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Steven V.

Steven V.

Joined on 12/02/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 39
Most Favorable Review

Great AM2+ board!

GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Supports newest AM3 processors and fast DDR2 memory. All solid caps for longer life. 2oz copper for better heat dispersion. Good overclocker with tons of settings. Good onboard video for light gaming and general purpose. Dual bios onboard with standalone backup options.

Cons: Some layout issues including front panel audio location, USB headers, and floppy drive connector. Board came out of the box bent slightly as if from having a to tight cpu cooler installed. Attached it down to test bench, installed Phenom II 965 BE c3 revision and factory cooler and fired it up without problems. Sata connector placement is a non issue as this is not a serious crossfire board. Crossfire people will look to other boards with more PCI-E lanes available so no complaints there. Still 5 eggs.

Overall Review: Front panel audio connector and USB headers required careful cable routing. Who uses floppy drives for anything but bios updating anymore? This board flashes bios fine with USB thumb drive. Odd "bump" in board is rare but caused no problems. Very happy with most aspects of this board and just happy with the other aspects. I would be happy to sell this board to my customers.

Most Critical Review

1 year 3 months and dead

ENERMAX INFINITI EIN720AWT 720 W ATX12V/ EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
ENERMAX INFINITI EIN720AWT 720 W ATX12V/ EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: Quiet and good looking component. Cool guard system. purchased at Newegg on 8/26/2007

Cons: Right after my last review on 8/09/2008, it started acting funny like it lost power and it had to be reset frequently. I thought it was a bad motherboard and packed it away for later use. Two years later I dig it out of storage and try to use it on another build without success. Plug it in and push the power button, fans spin and lights come on and then power protection alarm goes off and it shuts off. Have tried four different motherboards of varying power requirements and no luck. Of course the warranty is now as dead as my $219 power supply.

Overall Review: Get the extended warranty if you decide to get this unit. Your gonna need it. I will not buy another Enermax product. You shouldn't either. I have lost my trust.

10/29/2010

Clean n cool

Xigmatek COA-UGOCBS-U01 Universal 3 in 3 SATA HDD Hot-Swap Cage 120mm Fan with control, back panel included.
Xigmatek COA-UGOCBS-U01 Universal 3 in 3 SATA HDD Hot-Swap Cage 120mm Fan with control, back panel included.

Pros: Filtered air intake Easy installation Quiet 120 mm fan Great airflow

Cons: NON-removable filter that must be cleaned in place. Weak filter door that must be opened to install drives then closed.

Overall Review: Seven months of 24/7 operation in my UnRaid server and still working great! Be sure to take care when installing or replacing drives as the filter/door feels very weak and prone to breakage. While this door is a non-mandatory part for function, it houses the filter that is mandatory and one of my prime reasons for purchasing this item. Overall a good item for any set and forget server but if you need to frequently replace drives, possibly consider something else.

10/28/2013

PC DVR

Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 Dual Tuner Digital CableCARD Receiver
Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 Dual Tuner Digital CableCARD Receiver

Pros: Easy to install. Works well. Black Friday DEALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cons: Lights are too bright for my application but only a con for me. Only 1 in 1000 customers use a cable card so cable

Overall Review: Stopped at my local Charter cable office and picked up a cable card and a tuning adapter. Followed instructions for install using newest driver and firmware from manufacturer web site. Inserted cable card with label up/ s/n down like instructions describe. Connected the MTR700 tuning adapter as it's manual shows. Called Charter to activate and nothing worked. Reviewed setup and checked connections and called charter again. Nothing. Uninstalled everything and checked all connections and followed install instructions again exactly as before. Called Charter again and nothing worked. Scheduled a tech visit for the next day (very lucky). Next day tech arrived and checked my setup and found tuning adapter connected wrong. I showed him the manual that came with it and he agreed I installed it correctly per the manual but that it was still wrong. He corrected the install but it still didn't work. He then called his supervisor. Soon the supervisor shows up with a new cable card. Nothing. They say the tuning adapter is bad. Both leave and tech comes back with a new tuning adapter and presto, hundreds of SD and HD channels available. Four phone calls to Charter (2 1/2 hours) and 3.5 hours of tech repair because two brand new parts THEY supplied did not function. hauppauge = +1 charter = -2 Newegg = +25 Newegg wins and so will you.

Nothing wild, just perfect.

Antec P280 Black Aluminum / Steel Super Mid Tower Computer Case
Antec P280 Black Aluminum / Steel Super Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Roomy and large mid-tower case capable of E-ATX motherboards, large graphic cards, and tall CPU air coolers. Large cutout for easier CPU cooler installs. Easily water cool-able with room for double 120 radiator. Tool-less 5.25 bays, 2.5 bays, and semi tool less 3.5's. Clean exterior and interior with smudge and fingerprint resistant paint. Easily accessible and cleanable external air filters. Double hinged door that opens clear to the side of the case and out of the way. Well placed USB ports accessible regardless of door position. Nice and small power and drive activity lights. Strong frame without being to heavy. With the tiniest of forethought in component choice, a VERY quiet case.

Cons: ahhhhhh..... plastic thumb screws?

Overall Review: After owning and living with this case for 5 months now, I still find it remarkable how well made this case is. Upkeep is minimal and upgrades easily accomplished. Never have I been this satisfied with a case. My first case in the late 80's was a tall 60 lb behemoth on wheels made by Antec. Its fitting then that my last case shall also be an Antec. Antec, Newegg, your TOPPS.

Still flying

G.SKILL Phoenix Series 2.5" 100GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) FM-25S2S-100GBP1
G.SKILL Phoenix Series 2.5" 100GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) FM-25S2S-100GBP1

Pros: Four months in 24/7 service and no bumps. Fast as ever and no problems of any kind.

Cons: NONE

Overall Review: You owe it to yourself to spend a little for the lot you will get. Without a doubt, the best upgrade I have made to my pc in the last 2 years. Now if they would just start making these in 500GB capacities.

11/29/2010