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Stephen H.

Stephen H.

Joined on 05/25/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 36
Most Favorable Review

Easy to use

Rosewill HDTV Indoor Antenna, 60 Mile Range with Amplifier Signal Booster, 5ft Coaxial Cable, Top Mounted, Supports UHF/VHF, 4K HD and ATSC 3.0 Ready - RHTA-18002
Rosewill HDTV Indoor Antenna, 60 Mile Range with Amplifier Signal Booster, 5ft Coaxial Cable, Top Mounted, Supports UHF/VHF, 4K HD and ATSC 3.0 Ready - RHTA-18002

Pros: Pulls in many over the air channels clearer than our old "TV Free Way". Doesn't need to be adjusted for different channels. Comes with a power injector if you don't have a free USB port.

Cons: Cords are a little long, nothing a couple of zip ties can't fix.

Overall Review: I like the way it sits on our 55" LG thin TV (Very inconspicuous). No issues with receiving channels and actually get a couple more than with our old rabbit ear setup.

Most Critical Review

Hit or Miss

Samsung BDJ6300 Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi
Samsung BDJ6300 Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi

Pros: This was to replace an older Sony unit. It is primarily used for streaming and is much faster than the old one. Menus don't hang and when you push a button on the remote the player reacts almost instantly.

Cons: The first unit would randomly reset in the middle of movies or while streaming so newegg was great and sent a replacement. The second unit only locks up and resets occasionally while streaming (probably a memory issue). I expected better quality from 2 of the top brands of electronics but I guess quality isn't a thing anymore. I personally like the Sony menu better.

Perfect peripheral hub

ORICO USB 3.0 HUB, Monitor-Edge and Desk-Edge USB 3.0 4-Port Clip-Type Hub, Extra Power Supply, Space-Saving, Compact USB 3.0 Clamp Hub, Ultra-Portable Travel Hub for Laptop
ORICO USB 3.0 HUB, Monitor-Edge and Desk-Edge USB 3.0 4-Port Clip-Type Hub, Extra Power Supply, Space-Saving, Compact USB 3.0 Clamp Hub, Ultra-Portable Travel Hub for Laptop

Pros: It has worked flawlessly for months. attached to the edge of my monitor with no fanfare.

Cons: none

Overall Review: I like to try different keyboard/mouse combinations and this hub is perfect. no more climbing behind the PC to insert cables by braille. Zero issues with any peripherals or thumb drives. USB-A connected to USB3.1 on rear of MB, USB-C (power) connected to USB port on UPS.

10/16/2024

Decent openworld game (Updated review)

NVIDIA Gift - Star Wars Outlaws PC GeForce RTX Bundle
NVIDIA Gift - Star Wars Outlaws PC GeForce RTX Bundle

Pros: -Interesting take on the Star Wars universe. -Good faction quests and decisions have consequences. -Cool new approaches to computer hacking and lockpicking. -Seems stable, only one crash to desktop in 8 hours.

Cons: -Default control layout awkward. (Flight controls especially awkward to my mind) -Raytracing is terrible, no amount of AI seemed to help. (RTX4070 Super) -Very Linear storyline. -Protagonist poorly written -Only way to play is as a "stealth archer". -Microtransactions -Lack of character customization (there's no reason to play as Kay, it could have literally been anybody so why lock the player to someone specific?) -Only allowed to carry a blaster, any other weapons are immediately dropped if crawling thru vents or climbing ladders. -Lots of items to loot but very few vendors to sell to. -Speaking of vendors, they have very small inventories and don't have any items needed to craft upgrades or survive resulting in a poor economy, quickly having more credits than you can spend.

Overall Review: I think this is a mediocre attempt at an open world RPG that wouldn't survive without the Star Wars name/universe. I wouldn't have gotten this game unless I got it for free ( which was a pain to claim, see below). Open world games are difficult to make to compete with the Bethesda juggernaut. The beginning of the game is a confusing slog. I really wanted to like this game but am not excited to play or finish it after about 8 hours. - - Got game as part of an Nvidia promo, "We are unable to process your redemption due to technical difficulties. Try again later." Error message in Nvidia app. Nvidia's web site just puts me in a support loop with no contact details. I would like to give an honest review of this game if I ever get to acquire it. (UPDATE 10/15/2024: In order to claim the game as an Nvidia promo, remove Nvidia app and claim using Geforce experience. Will update again after playing.

10/16/2024

Way better than expected.

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 ATX Graphics Card RTX 4070 SUPER 12G GAMING X SLIM
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 ATX Graphics Card RTX 4070 SUPER 12G GAMING X SLIM

Pros: Slightly better than a 3080ti in raw performance at 2/3 the wattage. I'm shocked at how much better the upscaling is over the 30 series. In Starfield the FPS is about the same but looks so much better.

Cons: Having trouble redeeming the "Star Wars: Outlaws" game that came as a promo. Not the card's fault though.

Overall Review: Very pleased with this purchase. Paired with a 12900k replacing a 30080ti due to high wattage use and occasional transient spikes tripping OCP in the PSU. As stated in the pros, This 4070 Super is worth the upgrade. I really am amazed at how much smoother the graphics are. All I was really trying to do was lower my power usage at the same visual quality but it runs cooler, quieter, and better visuals.

10/14/2024

Dropped temps by 5C

Enermax StarryKnight SK30 V2 - E-ATX Mid Tower PC Gaming Case - Mesh Front Panel & Tempered Glass Side Panel - 4X SquA ADV ARGB PWM Fans - Built-in GPU Anti-Sag Bracket & RGB Lighting Hub
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 V2 - E-ATX Mid Tower PC Gaming Case - Mesh Front Panel & Tempered Glass Side Panel - 4X SquA ADV ARGB PWM Fans - Built-in GPU Anti-Sag Bracket & RGB Lighting Hub

Pros: -Built well for the price point -Vertical 2 slot GPU mounting -4 ARGB fans (1 120mm, 3 140mm) that aren't worthless -Fit and finish on front and rear panels excellent -included Fan hub works excellent.

Cons: -Fitting a radiator in the top can be tight depending on MB heat sink. MSI Z690 Carbon VRM heat sinks are quite large. Zero clearance between heat sink and fan. I removed the screw on that corner and it just squeezed in. -Rear backplane is really thin steel so mounting vertical GPU causes allot of flex. Even my cheap Rosewill case came with a plastic vertical GPU spacer. -Space between top of PSU and basement cover is really tight making cable management to bottom MB headers difficult. -Included fan hub is mounted a little low making RGB connection from Cooler really tight. I moved the entire unit up using just the bottom hole to make the connection.

Overall Review: Overall I am pleased with the build in this case. I moved my build to this case for better cooling as my Rosewill Spectra case just didn't have enough airflow. During long gaming sessions the glass would be uncomfortably hot to the touch, now I have no such problems. The main reason I chose this case was for the vertical GPU mounting and the 140mm front fans were just a bonus. I also like that there are no front USB or switches in the front cover making it completely removable.