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Nicholas T.

Nicholas T.

Joined on 06/19/05

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Most Favorable Review

Reliable 24/7 TiVo, surveillance, and surveillance Drive

Western Digital AV-GP WD10EURX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Western Digital AV-GP WD10EURX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: In my tests it had very good write speeds compared to my older Seagate drives, while the read speed was about the same. It stayed pretty cool, even after transferring several hundred GB onto the drive. The drive was not audible over the fans in my case, even while writing. This drive's intended use is for 24/7 streaming writes in TiVo, security feeds, and DVRs. It's great for this purpose as when used by these systems its Streaming Command Set is enabled, allowing it to record without skipping if there is a minor write error on the drive. This is a great drive for your TiVo, home security system, or DVR.

Cons: Not recommended for gaming, see Other thoughts below.

Overall Review: Before you buy this hard drive for your computer - the AV-GP series is intended for DVRs and surveillance, not gaming and data storage. It can certainly be used in a computer but this drive will cost a bit extra for a bit more durability you don't typically need in a home system - not to mention the extra command set for streaming which will not be used by your motherboard. If you want a WD drive for regular computer use or gaming, look into their other drive series.

Most Critical Review

Works... mostly.

TRENDnet TEW-737HRE N300 High Power Easy-N-Range Extender
TRENDnet TEW-737HRE N300 High Power Easy-N-Range Extender

Pros: Installed one of these to extend a WiFi signal in the second floor of my house. Setting it up was pretty easy, the instructions are decent. And everything seemed to just work at first.

Cons: I did experience a few dropped connections while connected to the extender. I am not sure if it was unable to maintain a signal from the router or what... There is remarkably little information in the UI. Pings to the internet while connected to the extender were noticeably higher than when connected to my router and would occasionally spike. Also it appears there is only a 2.4GHz radio on the extender, so I had to connect to the 2.4GHz radio on the router. Would have been nice to have 5GHz support as I live in a congested residential area and I've had better luck with connections running on 5GHz.

Great entry into DDR5 RAM

Crucial 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 4800 (PC5 38400) Desktop Memory Model CT2K16G48C40U5
Crucial 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 4800 (PC5 38400) Desktop Memory Model CT2K16G48C40U5

Pros: A great value on DDR5 RAM with plenty of capacity at 32 GB. Since this kit comes with two sticks it lets you get right into dual channel DDR5 without paying a premium on price. Works right out of the box. This kit will get you within ~10% benchmarked performance compared to kits at triple the price point. And you get all the benefits of DDR5's increased memory bandwidth here, leading to real-world performance improvement over similarly priced DDR4 kits.

Cons: I could not find the timings of this RAM listed on the site, this is RAM is CL40 with 40-39-39 extended timings. This is on the slower end of latency, to match the 4800 MHz which is on the slower end of DDR5 speeds. However for most consumer workloads capacity is more important than speed.

Overall Review: No fancy heatsinks or LEDs on these, but given the low operating voltage they aren't necessary. This is great RAM for a workstation or for gaming on a budget. Crucial is a great brand as well, being the consumer brand of Micron.

Shaver/Trimmer combo

Philips Norelco Bodygroom Series 7000 Showerproof Body & Manscaping Trimmer & Shaver BG7030/49
Philips Norelco Bodygroom Series 7000 Showerproof Body & Manscaping Trimmer & Shaver BG7030/49

Pros: Has both a shaver and adjustable trimmer. Overall construction quality is fairly sturdy. Both the shaver and the trimmer work well. I did appreciate how it is fully showerproof. Easy to clean as the trimmer head comes completely out, despite not being swappable to another size.

Cons: As stated in the instructions, this is a body groomer only and is not designed for face/beard use. It would have been more convenient if this could do both. I did not like how the shaver is flanked by the edge trimmers on both sides. You have to be careful with those to avoid any cuts. It's also what makes using the shaver on your face impossible.

Overall Review: It's pretty large compared to other similar products, probably due to the two different functions. Charged very quickly and the battery lasted long enough.

Innovative design, high quality components

Seasonic SYNCRO DPC-850, 850W 80+ Platinum Power Supply, CONNECT Module Cable Management, SSR-850FB, Must Use with Case Q704 to Function Normally.
Seasonic SYNCRO DPC-850, 850W 80+ Platinum Power Supply, CONNECT Module Cable Management, SSR-850FB, Must Use with Case Q704 to Function Normally.

Pros: Seasonic is known for their high quality PSUs and this is no exception. A 80+ Platinum rating and 850W of power is plenty for premium builds. No coil whine at all due to Seasonic's high quality capacitors. The Connect module makes cable management super easy. Very short and straight runs to the GPU, CPU, and motherboard connectors are one of the main benefits of this design over more traditional PSUs. SATA cabling is able to be entirely hidden behind the side panel, which is going to lead to very clean looks and good airflow in the main case area. PSU Fan is nearly silent, and I've had no issues with stability. The PSU is modular (through the Connect module) and comes with more than enough cables for almost any build.

Overall Review: These PSUs are designed to be installed in a Seasonic Syncro case. I would not recommend this for use in any other cases. While I don't expect to need it, having a 10-year warranty is definitely appreciated. Don't underestimate the importance of a good PSU for your build. I've personally experienced BSODs and other instability due to lesser quality PSUs from other brands - they are hard to diagnose and a pain to deal with. I've never had any such issues from the multiple Seasonic PSUs I've owned.

Innovative cable management, solid build

Seasonic SYNCRO Q704 Case, 2021 iF and Red Dot Design Award Winner, Cable Management Design to Create Quality & Clean Look, Use with SYNCRO PSU Highly Recommended
Seasonic SYNCRO Q704 Case, 2021 iF and Red Dot Design Award Winner, Cable Management Design to Create Quality & Clean Look, Use with SYNCRO PSU Highly Recommended

Pros: The biggest pro of this design is how easy it is to run your cables. With a Syncro PSU it's super clean inside the main case area with short and straight cable runs. It really is a step forward in case design and I'd love to see something like this become a standard feature. Even though it's a mid-tower there is plenty of room and I never really felt cramped working in the case. You should note that the case is very wide, wider probably than any mid-tower case I've ever seen. If you wanted this on your desk be sure to measure first. The magnetic glass door is very solid and makes opening the case up very easy. No worries with vibrations or anything like that with the door either. The four included fans move a lot of air, and airflow in general seems pretty good. The construction is very sturdy. No vibrations or flimsy plastic pieces. This does mean the case is pretty heavy so be aware of that. I appreciate the USB-C port on the top panel. There's plenty of room for 2.5" drives but if you're still using 3.5" drives note there are only 2 bays by default.

Cons: The included fans are very loud, even at lower speeds. If you want a near-silent PC at idle you'll probably have to replace them. If you are not using a Syncro PSU as well you might have to invest in some cable extenders due to the layout, especially if you wish to use the included cable management sleeve that goes where the PSU's Syncro module sits. Certainly seems possible to do a clean build without a Syncro PSU however.

Overall Review: I couldn't find any good pictures of what the Syncro Connect module would actually look like once installed, so I included a picture. I'm not sure if I would buy this case without using a Syncro PSU as well. In combination I'd definitely recommend them, but if you're only looking for a case some of the main features of this (easy cable management mostly) would be wasted. It did take a bit longer to put together as I'm still used to regular cases. But the design was intuitive and the instructions are pretty good.