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Allen L.

Allen L.

Joined on 11/17/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review

Raptor Power

Western Digital Raptor WD360ADFD 36GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive Bare Drive
Western Digital Raptor WD360ADFD 36GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: This is the best hard drive I have ever owned. It is both fast and reliable. I admit to being skeptical at first, but you really can feel the performance improvement between these and 7200 rpm drives. WD has proven it is worthy of the high praise received. I highly recommend these drives - it's unlikely to cause any buyer's remorse.

Cons: It's not a Raptor X... Seriously though, none thus far.

Overall Review: Combined with the Antec p180, this drive is also kept cool (approx. 25-27 C) and quiet. The two discounts ($15 mail-in rebate) & via Google Checkout were nice bonuses.

Most Critical Review

Nice item; shady tactics

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready  Video Card ( 100322L)
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 100322L)

Pros: Quiet card, runs smoothly and efficiently, Nice upgrade from my dead Radeon X1650 pro that did its job for over 5 years. I recommend this solution for builders with basic, low-budget needs. Blu-ray performance greatly improved. Bonus: HDMI slot. 5 eggs here.

Cons: Questionable newegg and sapphire business practices. video card was sent in a brown, non-retail box w/o the UPC barcode required for the rebate. I believe this is done on purpose. Neither side wants to take responsibility so I have to eat it through RMA? Probably means paying for shipping while my desktop remains out of commission throughout the process? 1 egg here.

Overall Review: Popped card in, posted immediately. Runs great on Antec Earthwatts 380. Other key components: M2N32-SLI Deluxe, DVD-ROM drive, DVD-RW burner, BD-XL burner, BE-2300 CPU, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, Raptor 36GB, one PCI GPU fan cooler, P-180 case, BENQ full HD monitor with HDMI.

Not flawless, but it's a nice product

Creative ZEN 2.5" Black 2GB MP3 / MP4 Player
Creative ZEN 2.5" Black 2GB MP3 / MP4 Player

Pros: Compact, easy to use. Nice features, especially the SD card slot, which is SDHC compatible. It's a great companion for workouts, travel, and passing time. While the screen isn't the largest, it's quite clear and sharp. In addition to music, it's great for sharing photos. Surprisingly, the video playback beat my expectations.

Cons: -Firmware is buggy. About half the time, I must push the reset button as the unit gets stuck during power-on. Sometimes it even has problems shutting down. This is quite annoying. I would have given a 5-egg rating if it weren't for this issue - almost gave it 3-eggs. A straightened staple is perfect for resetting. -Battery life is a tad suspect, though it's not a major issue. Use of the lock feature does improve performance. -Minor nuisance: you can't rewind back to the end of the previous track once the next track has begun. I'm used to doing that, whether it's playing CDs or listening to audio via USB flash drive in my car.

Overall Review: I own the 4GB version (black). Integration of the SD card isn't great, but it doesn't bother me. The SD card is a separate entity, and you must remove it from the player to add/remove files & folders. It's not possible to swap/copy files between the player and SD card, nor is the SD slot recognized on Windows Explorer (at least not in XP Pro). My review does have a negative tone; but overall, it's a winner and lies somewhere between 3 and 4. I'd recommend this over any Apple product (no Crapple for me).

Quality Product

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2K2/2GR
Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2K2/2GR

Pros: I finally got fed up with my PC's random freeze issues, so I decided to swap out the memory first. It's been over a month, and the freeze problems have disappeared. I knew the problem was either the RAM or GPU, and I lucked out. Kingston really makes great products. Info on my self-built PC: Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe, OCZ Platinum Rev 2's (OCZ2p800R22GK). I was running these at 5-5-5-15 btw, as things were never stable at 4-4-4 timings.

Cons: It took a few tries to get the sticks seated properly into the slots. PC finally posted, so no biggie. I just wanted to type something into this section, LOL.

Overall Review: I put my trust into the ratings of newegg'ers when making product selections, and this time was no different. Although these Kingston sticks aren't supposed to be as fast as the OCZ's, I feel no practical difference in speed. The most important thing is that the PC is finally stable. The Kingston DDR sticks in my "ancient" PC are still working great. I love Kingston SD/SDHC cards. The company also has an efficient rebate system. I recommend its products. *Final note: I'm sure the OCZ's work very well with other motherboards.

PowerColor Radeon X1650PRO 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card X1650PRO512MB
PowerColor Radeon X1650PRO 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card X1650PRO512MB

Pros: To my surprise, I had no problems with Powercolor's rebate program. Received qualified status hassle-free. But that's little consolation for (see below)...

Cons: Unfortunately, the card arrived DOA which is extremely disappointing. I had some hopes (not high but realistic ones). I thought it was a good price for decent item, so I rolled the dice. No luck :(

Overall Review: Maybe this deserves a 1.5 rating for the smooth sailing through the rebate system? Nah, there's nothing positive about receiving an item that doesn't work and having to now go through the RMA system. Even if the next one happens to work out of the box, how long will it last?