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Matthew S.

Matthew S.

Joined on 10/20/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

Great Value

Thermaltake VENUS 12 80mm Ball CPU Cooler
Thermaltake VENUS 12 80mm Ball CPU Cooler

Pros: This thing cools like a pro. It brought my 5000+ CPU down From 52C+ to about 42C on full load (thats with the RPMs clocked.) Has a range of 2198 RPMs to 5720 RPMs. from about 3000- its a low hum.

Cons: Ever ride on a 747, well it sounds about like that at max speed. you'll only ever really need that for when your overclocking or working your processor hard. Also this isn't a petting zoo. Don't touch the fan when its running fast, it will HURT. I'm sure you read the posts about that and i don't doubt it.

Overall Review: its still audible at 3000 RPMs but its less than half of the full speed. I think im going to invest in some sound dampening foam that will probably cure any noise problems with this or any other fans in my case.

12/26/2006
Most Critical Review

sounds like a leaf blower

SilverStone ST75F 750 W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V SLI Ready Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
SilverStone ST75F 750 W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V SLI Ready Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: 750 watts 4x 12v rails FULLY modular. separate cables for Intel vs. AMD Processor cables which just looks better.

Cons: the fan is LOUD. the box advertised that it runs on silent operation, this is not the case at all. I'm sure that the CFM is much higher on this fan but it is really excessive.

Overall Review: after a stress test using OCCT i found that: VCore@ 1.4875v actually had an output of 1.55v with a 4.04% ripple 12v Rail had a 3.66% ripple 5v had a 2.17% ripple In conclusion, This is a good power supply for a lower end system that will not be stressed as much. I find that the ripple in the voltages are a little too high for my liking, and the loudness of the fan is a major drawback for those that are looking for a silent PC. Will be RMA'ing for a refund once a new PSU arrives. I would rate this lower, however it is really hard to find a fully modular PSU these days so it deserves a better rating for that much.

Small, Portable, Flexible

Seagate 1TB FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 Model STAA1000100 Black
Seagate 1TB FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 Model STAA1000100 Black

Pros: Extremely small and light and thats not considering the size of the hard drive. I was very impressed by it when unpackaging it. It does not use any proprietary connections. the SATA connection on the hard drive lets you connect it internally to your PC which is a HUGE plus for me. that will make 500GB+ backups a little more tolerable. There is a 1/2 inch connector to the SATA plugs that will convert it to USB2.0/3.0 eSATA or firewire. each one is sold separately however :( the USB 2.0 wire is a little longer than your fore-arm, but the adapter is USB mini B, so if you have a digital camera, you likely have a longer cable already if you really need it. I give seagate major props for not using proprietary connections, although the SATA adapter doesn't work for other hdd's (would have been an awesome perk but i wont judge them for it.) Low power consumption for laptops and it only needs a single USB to power it. Perfect portable solution for backups.

Cons: I think it was a poor decision to ship these with USB 2.0 adapters. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible and future proof so that would cover the most bases. I suppose Seagate wants the extra $25 for buying the 3.0 adapter; its business i understand. however this attitude is going to hinder the transition from 2.0 to 3.0 in the long run (x86 to x64 ring a bell?)

Overall Review: SISoftware results Read Speed SATA: 68 MB/s @20ms USB2.0: 35.41MB/s @22.32ms Write Speed SATA: 57.7 MB/s @22.78ms USB2.0: 34.54MB/s @50.21ms Experience Index: 5.9

Good Value

AOC V22 Piano-black Glossy 22" HDMI Widescreen WLED Backlight LCD Monitor 280 cd/m2 DC 100000:1 Built in Speakers
AOC V22 Piano-black Glossy 22" HDMI Widescreen WLED Backlight LCD Monitor 280 cd/m2 DC 100000:1 Built in Speakers

Pros: LED back-lit is a huge plus Crystal Clear Web cam built in (very smooth) Built in mic (very clear) simplified buttons and menu set up so there's no clutter.

Cons: The frame feels cheaply made, the red strip on the bottom is a little tacky, they have advertisements for a blue or green strip but i have only seen it available in red. When i opened the box i noticed there is a scratch on the side of the monitor, i was pretty disappointed in this, but seeing as im a college student, it would happen anyways. If AOC would be willing to pay the shipping i would replace it but im not too concerned.

Overall Review: the exterior design is just a matter of taste i suppose, but it doesn't take away from the amazing picture, especially at this price range. games look great on it, but i haven't had a chance to try out any movies. i don't use the built in speakers so i have no opinion on them, but who actually buys a monitor based on quality speakers...

modifying my previous statement.

ASUS M3N-HD HDMI AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
ASUS M3N-HD HDMI AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: still a good mother board

Cons: n/a

Overall Review: my previous review was flawed with my comment on express gate. this is mearly an onboard OS that can boot in seconds, this provides very basic functions that you may need on the fly. this does not speed up you boot time for the regular OS

great solution over stock

Thermaltake CL-G0102 VGA Cooler
Thermaltake CL-G0102 VGA Cooler

Pros: great value to the price, took my 8800gt from 75C to 50C (under load.) very easy to install and the blue lights add a little flavor to the case.

Cons: draws air from the bottom, which means if you are running SLI, say bye to your audio card. also it doesn't draw the hot air out of the case, meaning they will just heat up the case. also the power is a 4 pin molex, so you cannot connect it to the graphics card, or any typical fan controller for that matter.

Overall Review: i have 2 of these cooling 2 8800gt's on SLI, works well enough, but dont expect too great of an overclock from them.