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Andrew W.

Andrew W.

Joined on 12/26/16

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

Nice speedy SSD

Western Digital WD Blue SN550 NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) WDS100T2B0C
Western Digital WD Blue SN550 NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) WDS100T2B0C

Overall Review: I was in the market for a 1-2 TB SSD and say this come in at a fantastic price. Benchmarks show it's not the fastest on the market but probably has the best price/perf ratio. Was able to clone my previous entire 500GB (nearly full) SN500 NVME SSD in 25 minutes. Plug and play functionality using MSI B450i and Ryzen 3700X. No disappointments here.

Most Critical Review

A mediocre case for budget PC builds.

DIYPC P48-W White SECC ATX / Micro ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ 2 x 120mm Blue Fans
DIYPC P48-W White SECC ATX / Micro ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ 2 x 120mm Blue Fans

Pros: - No sharp edges - Two fans per-installed (front and rear) and one with LEDs - Silent fans - 5.25" drive bay x 2 - Side chassis has opening to accomodate another fan

Cons: - Bad cable management - Motherboard front panel cables are short - Case outer shell seems on the flimsy side - Not particulary made for large GPUs, but they will fit - Front panel Power LED bleeds through the case and into nearby USB peripherals - Pop-off back panel slots (cannot be put back on), although top one is re-insertable

Overall Review: This is my first custom PC build. Got this in 3.5 business days through Puropost. Reason I chose this model was because I wanted a white case with a 5.25" drive bay and the two pre-installed fans and height were attractive. (GPU fans won't be smothered by bottom of case. mATX motherboard. Opened the box to find a nicely packed PC case. Noticed there was a slight mis-shape (bent) in the top of chassis, but I was able to bend it back into place. Chassis is made with material on the flimsy side and I was a bit worried about bending it when installing parts. Although the inner cage is strong and has no sharp edges. Case has no manual, and I couldn't find one online either. Came with lots of different types of screws, I didn't even use half of them. Don't even know what some of them are for. Has all the modern front panel connectors (USB3 USB2, HD audio, reset, power, HD LED, etc..). Also comes with a tiny speaker, I would assume for motherboard beeps. Was able to get motherboard and i/o in easily. slightly larger than average PSU (Rosewill Capstone 550W) fit, but with no room to spare. It wasn't flush with back of case and screwing in bent the case just slightly. There's an option to route some cable in the back (both side panels can be removed) but it's not that great. I have a massive GPU (GTX 680) which extends almost from back to front. Takes up 3 hard drive bay slots because it's so long. Because it's so long, front panel cables had a rough time getting to the other side of it on the motherboard. Had to route HD audio and USB cords over top of the GPU, covering the precious hardware. There's no window so that doesn't matter anyway. Overall, I don't think it's worth the 50$ CAD I paid for case+shipping. Get it on sale. There are many options better out there for same price or cheaper. It's good for system with small GPUs or integrated graphics systems, large GPUs only make this case a nightmare to work in. Main problems are difficulty in cable management, and problems with supporting large GPUs, although they will fit at a disadvantage.

Cool, yet pricy, Switch Bundle

Nintendo Switch OLED Bundle, includes Carrying Cases & Screen Protector, Joy Con Controller 2 Pack Zelda Skyward Sword Edition, Mario Party Superstars Game
Nintendo Switch OLED Bundle, includes Carrying Cases & Screen Protector, Joy Con Controller 2 Pack Zelda Skyward Sword Edition, Mario Party Superstars Game

Pros: - Extra Joycon included - Get a case and screen protector (good to add protector before screen gets dirty or smudged - Comes with a game

Cons: - Bundle priced higher than individual items

Overall Review: I purchased this bundle for two reasons: it was the only place I could find Switch OLE white version and you can pay with cryptocurrency through BitPay. This is my first Nintendo console since my childhood days. I have no issues with the hardware itself, the bundle is stupendous. The additional joycon is a really cool Zelda one (needed for some local multiplayer). Carrying case is nice, it holds up to 5 game cartridges. It also comes with screen protectors for the original Switch and the OLED version. The console doesn't come with an Ethernet cable, so if you prefer a wired connection, you will have to get one separately. The switch itself is a fantastic console, but sometimes suffers from lag and slowdowns. The OLED screen is beautiful. Switch games are pretty expensive in my view, but the Switch Online, which includes classic Nintendo and SNES games is a great value and very affordable. My only issue is that the bundle is priced higher than it would be for purchasing these items separately. The value here is on the low side.

