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Tom M.

Tom M.

Joined on 03/10/09

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

Awesome Case!

Cooler Master Elite 360 RC-360-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mini Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Elite 360 RC-360-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mini Tower Computer Case

Pros: What an amazing little case! I got this case for a build I was doing for a customer that had limited space. I didn't really want a micro ATX, etc, so this case allowed me to use ATX PSU and Mobo, while still leaving enough room to work.

Cons: I don't have any, I was impressed.

Overall Review: Depending on the mobo, the way the PSU sits it takes a bit of cable management to keep the extra PSU cables from pressing on the 4th stick of RAM. I used a GA-880GA-UD3H.

Good CPU

AMD Phenom II X4 925 - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 2.8 GHz Socket AM3 95W Desktop Processor - HDX925WFK4DGM
AMD Phenom II X4 925 - Phenom II X4 Deneb Quad-Core 2.8 GHz Socket AM3 95W Desktop Processor - HDX925WFK4DGM

Pros: Great price, great performance. Perfect for a budget build.

Cons: None yet, but see other thoughts.

Overall Review: This isn't a con, although it was to me because it meant scrambling around town - there is NO heatsink, which if I would have read more carefully I would have known. That's why this isn't a con, but do keep that in mind when you order.

Works Great!

LG  WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM
LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM

Pros: The drive does exactly what I need. I am able to play Blu-Ray's, 3D Blu-Rays (with nVidia 3D Vision) and DVD's flawlessly. The Power DVD 9 software that comes with it is great, and will automatically convert any DVD or media files on my computer into 3D, which is pretty fun.

Cons: None yet...

Overall Review: I haven't yet burned a disc with the drive, so I can't comment on its functionality burning discs. I mainly got it because my projector is not compatible with 3D Blu-Ray players and this was an attempt to be able to play 3D Blu-Rays.

Everything I expected

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: Great processor with good OC capabilities. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with OC yet (busy getting everything else set up), but the "Rocket" profile in ASUS Turbo V is running smooth at 3.36GHz with the stock cooler. When I get time I'm sure I get it higher than this with manual tweaking in the BIOS, which is also very well laid out.

Cons: None on the processor, but the stock heatsink/fan is pretty loud. It does, however, keep it fairly cool for a stock unit. After many hours on WoW w/ Ultra graphics and the other goodies turned on it doesn't get much over 50°C.

Nice PSU

RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply, New Version with Build-in LED Fan On/Off Switch
RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply, New Version with Build-in LED Fan On/Off Switch

Pros: I was upgrading my graphics card on a budget, but needed to get a good PCI-e capable PSU. I saw this one was affordable and had good reviews, so I went with it. Works as advertised so far, and has plenty of power for my purposes.

Cons: This is only a con to some, but the blue LED is BRIGHT. I effectively purchased a night light, but it doesn't bother me. Just wanted to let people know.

Overall Review: The detachable cords are GREAT! I get so sick of zip tying all of the unused plugs, then having to clip and retie them if I need one. Being able to store them in a drawer and just plug it in if needed is brilliant.

10/12/2009

Amazing!

PNY GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Support Graphics Card VCG98GTXPXPB
PNY GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Support Graphics Card VCG98GTXPXPB

Pros: What's to say, this thing is incredible. Installation was easy as pie. I downloaded the latest drivers off of the website prior to installation, then installed without a hitch. This was a crazy step up from my GeForce 7600 GS and I have sure noticed it. Went from 10-15 FPS in WoW to 50-75 except in Dalaran and busy cities; however, see cons for details.

Cons: Only con is I found the limit of my CPU. GPU is great, but my CPU is bottlenecking it. Guess I'm going to have to take the plunge and buy a new quad core CPU, MB and some DDR3 RAM...

Overall Review: When I ordered this card they were shipping out the Nvidia 3D Vision Discover glasses with the card. They are really fun to screw around with.

10/12/2009