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Calvin G.

Calvin G.

Joined on 04/20/09

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Don't let its size fool you

BIOSTAR TA790GXE AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
BIOSTAR TA790GXE AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: -Small in size -4 RAM slots -An actually decent integrated soundcard -Durable, Forgiving on mistakes -Drivers come with easy to use over-clocking programs

Cons: -PCI slots get covered up by having a big graphics cards in your PCI-Express. -Power light is red, I wanted blue, lol

Overall Review: Despite some of the other reviews I find the Biostar TA790GXE very reliable. First off it's very forgiving. Like your not going to break the pins by just pushing a little to hard, or if you accidently force a cable into the wrong spot, you probably won't damage anything. This makes it ideal for a first-time custom build. You can't go wrong with this board. -In use with a AMD Phenom II X2 3.1 Ghz Black Edition, Raedon HD 4850, 4 Gig of Patriot Viper RAM, and OCZ 400w psu.

Having top-tier performance at mid-tier price

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card 100258-1GHDMI
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card 100258-1GHDMI

Pros: -The price of this card is comparable to that of a mid-range Nvidia, but with the performance level of some of the most expensive cards out there. -Supports crossfire -Easy to install and update drivers -Stays cool

Cons: -N/A -Oh wait, it lowers drastically in performance compared to other higher end cards when you juice your games up to x8 anti aliasing on while still on higher settings.

Overall Review: As long as you keep your anti aliasing lower you can get away with high settings on the latest games and probably even games to come for the next year. -Used with AMD Phenom II X2 3.1 Black Editon, Biostar TA790GX, 4 Gigs of Patriot Viper 800Mhz RAM, and OCZ stealth 400w psu.

Think before you install

Cooler Master Elite RC-310-BWN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Elite RC-310-BWN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: -Great Temperature control, and good air flow -Very affordable -Roomy interior -Slick design

Cons: -A little flimsy, put you get what you pay for. -If you install expansion cards and have to pop out one of the expansion slots, you better plan on using it, because you can't screw the slot covers back in!

Overall Review: I would actually give it four and a half eggs if I could, I mean your not going to find a better case for the price. Let alone a better case in any of the >$50 category. Just those cheap expansion slots bug me.

Watts are not everything

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ400SXS 400 W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ400SXS 400 W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: -Has two 12V Rails -High quality -Lots of connectors -Stays really cool thanks to a generously large fan

Cons: -Still only 400 Watts

Overall Review: Don't let the Watts fool you! This psu provides more than enough power for even high end gaming computers. The two 12V rails make up for the lower amount of watts and I could wear it makes it perform as though it were 600. Great job OCZ.