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Michael D.

Michael D.

Joined on 03/23/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Works Great for Budget Rig

Diablotek PHD Series PHD550 550 W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply
Diablotek PHD Series PHD550 550 W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply

Pros: Fits perfect in my IN WIN Dragon Slayer MicroATX case. Built a nice little budget gaming rig with Asus M4A88T-LE mobo paired with: AMD Athlon II x3 3.2, Gskill DDR3 4GB, XFX ATI 5770 1GB DDR5, 500GB SATA HDD, and Samsung BluRay combo drive. Unlocked my 4th core and ran ASUS auto-tune overclock program for a little boost in performance. Ran Crysis on very high and AA x8 with no problems, avg 35-50fps! Note my TV only allows displays at a 1024x768 res, so fps numbers might go down if I raise the res.

Cons: Nothing. Should have gone with the 650w model for $10 more to run some better overclock numbers. Wish it were modular.

Overall Review: Get this PSU

Crazy good memory

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

Pros: -They look cool, literally ice blue. -Very low power consumption @ 1.5V. -Easily clocks over 1600mhz Currently set at 1333mhz 7-7-7-22 1T on my Phenom II platform. Performed tests like Anand, 3Dmark, and Prime. Overall results showed this to be my sweet spot. I enjoy knowing that I have the additional head room to go faster if needed.

Cons: None

Overall Review: -Always check BIOS for memory timing. Don't assume you are running stock times. -AMD tighter timings, Intel higher frequencies. -G.Skill is worth every $$$

Cooler than cool

CORSAIR Hydro Series H50 120mm Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler - Intel Only (CW-9060006-WW)
CORSAIR Hydro Series H50 120mm Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler - Intel Only (CW-9060006-WW)

Pros: Fits in my mATX Dragon Slayer case with ease. Upgraded fan to 1900rpm Scythe Slip Stream with 110cfm. Closed circuit cooling with no maintenance, liquid cooling for simpletons. Phenom II X4 955 stays cool at 29C idle and never gets above 53C under load.

Cons: Actually found it cheaper locally for $69.99

Overall Review: Good cooling solution for a great price. Make sure you have space in your case. Upgrading fan was a personal choice after reading reviews on H50 stock fan only pushing 50~60cfm

Simply the best

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 3.2 GHz Socket AM3 125W Processor - HDZ955FBGMBOX
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 3.2 GHz Socket AM3 125W Processor - HDZ955FBGMBOX

Pros: x4 Black Edition for a little over $100 Overclocking with ease

Cons: Stock fan not terrible, but look to upgrade

Overall Review: Fantastic value for enthusist, highly recommended

Keeps it quiet

"KAZE Q" Fan Controller
"KAZE Q" Fan Controller

Pros: Only option for Dragon Slayer 3.5 case with upgraded Scythe fans. Before my 120mm x 1900rpm fan on the Corsair H50 and 135mm x 1600rpm & 80mm x 2200rpm intake fans were very loud. But kept my CPU, GPU, MB temps very cool. After the controller has silenced the beast and manged to only budge my temps 1 degree average higher .

Cons: LED or some kind of indicator on the knobs. Small scrolling temp/rpm readout would be sick.

Overall Review: Calling this item cheaply made is an insult. It is simply made, it does what is intended.

Same great XFX

XFX Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card HD-577A-ZNFC
XFX Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card HD-577A-ZNFC

Pros: Like other reviewers, best bang for buck GPU card. Loaded with high end features. Low power consumption. Quite small, fits very well in MicroATX case. Ran Crysis on very high and AA x8 like butter.

Cons: Didn't come with a nice home theater projector.

Overall Review: The rig specs: ASUS M4A88T-LE mobo AMD Athlon II x3 3.2 w/ 4th core unlocked Gskill 4GB DDR3 Samsung 500GB 7200RPM Samsung BluRay combo drive Diablotek 550w PSU