Joined on 06/08/05
ASUS Laptop IMO...
Pros: Well its ASUS and with a reputable company like that you can expect a decent level of quality, which this product exceeded in my expectations. Great performance for a laptop. After shopping around ALOT I found this system was the best setup of hardware for the realistic price range a gamer like me would ever consider for a system thats not a desktop.
Cons: I could complain about First boot and setting up programs & preferences taking a while, but its that way with any system and to mark down a system for having to setup your personal preferences would be silly. I also could complain about weight or a number of other things, but when you get the hardware thats this has you will get these things as a byproduct its just simple math. If you want lighter and smaller then adjust what hardware you want in a laptop. ;)
Overall Review: Vista though new to me, doesn't seem to be the headache everyone has been complaining about, its new memory management system handles RAM differently so that even if its not required it utilizes the majority of the systems RAM for better performance overall. Adopting one of linux's philosophy that "Unused memory is wasted memory". So when you get a vista system with 2gb of ram and it says you system is using most of it, dont freak out, its on purpose and for a good reason.
Poorly Designed Mainboard
Pros: Well, the pros go out the window when they unit wont function. Since day 1 I had issues, bought it for my wife for schooling, but she kept complaining about it shutting down randomly so I told her I would look at it when I had time. (honestly I assumed it was her not knowing how to setup her power management like in the past). So it sat for a long time. When I finally got to it, it was really hot running. Got a cooler for it, but it only helped a little, it died soon after.
Cons: Graphics inadequately cooled and prone to a variety of problems. After doing much research I am finding a lot of people with graphics overheating and failure with ASUS not particularly trying to be of any help. All I get from asus is generic help emails with bonehead steps to resolve issues noobs run into.
Overall Review: I would be happy if I could just get my hands on a motherboard for it so I can replace it myself but it seems they are unavailable. I guess I bought myself a very expensive paper weight. I am not sure if I will be inclined to buy asus products in the future.
I guess this will do...
Pros: Nice quality versatile keyboard...
Cons: Price and forced to only have this as the only gaming keyboard option.
Overall Review: I actually came online to buy another G11 gaming keyboard which was the perfect gamer keyboard. Was simple, versatile, durable and priced affordable for those of us gamers who aren't rolling in wealth. I cant for the life of me figure out why they would drop the G11 when it had the highest rated reviews and best value on the market. Now you can still find some leftover items in some places but they are all priced in the stupidly high range so you may as well buy the G15. Logitech I am sorely disappointed, but I guess I will have to save a little more before I get keyboards for my kid's computers.
Just to clarify How it works
Pros: One reviewer stated that the mouse operates by having the 3 little bearing balls spin and if they don't spin it wont work, this is not true. The mouse operates by the optical window sensing the pattern on the track ball as it is moved. So please don't let that inaccurate review influence your decision. This is by far the best mouse I have ever dealt with, and like the the others here stated "I will never go back".
Cons: None
Overall Review: When cleaning I cant stress enough to protect the optical lens, just as you would any optical mouse.
Reliable, Precision, Comfortable
Pros: Pro #1 is that its Logitech but also this design has been proven battle-tested and comes out shining. I have come to dislike any normal mouse and the way they make inefficient use of space. Just place first and middle finger on the ball for control and the thumb on one button and the ring finger on the other while resting the wrist and forearm on the table surface. This design is 10x better than the thumb operated marble mouse, I cant stand that one. Best of all this mouse requires only the amount of space to operate as it needs to sit. Great for laptops/notebooks. The earlier models used to wear out in the buttons from prolonged intense gaming sessions, but the new models havent had that issue.
Cons: None that I can actually call a con.
Overall Review: Must take care when cleaning out the track ball socket, the optical lens window can be scratched if you don't use care and a soft cloth. If scratched bad enough it can make the mouse not respond well or at all since it cannot sense the movement of the ball through the scratches.
Tired of USB
Pros: For one their Logitech wich like normal they bring a reliable amount of quality. Good sounding full range headset. Easy to use and setup. However...
Cons: I am so tired of USB and the limitations inherited by them. So far all USB headsets I have worked with refuse to cooperate with the existing sound system on your computer. I do a lot of editing and I have a surround sound setup on my system. I work with my headset on and when I want to play it loud for testing, with my old non-usb headset I could just turn up my volume knob on my speaker system while my headphones were attached and they could co-exist. Or if I was watching a movie and my wife gets mad because she is trying to sleep, I could just grab my headset that's already hooked up and simply turn the sound on my speaker knob all the way down. But with a USB headset, you can only have one or the other, enabling the one means disabling the other. The worst part is when swapping, you have to close your program, then swap, then restart it. Let me tell you restarting a streaming movie somewhere in the middle is a pain in the backside to put it nicely.
Overall Review: Logitech, please be the first company to "Freakin Man-Up" and write some software drivers to fix this obvious oversight...