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Don E.

Don E.

Joined on 01/03/03

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Product Reviews
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product reviews
  • 17
Most Favorable Review

Good performance for a non-gaming machine (probably overkill)

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Graphics Card GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Graphics Card GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD

Pros: Good performance for a non-gaming machine (probably overkill but I plan to keep this for 4-5 years). Easy to install. Lots of outputs (I only use 1 screen anyway). Runs pretty cool (idles at around 38-40 degrees C).

Cons: I get nervous when GPU fans do not run. In their effort to make this a silent card, Gigabyte has the fan only run when it gets really hot. To my mind, even 40 degrees C should have SOME cooling going on. I set up Gigabyte's Aorus Graphics Engine app to spin the fan at a low speed even at lower temps and then ramp up at higher temps. It might have worked fine without that, but I didn't want to chance it on a ~$300 card.

Most Critical Review

Thought I would like Windows 10 more than I do.

Microsoft Windows 10 Home - Full Retail Version 32 & 64-Bit (Download)
Microsoft Windows 10 Home - Full Retail Version 32 & 64-Bit (Download)

Pros: Downloadable installer was easy to use. Installation on new PC was smooth and easy.

Cons: 1 week after getting Windows 10's various scattered settings pages just the way I wanted, the Anniversary Update reverted almost all of my settings. It also completely removed some options which had previously existed. Settings are spread across too many different screens, many of which are not linked to one another so you must know where to find them or learn about them online. Needed to uninstall some of Microsoft's advertisements (e.g. for games) from the Start menu multiple times. Seriously Microsoft, if I elect to uninstall the game/ad, that's probably a good sign I am not interested in that game so you should not display it again a few days/weeks later. This PC, although a Home edition, is not going to be used for playing games.

Overall Review: Windows 10 could be the best Windows version since 7 if MS would stop trying to force it down users' throats. I've never been a big Microsoft fan, but this is more like something Apple would do, saying "We'll make it simple by removing all the user's options".

Very happy with this KVM!

StarTech.com SV211DPUA 2 Port USB DisplayPort Cable KVM Switch w/ Audio, Remote Switch - USB Powered KVM with DisplayPort -Dual Port DisplayPort KVM
StarTech.com SV211DPUA 2 Port USB DisplayPort Cable KVM Switch w/ Audio, Remote Switch - USB Powered KVM with DisplayPort -Dual Port DisplayPort KVM

Pros: DisplayPort and USB to each computer, DisplayPort and USB to monitor, keyboard and mouse. Handy physical button to switch systems.

Cons: None other than the cables are a bit long for my needs, but I can see cases where that could be a PRO.

Overall Review: Bought this for working from home in 2020. Have my home PC connected on one side and my work laptop on the other, sharing one keyboard, mouse and monitor between them. Works quite well.

Fast memory at a good price

G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C15D-16GTZ
G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C15D-16GTZ

Pros: Recognized right away by my new Gigabyte B550M motherboard. Runs at DDR4-3600 16-15-15 on XMP mode. Plenty fast for me.

Cons: None

Overall Review: Nothing to say, really. It's 16GB of DDR4-3600 using XMP setting in UEFI/BIOS. It's nice and quick.

Runs a bit warm, gets up in temps quickly under any load.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X - Ryzen 7 5000 Series Vermeer (Zen 3) 8-Core 3.8 GHz Socket AM4 105W None Integrated Graphics Desktop CPU Processor - 100-100000063WOF
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X - Ryzen 7 5000 Series Vermeer (Zen 3) 8-Core 3.8 GHz Socket AM4 105W None Integrated Graphics Desktop CPU Processor - 100-100000063WOF

Pros: 8 cores 16 threads. Turbos up to 4.4GHz readily on stock settings with my Noctua NH-D9L tower fan.

Cons: Runs a tad warmer than I like at idle (38-41 degrees C). When compressing a single video file using ffmpeg set to use just 4 cores, goes right up to 70+ C and sometimes hits 80 C. This is with good active cooling, which makes me a bit worried for more taxing workloads or longer jobs such as 3D modeling/rendering.

Overall Review: I wasn't sure whether to buy the Ryzen 3900XT, the 5800X or 5900X, but since the 5000s were generally out of stock, when NewEgg did their "raffle" for access to a 5800X I went for it. I had a Ryzen 1700X before so this is a healthy improvement with the same number of cores. Also got a new B550M motherboard and DDR4-3600 RAM to pair with it. So far so good, I just worry about giving it long workloads to run overnight or while I'm away from home with the way it runs upward of 80 degrees C with a relatively simple 50% load.

Pretty decent B550 mATX board

GIGABYTE B550M AORUS PRO-P AM4 AMD B550 USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE B550M AORUS PRO-P AM4 AMD B550 USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: 3 system fan headers (+ cpu fan and cpu opt). Lots of SATA ports. Lots of USB2 and USB3 (5Gbps), and USB 3.1 (10Gbps). Familiar Gigabyte UEFI/BIOS interface (very similar to my previous B350 board). Worked with my DDR4-3600 16-15-15 RAM on first try!

Cons: Placement of first PCIe (x16 slot) is one slot farther from the CPU due to placement of main m.2 SSD socket, making GPU cooling a bit tougher for double-width cards.

Overall Review: Not the B550M board I was planning to purchase, but got in on one of NewEgg's "raffles" for AMD Ryzen 5800X and with this board the price was good and available was almost assured. Turns out this is a pretty decent board for stock clocks. I have not tried to overclock and do not intend to anyway.

seller reviews
  • 1

fast shipping and as described

fast shipping and as described

On-time
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Satisfactory