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Arthur S.

Arthur S.

Joined on 02/11/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 36
Most Favorable Review

Still good stuff

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1100 (PC2 8800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8800CL5D-4GBPI
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1100 (PC2 8800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8800CL5D-4GBPI

Pros: Follow-up to my initial 7/6/2008 9:35:24 AM review: After having some time with this RAM, I'm currently running @ 1120/5-5-5-15/1.925v with no probs. Have done higher speeds but 1120 is 24/7 use. Hits Performance Level 6 in Memset, Prime95 no issues...blah, blah. Not bad for 2x2GB DDR2!

Cons: None yet.

Overall Review: E8400, abit IP-35 Pro/BIOS 16, Visiontek HD4870/512, Enermax Infiniti 720, Win x64 Pro, etc.

Most Critical Review

Coulda been a contenda

Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 550 W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply with Three 12V Rails
Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 550 W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply with Three 12V Rails

Pros: ~ It's q-u-i-E-T. (not "quiTE". DUH.) ~ Efficiency is very good. ~ Low ripple. ~ Stable voltages under load, when they're on spec.

Cons: This is a solid Seasonic design, but I think Antec cut a few corners here and it is thus overpriced at $129.99 MSRP. (Notice the price drop and rebates now offered.) The +12V voltage on mine was measured on a good shop meter at 11.43V to 11.48V, which is around 4.5% variance. The +5V measured 4.83 (-3.4%). That doesn't meet the advertised spec of +/-3%. I would accept 5% tolerance from a generic PSU but not from a higher-priced, name brand unit. BTW, all other specs measured good. I have to rate it "2-Poor" because it doesn't meet advertised spec. :( It's probably just my luck but these things happen. I've had decent Antec supplies in the past.

Overall Review: Sending this one back for refund. I've already ordered a Corsair 520 - it's basically the same Seasonic design but built with top-quality parts. Get a clue, Antec!

Decent mobo

MSI Z370-A PRO LGA 1151 (300 Series) Intel Z370 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI Z370-A PRO LGA 1151 (300 Series) Intel Z370 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: This board has the useful features you need and not extra stuff that you don't. Seems to be built well. Mates well with i5-8400, and unless you're going for max O/C numbers, why pay more? No problems here with new install of Win10, G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-2666 RAM, WD storage, and EGVA GPU. Manual is good too.

Cons: No major cons so far. One niggle is the CMOS battery is directly below the GPU, so to replace it requires removal of the GPU.

Overall Review: Don't waste your money on silly features that you probably won't use or don't need. Get this when on sale for 100 bucks and happy computing. For the price vs. features/value, I'd say 4.75 of 5 eggs.

Reliable

XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750 W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750 W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: Same here - bought it in Apr. 2010 and no probs. Outlasted my last top-end Enermax which died just barely under the 3-year warranty.

Cons: Nein!

Decent drive

Western Digital RE3 WD2502ABYS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Western Digital RE3 WD2502ABYS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: Got this to replace a Raptor 150GB that I've had since 2007, with over 4.5 years of continuous hours accumulated that finally started getting bad sectors. Still have an active WD1600YS for storage, no bad sectors but doesn't get thrashed nearly as much. Replacing it soon with another WD2502ABYS. WD makes great drives. Don't expect any drive you get to be undamaged the way the shippers manhandle things. It's not the fault of the manufacturers.

Cons: Nein! Nyet! Nope!

ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card

Pros: Sounds better than others anywhere near the price. Fairly easy installation & set-up.

Cons: Manual is almost useless.

Overall Review: What's the big mystery about the power connection?? This card isn't using "extra" power from the floppy connector, but the floppy power is its MAIN power. It is using very little to no power from the PCI slot it's mounted in, or perhaps just as a ground return. ASUS went with 4-pin floppy power because power coming directly from the PSU has LESS NOISE than power from the motherboard (PCI-e). Makes sense for an audio circuit, no? Too bad some of you claiming "High understanding" don't know simple things like this before you whine. So what's the big deal? Most decent PSU's should have a floppy connection. Plug it in, and get over it.