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John M.

John M.

Joined on 08/10/01

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 72
Most Favorable Review

Nice switch at a nice price

On Networks DSF008-199NAS Unmanaged 8-port Fast Ethernet Switch
On Networks DSF008-199NAS Unmanaged 8-port Fast Ethernet Switch

Pros: Inexpensive, eight ports, 100Mbs data rate, no setup required for use.

Cons: No gigabit ports.

Overall Review: Works as well as another unmanaged switch that I paid three times as much for. Great for gaming and general data transfer between workgroup computers. Great way to extend the number of wired ports on router and the cost is very reasonable.

Most Critical Review

Loud Fan

SILVERSTONE TD03-LITE Durable High-Performance All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler with Dual Adjustable 120mm PWM Fans
SILVERSTONE TD03-LITE Durable High-Performance All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler with Dual Adjustable 120mm PWM Fans

Pros: Fit my processor.

Cons: Excessive fan noise, bulky hoses limited mounting options.

Overall Review: Installed this cooler on an ASRock B75 PRO3 microATX motherboard in an Antec P50 Micro ATX case. The included fan was excessively loud so I replaced the fans (two front 120s and CPU cooler) with Cougar CF-V12HBs and am now satisfied with the results.

Great way to add another internal USB 3.0 connector to X79 motherboard

4 Port PCIE PCI-e to USB 3.0 (2 x Type A+ 20 Pin Internal) Expansion Card Hub Controller PCI Express Card Adapter w/ Molex Power
4 Port PCIE PCI-e to USB 3.0 (2 x Type A+ 20 Pin Internal) Expansion Card Hub Controller PCI Express Card Adapter w/ Molex Power

Pros: Plug-n-play with Windows 8.1 Enterprise and EVGA X79 motherboard

Cons: Shipping was very slow and the mounting plate was warped due to flimsy packaging. Had to straighten mounting plate before I could use case screw to mount card.

Great Card

ASUS ROG GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card STRIX-GTX1070-O8G-GAMING
ASUS ROG GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card STRIX-GTX1070-O8G-GAMING

Pros: - Single eight-pin PCI Express power connection - Cool pulsing lighting - Quiet and cool running - Runs 5k monitor easily - Three quiet but effective fans

Cons: - Micron memory (instead of Samsung) requires BIOS update - Only two Display Port ports (vice four on competing products) but that is offset with two HDMI 2.0 ports (not found on reference design cards) so may not be a con for most people

Overall Review: I am using this with a HP Z27Q 5k monitor. World of Warcraft images really pop and the game is running at 70 frames per sec at 5120 x 2880 resolution. Asus does a great job with packaging and the card looks menacing housed in a Thermaltake Core X9 case.

Cool features but poor design for price

be quiet! DARK BASE PRO 900 ATX Full Tower Computer Chassis - Black/Orange
be quiet! DARK BASE PRO 900 ATX Full Tower Computer Chassis - Black/Orange

Pros: - Innovative wireless phone charger - "Silent Wings 3" fans - Clean appearance - Noise insulation on front door

Cons: - The instructions are poorly laid out - The "removable motherboard tray" is a NIGHTMARE to try to reinstall if you ever decide you want to remove the nine screws holding it in. I saw no way to align the holes except by guessing where the screws attached to the thin sheet metal of the case making them VERY difficult to reinstall and easy to strip. - The glass window is held on with four female thumbscrews and the glass is flush to the case. This make removal and installation difficult and clumsy. - The motherboard tray has the fan/led lighting controller and all its cables attached to the back of the tray making the "removable motherboard tray" that much more cumbersome. - The front door is poorly secured and will flop open if the case is tilted forward when handling. - Front fan filter is difficult to remove for cleaning

HUGE case, better start working out now...

Thermaltake Core X9 Black E-ATX Stackable Tt LCS Certified Cube Chassis CA-1D8-00F1WN-00
Thermaltake Core X9 Black E-ATX Stackable Tt LCS Certified Cube Chassis CA-1D8-00F1WN-00

Pros: - Plenty of room - Configurable power/front panel USB connection - Captive thumbscrews for outer panels - Nice power switch - Decent overall completed appearance

Cons: -Extremely heavy and bulky. Empty shipping weight was around 48 pounds. Add hardware and watercooling and you are talking a VERY heavy and cumbersome finished PC. -Poorly designed drive bays. The drive bay housings would not line up with my Seagate HDD mounting holes so had to install drive without retention. The drive fit snugly in the housing and worked fine. Drive cables were very difficult to attach and required removal of one of the drive enclosures. -No hotswap capability. Power and data cables are difficult to reach and attach. -Flimsy top fan/radiator bracket. Used a 420MM radiator with three 140MM fans and had difficulty getting mounting holes to align with bracket. Use of one-inch thick 420MM radiator (with fans) required removal of top front 5.25 drive bay tray. -Flimsy motherboard tray. Thin, stamped steel mounting tray had fixed mounting standoffs and was missing one standoff when used with ATX motherboard. - Difficult to build clean installation. Data cables to front mounted drives have no way of being hidden.

Overall Review: I have build many computer systems using a wide variety of computer cases ranging in price from $100-$600. Despite significant drawbacks, this case ended up being one of the nicer looking and functional builds I have made.