Pros: H77 chipset features are quite robust while being significantly less expensive than Z77. Google the differences and you'll see what I mean. I especially like the extra legacy PCI slots! Thank you! Seems to be a very stable board. Running with a i5-3750 (non-K, great chip, see my review of it), 120GB Kingston SSD, and 7950 GPU.
Cons: Sorry, ASUS, I know you've replied to others here about this issue, but I cannot get my 1866 RAM above 1600. I've tried XMP profiles, and manual settings, but it's still a no-go. I've instead set it to 1600 and lowered timings. Pretty much same net effect, but would be nice to have this RAM running at spec. My RAM is G.Skill ARES 1866.
Overall Review: This is my first ASUS board since the 90's and I'm pretty pleased. Used Gigabyte boards for many years, but this one had the features I wanted at a decent price compared to other H77 boards. Not sure the issue is with this board, but my PC can't enter S3 sleep mode. Power light just flashes, then ... reboot.
Pros: This has the latest BIOS (8/16/12) which enables 850 MHz base clock and can boost the GPU to 925 MHz. Nice boost in performance from my HIS 5870 from ages past. I like the look and build quality of HIS cards very much—they feel solid. Always good cooling solutions without looking too gaudy.
Cons: ATI Catalyst has come a long way, but still could be a lot better. Cooling solution is wide enough to prevent addition of a second PCIe x16 card.
Overall Review: This is physically identical to the other HIS IceQ 7950, but this one has the latest BIOS. If you are comfortable flashing the new BIOS yourself, get the older card which is 10 bucks cheaper. Otherwise, get this one.
Pros: Yes, this chip is the non-K version, but it has two features that the K version does not have: Virtualization technology (VT-d) & Trusted Execution technology (Intel TXT).
Cons: Not a big deal, but runs a bit warm. Idles temps are 35C which is ambient +10C. With the same cooler (Noctua DH14) my 965 BE would idle at 31C.
Overall Review: Online stores usually just say "Turbo Boost 3.8 GHz" which is slightly misleading because you kind of assume by the way they phrase it that you're going to get 3.8 GHz across all cores. However, the max Turbo Boost of 3.8 GHz only occurs when ONE or TWO cores are active/being taxed. This particular i5, as well as the K-version, has a stepping pattern of 2/3/4/4, each step signifying the number of 100 MHz "boosts" that are available to four, three, two, and one active cores, respectively. Ergo, our max clock speeds, with Turbo Boost fully functioning, are as follows: 2 x 100 MHz for four active cores (3.4 GHz + 200 MHz = 3.6 GHz across ALL FOUR cores) 3 x 100 MHz for three active cores (3.4 GHz + 300 MHz = 3.7 GHz across THREE cores) 4 x 100 MHz for two active cores (3.4 GHz + 400 MHz = 3.8 GHz across TWO cores) 4 x 100 MHz for one active cores (3.4 GHz + 400 MHz = 3.8 GHz across ONE core) So, when you're hammering this chip in prime95 and CPU-Z only shows 3.6 GHz,
Pros: As an addendum to my review below, I'd like to add that Silverstone will be sending me a new cable free of charge. Can't beat that! In addition to their fine products they seem to have a pretty well-run operation. I'll definitely be using their stuff in my future builds.
Cons: Nope.
Pros: Incredibly stable output, single 12V rail, 120mm fan is very quiet.
Cons: Sadly, 650 watts is getting to be on the low-side these days for gaming systems. See below.
Overall Review: The description on this website and the manufacturer website indicates that this product comes with two 6-pin PCIe cables. NOPE. Mine came with ONE 6-pin and TWO 8-pin PCIe cables. I'm not sure if this was an anomaly, but it certainly put a kink in my plan to upgrade my graphics card. What's even worse is that the manufacturer doesn't seem to be making their cable accessory kit available anymore (also out of stock here on the Egg), leaving me to scrounge around for adapters. Caveat emptor.
Pros: Fast, QUIET, not made in China.
Cons: See below.
Overall Review: Word to the wise: If you are using Vista x64 and your motherboard uses an nVIDIA chipset, you will not be able to see S.M.A.R.T. information in tools like HD Tune or Everest. It's not WD's fault, but still an annoyance...
Pros: In the right hands you will be able to achieve very respectable speeds for a small amount of cash.
Cons: Percentage and heat-wise, it does not overclock quite as well as my trusty old 3000+ Venice. For this reason I'm giving it 4 eggs instead of 5.
Overall Review: This is an overclocker's chip so you would be well-advised to buy something else if you don't plan on juicing it. AMD rates this chip up to 3.2GHz. My results: 3.148GHz. I hammered it day and night with stress tests at this speed and it is very stable. Temperatures ranged from 29c idle to low 50s under load. 3.2GHz was achievable with some heavy tweaking, but the temps were just too high--mid 50s--so I settled with the former timings for my peace of mind. Law of diminishing returns, I suppose. Vista gives this chip a 5.1 performance rating at stock speed, and 5.5 overclocked as above.
