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David S.

David S.

Joined on 03/11/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 8
Most Favorable Review

Solid wireless N card

ENCORE ENLWI-N Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI 2.3 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates
ENCORE ENLWI-N Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI 2.3 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates

Pros: Easy setup, especially if you use the Ralink reference drivers for this card (2860 chipset) Just make sure you get the settings right the first time as it will default to the strongest open network it can find if yours is not available (wrong wpa key ect) and it takes an un-install of the software and reinstall to fix (not really that hard) The drivers on Encores website are older than the Ralink ones, (v1.0.3.0 vs. 1.0.4.0) Strong signal 90% in a spot I couldn't get my 802.11g to get 30%. Signal is solid and does not drop. Used a Dl*nk extension antenna to get the antenna out from under the desk, makes a big difference. The level one N adapter card/antenna combo here at the Egg works good too just don't use the card as it's draft one only. Bit more money than the Dl*nk, but longer cord on the antenna. (3' vs. 5') Have this paired with an Encore N router and it works great, >270 MB/s all the time.

Cons: Driver disk that comes with it is out of date, but current drivers are easy to find google "ralink drivers" and look for the ones for the 2860 chipset. Wish it came with a corded antenna so I could get better placement than just in back of my computer. But hey for the $, what do you want, it's still cheaper than most other N cards even if you buy the extra antenna. Eba* has lots of rp-sma antennas to replace the 2dbi ones if you want also.

Overall Review: They didn't come out and install it, but you can't have everything.

Most Critical Review

Disappointed

ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard
ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Board had all the sockets and features I wanted.

Cons: After the first board I purchased died after 45 days and it was past the 30 day return window at Newegg, I bought a second one. This arrived DOA and would not post or anything. While removing the board to RMA back to the Egg, I mistakenly sent the old one back, of course they wouldn't RMA it as it was way past 30 days and now that I know of my error, the newer board is over 30 days old and not returnable. I don't blame the Egg on this, it's my screw up, but I bought these motherboards based on the name and reputation of the Asus company. I have never had any of their products go bad on me let alone two in a row. Reading many of the reviews on the site, I see that I am not alone. This board has been "problematic". I guess I have to chalk this up to a learning experience and eat the price of both these boards, but the third one I buy won't be an Asus board, The quality has gone downhill from what I remember. 2 eggs for Newegg's fast shipping and low prices, none for the board.

Overall Review: Avoid this board.

Tiny powerhouse

Rosewill RC-401-EX Network Card Gigabit Low Profile 10/100/1000Mbps PCI-Express 1 x RJ45
Rosewill RC-401-EX Network Card Gigabit Low Profile 10/100/1000Mbps PCI-Express 1 x RJ45

Pros: Fast, stable tiny. Fits in the most cramped case. Don't bother with the enclosed driver disk (old), download the latest realtek drivers for the best performance.

Cons: None

Overall Review: Great backup/replacement for on-board Ethernet.

Great Enclosure

Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK - Black, 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA External Enclosure with Internal 80 mm Fan
Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK - Black, 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA External Enclosure with Internal 80 mm Fan

Pros: Quiet, easy to assemble, has ESATA and USB cables and bracket. Fan runs whisper quiet and keeps my drive much cooler than an older case with a noisy micro fan ever did.

Cons: Wasn't free. Feet for stacking and/or stand for upright mounting would have been nice

Overall Review: Nice blue nightlight in my office.

Edit too previous review

ENCORE ENHWI-N Wireless Router IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2
ENCORE ENHWI-N Wireless Router IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2

Pros: Solid router, good connection, no dropped connections. Replaceable/upgradable antennas. Flexable if somewhat "geeky" firmware. CHEAP!

Cons: Lights on the front panel are VERY weak, you must be in a dark room and looking right at them to see. Don't think the router is dead if you can't see them in a brightly lit room. Try to log in anyways. Don't know why the indicator lights are so dim, bad design or mis-alignment during assembly or what, but they are there and do work. Provide the same relativly useless information they do on all routers.

Overall Review: If you can live without bright flashing lights on your router, this thing is solid, fast, dependable and did I say CHEAP. Compared to other draft 2.0 wireless N routers out there now this is a steal. Flies when paired with a good N adapter card, the Encore PCI N card is the highest rated on here on the Egg and works flawlessly with this router. Just be sure to get the most current drivers from Ralink (v2860 chipset) or from them company's website. And yes these guys do work with Vista (nothing works WELL with 64 bit Vista, but this will work with the most recent Ralink drivers) Windows update has an even more recent version of the card driver up right now, router's firmware is at v1.2 on the company's website.

Good router, QC issues

ENCORE ENHWI-N Wireless Router IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2
ENCORE ENHWI-N Wireless Router IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2

Pros: Strong signal, good coverage and replaceable antennas. Router software is solid and all woks with the updated v 1.2 Easy setup if you are the least bit knowledgable about networking. Being able to add better antenna is definetly a plus, put on 3 7dbi to replace the 2dbi ones it came with and nearly doubled the signal strength.

Cons: Software is a bit technical for beginners. The indicator lights on the front panel don't work, thought it was dead at first. Logged in fine and everything else works great. Paired with the Encore card this thing flies, >270 MB/s in an area I couldn't get a signal above 30% before.

Overall Review: Trying to decide if I really need the flashing lights on the front. I'd hate to take down this network now, it's faster than it's ever been and I like it.