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Matt L.

Matt L.

Joined on 03/30/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 72
Most Favorable Review

Good monitor, needs calibration

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers
ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

Pros: HUGE. Deciding if I really need a second one or not. Got this with the Black Friday deals. Every connection you could need, VGA, HDMI, DVI, audio input.

Cons: This monitor was a PITA to get calibrated to my liking. Stock settings were very washed out and WAY too bright. I spent hours going around forums finding settings that worked for me. In the end I made up my own. Monitor takes a few seconds to turn on and off and to enable itself once a source is detected, you can miss the BIOS screen if you don't keep a sharp eye out while trying to find the correct key to press when entering the BIOS or selecting the drive to boot from. The speakers are quite poor, don't plan on using them for any amount of time. They will work if you are waiting for get some decent quality ones in the mail.

Overall Review: My settings: Mode: Standard Brightness: 90 Contrast: 80 Sharpness: 53 Saturation: 50 Color Temp: User Mode R: 100 G: 100 B: 100

Most Critical Review

High pitch whine

CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply & New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650 W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply & New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready

Pros: Nice long braided cables. Power supply can be mounted in both directions, mine is sucking air out the bottom of the case and blowing it out the back. Very cool looking power supply. "trusted" corsair design.

Cons: When running Folding@Home on my nVidia 460, the power supply whines like a little girl. I've confirmed by replacing the video card and disabling the system fans for a short while to pinpoint the location.

Overall Review: RMA'd today, we'll see how their famed customer service is now..

12/16/2010

It's a drive

LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS95
LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS95

Pros: Reads the Windows 7 installation media properly, quiet.

Cons: It can't keep up with my SSD while installing windows :(

Sexy Beast!

CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced - Gaming Mid Tower Computer Case with Carrying Handle and Windowed Side Panel - Black
CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced - Gaming Mid Tower Computer Case with Carrying Handle and Windowed Side Panel - Black

Pros: Awesome handle to carry case built in! Cable management is a breeze with extra space with the side panel design. Painted interior matches outside "midnight black", rounded edges means no cutting yourself! Good placement of cable management ports, nice usage of rubber "screen" for running cables through. SSD mounting bracket included. Included zip ties are always a nice touch. Dust filter for PSU. Both side panels are quite thick and have a very solid feel to them. They can both be removed from the case with one finger (after the screws are removed), yet are secure when the screws are in place.

Cons: Only ONE FAN!? What is this?? I knew reading reviews what I was getting myself into, but jeeze! The SSD mounting bracket places the drive in the middle of the bay, not lining it up with the other regular drives. I like OCZ's design where the drives connectors line up with normal hard drives allowing for a cleaner look.

Overall Review: Be prepared to also purchase multiple fans with this system.

Excellent

ASRock H77M LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
ASRock H77M LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: USB 3.0 internal header means no running a USB cable out the back of your machine. Both a 4 and 3-pin chassis fan. ASRock allows automagic downloading and flashing of the latest BIOS without an OS installed, allows both mouse and keyboard navigation in the menus. Manual's pin header layout is very clear and easy to read. HDMI, VGA, and DVI connectors for integrated graphics.

Cons: SATA cable are a little oddly positioned. The internal audio header is underneath the graphics card, making it hard to reach if you're stringing a cord from the front of the case.

Overall Review: Awesome budget board for getting into the PCI 3.0 and Ivy Bridge market. Why do motherboards still have integrated COM, LPT, IR, and SPDIF headers for? Take those out and move the audio header to the middle bottom!

anemic airflow, high noise

Cooler Master Sleeve Bearing 92mm Silent Fan for Computer Cases and CPU Coolers
Cooler Master Sleeve Bearing 92mm Silent Fan for Computer Cases and CPU Coolers

Pros: Cooler Master, screws included.

Cons: Anemic amount of airflow given the amount of noise the fan creates.