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Craig H.

Craig H.

Joined on 07/25/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 15
Most Favorable Review

Quick, Disable that Onboard Audio you thought was so good and use this instead!!!

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card powered by THX TruStudio Pro
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card powered by THX TruStudio Pro

Pros: Amazing build quality (cool sleek smoky gray casing) HD Audio jack on card for case front I/O (nice) Surprisingly zero problems with drivers and software installation - this is not the Creative driver set of past..everything installed perfectly with no conflicts, BSOD's or hangups Headphone out on card is AMAZING with my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's - it blows away SPDIF 5.1 for positional sound during gaming and overall richness Music takes on a whole new life - I have the 2 audio RCA's paired to my THX Logitech 2.1 Z-2300 and I'm hearing sounds and instruments even vocals in songs I never knew existed Software is a keeper, the THX controls and EAX additions are a nice touch for adding quick presence and richness No Interference, No Hiss, pure silence...the first card or audio source I've ever listened to that was pure silence until playing the media - amazing Had to turn the volume down on everything, this thing can really crank your system without distorting and cle

Cons: If Headphone is plugged in, RCA's are auto disabled...kind of a pain to have to reach around the back of the PC, but I guess it was a hardware decision so say the guru's at creative so no software change will enable it - but the Headphone amp is so worth it I don't mind a little plug/unplug nuisance - the Front panel jack while 30 Ohm instead of 300 Ohm is no slouch and sound great if in a quick pinch, but the headphone jack can't be beat

Overall Review: I have the Rampage III Formula and while a capable board for "get you by" sound, I really didn't know what I was missing. I was always a Soundcard guy, but figured this build I could finally go with the Onboard solution - way wrong...looking back, I can't believe how muddy and bland the Realtek audio was in comparison. Again not trashing the motherboard audio, it was okay but rates a D letter grade in comparison to the Titanium HD Wish it had the HD audio on the card end than the side for wiring convenience but no biggie A nice LED effect representing THX or HD or Titanium would have been a nice touch but it sits sandwiched between my CPU cooler and top GTX 580 so can't see much of it anyways No FPS gaming gains or losses...with a 3.85 i7-970 and GTX 580 SLI it doesn't matter much anyways - but I do notice things are a little snappier - I think the Onboard sound occasionally caused a little CPU chugging here and there

Fast, Reliable right from the start

Ballistix Tactical Tracer 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (with Orange/Blue Light) Model BLT3KIT4G3D1608DT2TXOB
Ballistix Tactical Tracer 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (with Orange/Blue Light) Model BLT3KIT4G3D1608DT2TXOB

Pros: XMP profile set in BIOS at 1.5v...no problem Boots right into 8-8-8-24 T1 timings Used to be a Corsair only mem guy...now it's Crucial, by far the least trouble I ever had with memory Sweet LED lights Nice Program to tweak the LED's etc...

Cons: None

The Best!

RAZER RZ03-00381800-R3M1 BlackWidow Ultimate Mass Effect 3 Edition Keyboard
RAZER RZ03-00381800-R3M1 BlackWidow Ultimate Mass Effect 3 Edition Keyboard

Pros: Extremely cool red led's much brighter than old Logitech G110...5 settings including off and pulsate Matte finish shows NO fingerprints, very cool synthetic fiber look Heavy weight to it, feels great quality wise Keys are a dream to type on and game with, much less pressure than old rubber dome keys Love the fact that it has a Game mode to disable the Windows key and a Sleep Mode button that cooperates with Windows 7...my old Logitech had major usb problems and would hard lock the USB...The Razer just plain works Nice heavy braided cable that contains both the USB and USB pass through in addition to the Audio headset and mic pass through's. The build quality is very stable and Aesthetically it looks amazing especially with the HAFX red LED lights and my desktop theme Just buy it....you won't regret it!

Cons: A little pricey but heck, you get what you pay for...this keyboard is definitely worth it IMHO The lettering style takes some getting used to, has a modern font that somewhat throws you off at first but you get used to it pretty quickly Nothing else really, not too many cons on this bad boy!!!

Great Combo for a second wireless solution (ie. HDTV)

Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black 8 Hot Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse
Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black 8 Hot Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse

Pros: Great simplicity, literally plug and play Lightweight but solid build and feel for something priced this low

Cons: None so far

Overall Review: Using this as a second keyboard to use when I hook my 25 ft HDMI cable to my HDTV and play some 55" Skyrim at 1080p ... I can leave my other Logitech G110 and G9 hooked up and it doesn't interfere in the slightest. Nothing to install, Windows 7 recognized it instantly and off to the races in seconds... Highly recommended

Excellent Cooler for Overclocking

Cooler Master V6 GT - CPU Cooler with Dual 120 mm PWM Fans and 6 Heatpipes
Cooler Master V6 GT - CPU Cooler with Dual 120 mm PWM Fans and 6 Heatpipes

Pros: Pros: Excellent cooling power, Core temps on I7-970 overclocked to 4.2 GHz range from 37-26 at idle across 6 cores and up to 55 max at load. BF3, Crysis 2, Metro 2033 and benchmarking used as reference. Looks are incredible, especially when you keep the aesthetics in the C oolerMaster Family and pair this bad boy with a HAF X Case...sweet looks LED lighting, nice switchable colors to suit your preference Easy to clean Easy to Install Quiet even at a constant 2200 RPM

Cons: A little tight on space, especially near the first DIMM slot, using a 3 Dimm solution so not a factor

Best Case Hands Down

Cooler Master HAF X - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with Windowed Side Panel and USB 3.0 Ports
Cooler Master HAF X - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with Windowed Side Panel and USB 3.0 Ports

Pros: Cooling is A++++ - plenty of airflow and ventilation Layout and compatibility especially with Cooler Master V6GT and Rampage III Formula is rock solid Awesome Black and Red look Soft grommets for wires are excellent Cutout in back for changing heatsink without motherboard removal is a big + Nice PSU wire hiding shroud Excellent VGA cooling brackets Excellent PSU placement Fans Galore Excellent Build Quality Everything has been thought of - this case is honestly the best I've ever owned in 20 years of computer building - can't say enough good things about it

Cons: None

Overall Review: What are you waiting for, buy it already and don't look back