Skip to main content
cover
Aliaksei R.

Aliaksei R.

Joined on 06/11/07

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review
PNY Optima 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model MD2048SD2-667
PNY Optima 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model MD2048SD2-667

Pros: 2 GBs of RAM in one stick; easy install, works great, arrived quickly. Fair price.

Cons: Plastic packaging was hard to open :)

Overall Review: Make sure your system can recognize all the RAM you are planning to hook it up with: some OS/chipset combination don't support more than 3-3,5 GBs, so if you have enough slots (say, 4) - I'd go with cheaper 1 GB sticks sets.

Best in class

CHAINTECH GSE96GTC GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
CHAINTECH GSE96GTC GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Pros: Fast and cheapest in class, I had to compare quite a few Radeons with it, and with relatively same specs it still was at least 50 cheaper and as fast (prove me wrong if you have tests at hand). Runs 40-person multiplayer CoD4 on 1680x1050 all settings highest with no problem as well as other up-to-date games, Crysis is somewhat slow, but highly playable (20-40 fps on 1280x1024 all medium with 4xAA), but it's probably the only game you'll need a monster system for :) Mine is Dell's Pentium D 3.0 GHZ dual core, upgraded with 3 GBs of 667 RAM. Doesn't require additional slot (issue with my Dell case).

Cons: Your regular power supply might not be enough - make sure to check before buying (I run 650W single card set up).

Overall Review: Manual says it's core clocks at 650, while listing on Newegg was saying 700, I had to get software to check the actual speed, and it was higher than 700 (715 or so).

Great LCD for the money

Philips 32" 1080i LCD HDTV w/ Pixel Plus 3 HD - 32PFL5322D/37
Philips 32" 1080i LCD HDTV w/ Pixel Plus 3 HD - 32PFL5322D/37

Pros: Supports 1080i, 2 HDMI inputs, great picture quality, low price.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: I don't watch TV at all, but for games and movies it's perfect.

Rosewill RP550V2-D-SL 550 W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply
Rosewill RP550V2-D-SL 550 W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

Pros: Easy install, cool looking, lots of nicely separated cables (even too many for my current set up :), 4 SATA, SLI ready. Blue light is very cool looking, runs silent. Fast delivery (should I even mention that? :)

Cons: No screws supplied, no manual - not a problem, but would be nice to have.

Overall Review: Would try for a SLI system, but would go for a more W model. Really like the brand already :)

BFG Tech GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Support Graphics Card BFGR7950512GTOCE
BFG Tech GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Support Graphics Card BFGR7950512GTOCE

Pros: Runs F.E.A.R. and World of Warcraft and all setting maxed out at a very high FPS on 1600x1080 resolution (see PC specs below). Didn't need an extra upper slot available for a fan - an issue with my current tower, which doesn't have anything above PCI-E slot (just got a new desktop from DELL, as I needed something uber-fast, as my old 3.5 y/o PC crashed beyond repair), I think the only higher-end videocard which doesn't require two slots (I was looking around exclusively for NVidia, as I'm with them since 1998). Not expensive + rebate, fast delivery.

Cons: Out of stock at the moment :(

Overall Review: Had to buy a new power supply (thanks again, NE ;), need to try newer pre-DX10 games. Fan gets noisy sometimes, but you won't hear it, unless you play with no sound at all :) Runs silently when I'm not playing. System: DELL Dimension E520 with Pentium D DC925 @ 3 MHz/800FSB, 3 GB DDR2-667, 22" DELL panel + whatever tower came with.