Joined on 06/01/09
Awesome board, excellent price.
Pros: -Easy to setup. Required no troubleshooting; first power up worked! -MSI's command center software works great for fan control and OS-level overclocking. -On-board LEDs can be customized, either to cycle on/off (breathing), stay on, or turn off. -Handles crossfire/mgpu just fine. -Able to overclock my Ryzen 7 1700X to 3.9 GHz on stock voltage. -Running corsair vengeance LPX (2x 8GB) at 3200 MHz -No heat issues even with all the overclocking while performing stress testing and heavy gaming. -Bios has a search function, so finding options in the bios is as easy as searching for it. -Memory tryit! is an awesome feature in the bios. It makes overclocking memory really easy. Just set it to your desired speed. It will automatically reset the RAM back to the default speed if it doesn't work out. Keeps you from having to reset the CMOS every time. -Dedicated pump connection for water cooling. Actually, there's a ton of fan connections. I probably use half and still have good temps.
Cons: -In my original review, I didn't successfully update the BIOS and had to return the board. Turns out the USB stick I used was really flaky, and probably messed up that process. That being said, the RMA process was really easy and I could track the board's progress on MSI's website. There was an update for the BIOS that was released while the board was being repaired, and it came back with that newest BIOS! Thanks MSI. -The rebate that came with the board took a few months. I did get it, just took longer than expected.
Overall Review: This board is a really good deal for an x370 chipset. If you are looking for a board to get into the Ryzen family of processors, and need performance for gaming or whatever, this would be a great board for that.
Nice Monitor, but poor documentation
Pros: Bright and crystal clear display. Supports HDR, Freesync, and 144hz refresh, all of which I take advantage of.
Cons: I've received this monitor, however in the box I was unable to find the standoff screws required to mount on a VESA stand. No problem, I thought, I will just contact customer support and have them ship out a few screws. Well, after spending some time chatting with the customer support rep, they were unable to find the part number in the manual. In fact, the manual doesn't even list the fact that standoff screws were included in the box. So I am stuck using the original mount until I can find some sort of solution to my problem.
Overall Review: I would really love to get those standoffs...
Insanely useful
Pros: -accepts both sizes of sata drives -dual usb 3.0 ports -easy install -aesthetically looks good in a black case -makes inserting and removing sata drives for a system really easy. great for doing stuff like backups when you don't need to keep the drive permanently installed.
Cons: -the locking mechanism for both drives take a little bit of pressure to close all the way when a drive is being inserted. hardly worth mentioning. -the LED for when a drive is being used is like a purplish color. Why not red like most other HDD activity lights?
Overall Review: Would probably work fine for all motherboards, but if you need the ability to hotswap (keep computer on and insert/remove drives) then make sure the motherboard supports sata hot plug. I use an MSI x370 Gaming plus mobo that supports this feature.
Awesome card
Pros: -For gaming, I'm able to run every game I have at ultra settings and the card stays in the 65 degree C range the entire time, while overclocked. -Great FPS while on ultra settings with games like DOOM (2016), DXMD, and RUST. -While mining, 30 MH/s on dagger. Overclocks better than my Aorus. -The side LED can change color, flash, or turn off. -It has a backplate, so there's no sag and I think it helps with cooling too.
Cons: - None
Overall Review: -It seems like this card is no longer made, but the 580 Armor MK2 is the equivalent from MSI. High quality chip bin and awesome cooling makes this card (and the ARMOR MK2) a no brainer.
Good quality keyboard
Pros: -The keys feel like they are made of quality materials. -You can adjust the brightness of the LED lighting. I found the highest setting is too bright but the low and medium are great. It can turn off too. -Has a mode where it just lights up the WASD and arrow keys, which i found useful because my 5 y/o daughter will play games and it helps her out. -Has a game mode that disables the windows key. Has probably saved me 5 - 6 times already while gaming. -The feet REALLY stick to my desk. -The sound while typing is very audible, but not obnoxiously loud.
Cons: -No dedicated media buttons, but the fn+f# works just fine. -The dragon logo doesn't light up. -Doesn't come with an ergonomic wrist support, but it does have built it notches so I think you can attach one that will fit.
Overall Review: This is by far the best keyboard I've used in the past 20+ years. I would recommend it.
Seasonic is the way to go
Pros: -Fully modular: Helps keep the cable management looking clean. -Smallish physical size. Currently sits in a small HP OEM case. -Solid performance (check out the jonnyguru review).
Cons: -The manual that comes with the PSU does absolutely nothing to explain any technical details about this PSU. What the hell does the hybrid button do? Don't bother looking in the manual, it's not in there. -Cables are a little bulky, probably due to the capacitors that are in the cable. This is explored quite a bit in the jonnyguru review of this power supply. The review is worth a read if you plan on buying this or any PSU.
Overall Review: So even though this unit is rated for 850w, I accidentally ran it at around 863w (calculated), 100% load (mining) 24/7 for about 2 weeks. I haven't had any issues with it while it was doing that, and now I've reduced the load to about 782w, and it's still rocking. This is my second Seasonic PSU, and I've never had a problem with either. Never go cheap on a PSU.