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Lawton B.

Lawton B.

Joined on 11/15/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 55
Most Favorable Review

Beware Plastic Shell

Sandisk 128GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, Speed Up to 130MB/s (SDCZ430-128G-G46)
Sandisk 128GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, Speed Up to 130MB/s (SDCZ430-128G-G46)

Pros: Sandisk is fair quality - I have several.

Cons: I was disappointed to find the shell is very thin plastic. I could break it easily with moderate finger pressure. Previous generation SDCZ43 series had the typical metal shell. Certainly ONE EGG OFF.

Overall Review: I used it on the rear of a PC as a "permanent" USB drive, so it's fine for that.

Most Critical Review

Interesting Novelty Case

APEVIA X-QPACK-BL/420 Black/Blue Aluminum Micro ATX Desktop Computer Case 420W Power Supply
APEVIA X-QPACK-BL/420 Black/Blue Aluminum Micro ATX Desktop Computer Case 420W Power Supply

Pros: Side and top windows, good drive capacity, 420W PSU, versatile, cute, compact. Accepted a very large ThermalTake Blue Orb II cooler (New Egg item# N82E16835106069) with 1 mm to spare after removing a tiny notch on the back panel.

Cons: Thin sheet aluminum is weak, handle does not inspire confidence, PSU ultimately failed, internal USB cables excessively long, only one SATA power plug, internally VERY compact.

Overall Review: This case sat shelved for almost nine years after a failed project, then I discovered the PSU had gone dead at some point. It took some research for it to dawn on me that is an ATX form factor PSU with a 4.6" depth. I managed to cram in a Corsair TX650W supply with a depth of 5.9" and a massive array of cables. This supply is nearly silent compared to the quite audible original supply. Minus one egg for flimsy construction and minus one egg for outdated unreliable PSU. The result now is happy and it is good looking, so I will not argue with four or five egg ratings.

Five Stars All the Way

SAMSUNG ViewFinity LS27A800UJNXGO 27" UHD 3840 x 2160 (4K) HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C IPS Swivel Tilt Pivot Height Adjust Monitor
SAMSUNG ViewFinity LS27A800UJNXGO 27" UHD 3840 x 2160 (4K) HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C IPS Swivel Tilt Pivot Height Adjust Monitor

Pros: Great resolution Height adjustment down to 3.4" above desktop No bezel 3 edges Easy assembly

Cons: Control button a bit wonky, difficult access Annoying pop-up typical of Samsungs, can be limited to 5 seconds. Limited to 30Hz refresh with 7-year old PC.

Overall Review: It works for me. I need the high resolution for CAD wotk. Height and tilt adjustment is good - has swivel and rotate, don't need that. Could use another HDMI input but I have to get a 4-port switch anyway. Base is heavy and surprisingly stable. No DC power adapter; IEC cord plugs in back.

Acceptable - Limited Res

SAMSUNG LF27T350FHNXZA 27" Full HD 1920 x 1080 5 ms (GTG) 75 Hz D-Sub, HDMI FreeSync IPS Monitor
SAMSUNG LF27T350FHNXZA 27" Full HD 1920 x 1080 5 ms (GTG) 75 Hz D-Sub, HDMI FreeSync IPS Monitor

Pros: Brilliant, clear, no dead pixels. Wide base. Small power adapter.

Cons: Limited resolution of 1920 x 1080. No height adjustment; sits 4.2" above desk surface.

Overall Review: I like everything about this monitor except I am a bit disappointed with the resolution and lack of height adjustment. The monitor is BIG - and that makes the 1920 x 1080 resolution more apparent. I look at it from about 18" away. This is more about my understanding and expectation than it is about the monitor. I am going to step up to another Samsung with higher res.

GigaByte Did Good

GIGABYTE GA-Z270N-WIFI (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI USB 3.1 Mini ITX Motherboards - Intel
GIGABYTE GA-Z270N-WIFI (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI USB 3.1 Mini ITX Motherboards - Intel

Pros: Clean layout, everything works. Targeted for the WiFi, which pulls strong. RAM modules sit prarllel, not the goofy perpendicular orientation. All advanced features, some I have not yet used. Drivers permit custom install without uneeded tools.

Cons: DVD-D and HDMI graphics ports only - VGA is out in the cold. I've no use for two LAN channels. BIOS somehow seems simplified. Windows 7 USB install requires patched-in USB 3 drivers. Bluetooth setup is complicated, but it does work; that is the state of Bluetooth. This board is probably a bit ahead of its time. This is all just me and nothing to deduct an egg for.

Overall Review: Still lining up to use the m.2 drive slot and NVMe technology so that is untested for now. I feel this puppy deserves better than a 3-egg average and I'm here to give it a bump.

It's Best

SAMSUNG 850 PRO 2.5" 256GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7KE256BW
SAMSUNG 850 PRO 2.5" 256GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7KE256BW

Pros: Running strong a year and a half later. I've bought two more since, all good results.

Cons: Price has trended UP, not sure what to make of that.

Overall Review: I think this series is well ahead of others in this price range.