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Peter D.

Peter D.

Joined on 09/16/03

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

"Silencer" name fits!

ARCTIC COOLING Silencer64UltraTC L 87mm CPU Cooler
ARCTIC COOLING Silencer64UltraTC L 87mm CPU Cooler

Comments: Installed this fan on an AMD Athlon 3700+ (Clawhammer) seated on an ASUS K8N-E Deluxe board. The fan installed easily and sure is quiet. It caused a "CPU fan error" during OS post, which was easily remedied. The board did not like the fan running at lower rpm's, so I disabled the feature in the BIOS and am relying on CPU temperature only to monitor possible overheating issues. There have been none. I would buy other products from Artic Cooling.

Most Critical Review

CUATION!!!!!!!

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Pros: This thing is heavy! It’s a very sturdy case with quality materials and construction. It’s not meant for transport to LAN party. Loads of room inside. It has plenty of space for a large PCI Express card, like the ASUS Geforce 7950GX2 I installed. Four fans (one front intake and three exhausts) provide good cooling.

Cons: CAUTION! This case shorted out my new mobo; ASUS P5W DH Deluxe. The case has brackets positioned immediately under the mobo so it can be converted from ATX to BTX in the future. The brackets protrude from the case such that they nearly touch the back of the mobo. In my case they DID touch the mobo. That’s when lights in the house dimmed, snapping noise, funny smell (you get the picture!). NewEgg accepted the RMA. As usual, they are the best! There is a ‘caution’ for this listed in the case manual. Unfortunately, it appears on the next to last page and it does not come with the case; you have to download the manual from the Thermaltake website. Mylar adhesive patches are provided to stick onto the protrusions. The case has ‘wings’ on the front exterior which serve no purpose, except to interfere with the optical drive tray operation.

Overall Review: If you haven’t installed the mylar patches, I recommend you do so just in case the mobo warps from heat and touches the metal case interior. I also recommend that Thermaltake apply the mylar patches BEFORE shipping and let the consumer remove them when/if the case is converted to BTX.

DOA & RMA'd

Antec NeoECO C NeoECO 620C 620W ATX12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Antec NeoECO C NeoECO 620C 620W ATX12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: Fast shipment and a great price (after rebate).

Cons: It unfortunately arrived DOA. Testing with a volt/ohm meter indicated that 115 volts was supplied by the power cord, but no power was generated by the power supply unit. That was verified by 'jumping' the green and black wires on the main connection that plugs into the motherboard. 'Jumping' these contacts should cause only the power supply fan to run. It didn't. I'm thinking that the male portions of the power supply which connect to the female portion of the power chord were not making good contact. So, I tried three alternate power chords with the same result. Newegg accepted the RMA and it was shipped back for a replacement. I'll soon know if the replacement request, vs. possible reimbursement, was a good idea. Stay tuned!

Nice DVD player at a good price

Philips DVD Player DVP5982/37
Philips DVD Player DVP5982/37

Pros: This DVD player was connected via HDMI cable with a 32" Samsung HDTV. It was easy to set up and produces very nice piture and sound. Unlike some other reviews, I found the set-up and remote to be pretty easy to use. Yes, it does have fast forwward and fast reverse.

Cons: Nothing inherently wrong with this DVD player. If you want more features, you'll likely have to pay for them.

Overall Review: Be sure to order an HDMI cable if you plan to use that type of connection cable. Like other DVD players, this unit includes analog cables only.

Does the job!

Targus DEFCON® T-Lock Resettable Combo Cable Lock - PA410U
Targus DEFCON® T-Lock Resettable Combo Cable Lock - PA410U

Pros: This cable lock fits well into my HP Pavillion DV6345US and does what it was designed for . . . a theft deterrent, not theft prevention.

Cons: The lock was a little snug at first fitting into the Kensington lock hole on the side of the case. But, after a few times inserting and extracting the lock, the rough edges smoothed out and it was easier inserting/extracting.

Overall Review: I've read elsewhere that these combo locks contain a lock spring that can have issues. Suggestion: Set the combo and ensure the lock works properly BEFORE initially inserting it into the computer case.

Big Improvement over Analog Cable

Omni Gear DVI-3-HDMI 10 ft. Black HDMI to DVI Cable, Black Male to Male
Omni Gear DVI-3-HDMI 10 ft. Black HDMI to DVI Cable, Black Male to Male

Pros: This cable yielded a big improvement in picture qaulity over analog cables. It you are running analog between your set-top cable box and HDTV, you should consider making this investment. It's worth the normal $89 retail cost in picture improvement.

Cons: None worth mentioning.

Overall Review: After installing this digital picture cable, there was no sound on my HDTV. I had to switch from analog sound to digital sound to correct the problem, which also improved the sound quality.