Pros: Inexpensive. HDMI provides excellent picture quality.
Cons: It's not free.
Overall Review: Do not waste your money on expensive HDMI cables at chain stores. HDMI is digital, people! The signal either gets through, or it doesn't.
Pros: 512MB memory, quiet, cool. Runs HL2 and Doom 3 at 1280 and high detail at 60FPS.
Cons: Takes up 2 motherboard slots, zero over-clocking potential, 128-bit DDR2. Catalyst drivers are pretty obnoxious, but they get the job done.
Overall Review: Having two 6800GTs die on me within 6 months lead to this card. I'd rather have a working card that's slower than something that will blow up in my face in 6 months time. Sorry, nVidia. You lost me!
Pros: Impressive value.
Cons: My computer wouldn't boot until I reset my CMOS battery. If your computer powers up but you don't see anything, try removing the battery for a few minutes to reset the CMOS! I found that my gaming performance improved only marginally, since not many games I play have the option to multi-thread (and not many do, in general). If you are a gamer, your money is probably best spent on faster video hardware.
Overall Review: I upgraded from a 3000+ Venice (overclocked to 2.4GHz) to this. My motherboard (Gigabyte K8NSC-939) recognized it without any problems and I am able to use the full 1000HT after installing the latest BIOS. I noticed significant gains in video decoding performance (ffdshow set to use 2 threads), as well as an over all feeling of "smoothness" in windows, especially when multi-tasking. First thing to do after installation: install the driver and the dual core optimizer from the AMD website.
Comments: Got this to replace my 9500Pro, but unfortunately the board was DOA. Bad memory, I suspect, given the symptoms (blue lines across the screen, heavy, heavy corruption in Windows). Newegg was great with the RMA, though, and I had my money back in about a week. I'm sure this board is great but decided to use a GF FX5900 Ultra instead.
Comments: Powerful, stable, relatively quiet. Very good PSU. Just FYI, the PCI fan adjustor does not fit properly in my Antec Sonata case (it's about a millimeter too wide for the metal guides in the case).
Comments: I had some minor problems with past firmwares, but the lastest takes this little player to new heights. The sound is excellent, and the S/N ratio is quite high for a flash player, as mentioned below (though you will not be able to tell with the included earbuds). Windows 2000, XP and x64 detect it as a removable storage device. No drivers needed! Also, the JetAudio software is truly useful. No bloat, thankfully. My only complaint is the slight "buzzing" that is audible when navigating the menus. I don't notice this while listening to music, however.
Comments: I've been running this RAM on a Gigabyte mobo and Windows x64 for about three months. I'm very satisfied with the performance and stability of these sticks. As the other reviewers have stated, if you are going for a serious overclock, you should consider higher performance RAM, but I don't think this product is really billed as such. Recommended. Thanks Newegg!
Comments: Very nice mobo. I combined it with an Athlon 64 3000+ "Venice" and 1GB of Mushkin dual-channel RAM. Windows XP x64 boots in about 15 seconds. The BIOS is decent, and has a number of options for overclockers, but it also contains a lot of "Engrish"--kind of annoying, IMHO. Gigabyte's 64-bit drivers are decent. Overall, it's fast and stable and clearly a great value. Recommended.
Pros: - Performance. Almost doubled my FPS in DX11 games like FFXIV. I can max out all settings now at 1440pand see 100+ FPS on my 144Hz FreeSync display. Made me laugh at first it was that good. - Build. Heavy, and solid construction. Jeez, this thing could be a murder weapon. Very performant cooling. Quieter than Sapphire Fury. You will hear the fans when maxing it out, for sure, but they're at lower pitch than the Fury so less annoying. Fans stop at idle/Windows desktop. Seeing 42c at desktop with fans stopped. Fury was about the same. In-game is 70's. - Dual BIOS. I haven't tried out this feature yet but there is a bios switch on the card which lets you toggle between flashed BIOSes, e.g. select performance/silence mode. Default is performance! Might help if you flash a custom bios and something goes wrong... or you just want to switch to lower clocks for some sweet hot weather no-AC gaming.
Cons: - Drivers. No deal-breakers for me, yet, but look at driver changelogs to see if there are any that would affect you. - Price. I saved up, but at this markup it's really pushing it... - Personally, RGB, but you can disable it by downloading and using the Sapphire Trixx app. - Size.1mm clearance in my Silverstone FT05. Check your clearance beforehand! It's freaking massive, honestly.
Overall Review: Coming from a Sapphire Fury, I waited patiently for Sapphire to drop this one. Son, I was not disappoint. Hoping this will serve me well for 4(+) years like the Fury.