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Philip L.

Philip L.

Joined on 11/13/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 3
Most Favorable Review

More than meets the description

Antec Mini P180 Black Steel Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case
Antec Mini P180 Black Steel Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case

Pros: Some things I haven't seen noted in the reviews I read: 1. Generous use of very soft silicone - on the feet pads, on the hard drive bays 2. Pop rivets used to join the case sides - vs. screws or snap together construction 3. The plastic used is of the soft, somewhat pliable Delrin type - not the typical stiff and brittle stuff. This will help keep it quiet 4. Top 200 mm fan has absolutely no play 5. Ring pulls on the hard drive bays don't just hang there - when not in use they snap into a catch to ensure they don't rattle 6. Front door latches by magnet - no friction catch that would rattle after a lot of use 7. Hard drive bays have a nice Delrin type plastic tongue and groove system that holds them in rock solid 8. Case came with a notice that some of the rear fans had issues after QC inspection, therefore Antec includes a second fan additionally.

Cons: As mentioned, use of the removable hard drive bays negates the ability to install a fan in that section. Overkill on the front vent grates will reduce air flow. You've got the door, then rather thick plastic grates that open for access to the HDD removable bay areas, then behind the grates you have the removable dust screen, then behind that you have the metal grate to protect a would-be fan. I would have liked to see this unit a little taller to give room for one of the bays to fit the 4 1+0 RAID HDD's I plan to install. Instead I will have to use both bays as each holds 3 drives. Room for one more would have allowed a fan in the other bay area.

Overall Review: -AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor -ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD motherboard - Replacing stock 120mm case fan with Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm - SPARKLE SFPX94GT1024U2 GeForce 9400 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 Video Card (fanless) - 8 GB of OCZ 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA x4 in RAID 1+0 config (for speed) - Windows XP 64 bit - Nesteq EECS 600W Ultra Quiet Power Supply (WISH NEWEGG WOULD CARRY THIS!!!!) - Thermalright HR-01 PLUS Quiet CPU Cooler (going fanless) (WISH NEWEGG WOULD CARRY THIS!!!!) ...For the not-as-informed. This case is a top choice of PC builders going for the 'silent pc'.

Most Critical Review

Not worth the premium

Razer Naga Epic Rechargable Wireless MMO PC Gaming Mouse
Razer Naga Epic Rechargable Wireless MMO PC Gaming Mouse

Pros: - Interchangable side grips - Long cord - I set this up for use with seperate modes for Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. The 12 extra buttons removed some two handed shortcuts, but it is a long learning curve. Also nice that I can set each program mode with a different color. Software auto switches the mouse settings to the program I'm using - which is nice when you're switching a lot between software.

Cons: -Poor Battery Life/charging time ratio -Bottom pads already half worn in a couple months - If using a mouse pad is required they need to state that or include that). (BTW my table top was sanded to 440 grit then steel wooled 4x down to #0000 - then covered with 7 layers of danish oil - there is not a smoother top) Hopefully Razer will supply replacement feet pads when this becomes an issue for me. -Firmware Updates not XP 64bit supported - major issues of random sensitivity changes that make the mouse completely unusable.

Overall Review: I went this one over the wired Naga for the option of the side grips - turns out I used the standard fit that the wired Naga uses - quasi/relaxed claw grip. So the extra splurge wasn't worth it for me...the battery on the wireless mode won't last me a day so I keep it wired. Major issues with the driver/firmware on XP 64bit. The mouse will randomly change to very high sensitivity. This makes it unusable. Nothing is changed in the software settings when this happens - sometimes switching between modes will eliminate the problem temporarily, other times for quite a while, but this is not acceptable.

Best Range

Linksys USBBT100 Bluetooth Adapter
Linksys USBBT100 Bluetooth Adapter

Pros: Its got the best range. I bought this after reading a product review by two guys who plugged these into their laptops, stood on a flat Illinois farm road and starting walking away from each other - seeing how far apart they could maintain connectivity. It was over a mile and they were still accessing each others laptop - I don't remember exactly how far they got.

Cons: none.