Good quiet and smooth mouse

Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Mouse - Certified Quiet
Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Mouse - Certified Quiet

Pros: - Smooth - Quiet - Functional - Plug and play on Windows 10 - Ergonomic - Looks nice and stylish, yet simple - Only requires 1 AA battery

Cons: - Feels small for a large adult man's hand

Overall Review: A very good mouse. Smooth, quiet, plugged in the wireless receiver and it works perfectly. Only issue is that in my hand it feels small cramped to get the ergonomic feel (adult male, 6'2", 180 lbs.) Has a storage compartment inside the mouse's battery chamber, so it very portable.

12/27/2020

Pretty good deal on a modern desktop PC

HP Desktop Computer Pavilion 590-p0050 Intel Core i5-8400 8GB DDR4 1TB HDD 16 GB Optane Memory Intel UHD Graphics 630 Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
HP Desktop Computer Pavilion 590-p0050 Intel Core i5-8400 8GB DDR4 1TB HDD 16 GB Optane Memory Intel UHD Graphics 630 Windows 10 Home 64-Bit

Pros: - Intel Optane memory - Small form factor - Speedy processor - Comes with a great wireless Keyboard + mouse combo - Fairly quiet and runs cool

Cons: - Drive + Optane still feels somewhat slow compared to an SSD - Fan in rear of case had no vibration pads, so made a hum when computer was on. - Can't really upgrade from the stock 310W PSU. - Limited graphic card options that fit in the system.

Overall Review: A pretty good deal for a PC. It takes a bit of time but after a while the Optane memory will optimize your PC, and make it feel speedier. Included keyboard and mouse were very nice. I had a problem of the rear case fan being attached directly to the case with no vibration pads, so made an audible hum when turned on. I imagine you can add your own vibration pads or buy a better case fan. If not for the hum, it would be nearly silent. I did unplug it which made the PC nearly silent, and the PC runs cool so it doesn't feel required. Although you do get a warning message every time you boot up if the fan isn't connected. The PSU is an OEM HP PSU and can't be easily upgraded / replaced. As far as I'm aware, this is the highest rated PSU the system can have (although very sufficient for the system. There is space for a graphics card, I tested a GTX 1050 Ti 4GB OC with no problems, which is good 1080p stuff and Esports. The PSU has no extra pin connectors for a GPU, so you need a model without a power connector on the card . You could also add a GTX 1650 (strongest card it could hold), AMD RX 550, or RX 560 which should fit as they don't require any extra PSU power. Just make sure you get a nano or small form factor model. If I didn't already have a custom built Ryzen system with Vega GPU, I'd be happy to use it as my daily driver.

Very satisfying purchase

LG 34UM88C-P 34" FreeSync IPS LED Monitor 3440 x 1440 WQHD 21:9 UltraWide 60Hz On-Screen Control with 4-way Screen Split, USB 3.0 Quick Charge HDMI DisplayPort Connectors
LG 34UM88C-P 34" FreeSync IPS LED Monitor 3440 x 1440 WQHD 21:9 UltraWide 60Hz On-Screen Control with 4-way Screen Split, USB 3.0 Quick Charge HDMI DisplayPort Connectors

Pros: - 21:9 - Comes with useful LG software - Pretty easy to use single button system menu - 2K - Lots of screen space - Passable built in speakers

Cons: - Not HDR - Only 60Hz - Included desktop software monitor control suite sometimes buggy on Win 10

Overall Review: I bought this for $619 CAD with taxes and delivery charges. It fits perfectly within the space on my desk. I switched from a 27" 16:9 curved screen and this screen made me dizzy for the first day until I got used to it. I like that you can control some limited menu options right from you desktop with the LG software but sometimes the software would not respond properly and wouldn't work. I play the game "Elite: Dangerous" and this is a beauty to behold for gaming. Since this is a 60Hz monitor I just limit the max FPS to 60 and it's fine for me. I tried playing the game on a smaller 1080p 16:9 monitor and it's not the same. I only tried the one game so far. As for movies, not all movies support the ultrawide aspect ratio. There is programs / browser extensions (like ultrawidify) you can download to bypass this but it will either stretch or cut off the top and bottom of the movie to make it 21:9. I tried the included speakers but they could not best the quality of my pair of 45$ Logitech Z200 speakers. The sound was much more shallow and distant, while my dedicated speakers were more "realistic" sounding with better surround dynamics. I'd say overall this is a good monitor for the price I paid. It lacks HDR and is only 60Hz but as this is one of the first ultrawide monitors that came to market it was ahead of the game at that point. For the price, I don't miss those features too much but if it was something like 75Hz with HDR this wouild be the perfect monitor!