dust. - Only one tool-free mount for 5.25" drives.

Overall Review: I bought the Cooler Master HAF 912 because my old case simply couldn't handle the increased heat from two Crossfired Raedon HD 5770s. The video cards got so hot that they'd cause total system reboots. I mounted six 120mm fans (two blowing in on the front, one blowing in on the side, two blowing out on top and one blowing out on back). My video cards and CPU now stay nice and cool. The issue with reboots is completely gone. I had no issues whatsoever installing my hardware into this case.

Works as advertised

HAWKING HWREN1 Hi-Gain Wireless-300N Range Extender
HAWKING HWREN1 Hi-Gain Wireless-300N Range Extender

Pros: Once you get the HWREN1 set up properly, it does what it's supposed to do: extend your wireless coverage. I've been using mine for more than a year without any problem whatsoever. After getting it configured, I plugged it in and forgot about it.

Cons: As others have noted, the setup can be rather frustrating, especially if you're using a router with MAC address filtering. Once I discovered the trick to making it work, everything was fine.

Overall Review: My D-Link DIR-825 router is in the basement and I needed better wireless coverage on the second floor of the house. Strategically placing the HWREN1 in relation to the router gave me much-improved signal strength. We also use it to stream video to our Sony Blu-Ray player. Great product!

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Installation and setup went without a hitch. Lots of USB and SATA ports. I especially love the eSATA ports. It's a nice looking board in my windowed case. Best of all, it unlocked all four cores of my AMD Phenom II 550 CPU. I also like the power saving and surge protection features.

Cons: BIOS needed to be updated, but other than that, I have no complaints about this board.

What a bargain!

G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR

Pros: Great price. Installed without trouble. Work as advertised. I've always had good experiences with G. Skill RAM and these are no different.

Cons: None that I've found.

Overall Review: I bought these for a new Asus M4A79XTD EVO motherboard and they work great with it. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add 8GB of DDR3 RAM to my system. I plugged in the sticks and the system booted right up with no problems. The BIOS correctly recognized them and set the timings. I wanted to make certain I had RAM that didn't interfere with my Cooler Master Hyper TX3 heat sink, and these don't.