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Alan A.

Alan A.

Joined on 02/14/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Plug-and-play in Macbook Pro mid-2011

G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBSQ
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBSQ

Pros: I got these for a friend's older Macbook Pro. The memory works just fine, and I don't think there's anything else I can say about it.

Cons: None known.

Most Critical Review
Rosewill RCR-103 USB 2.0 Card Reader
Rosewill RCR-103 USB 2.0 Card Reader

Pros: It reads a wide variety of portable card formats, and the USB port means that you don't have to give up an external port when you plug this device into one of your motherboard's USB headers. Works with Win/DOS. Even works with FreeBSD!

Cons: In the Antec Solo case in which it's mounted, I can't get the unit to sit flush with the front. This appears to be because of design assumptions that Rosewill made about 3.5" floppy bays, namely that their chassis doesn't allow for a very deep mount (which the Antec case has). It doesn't impact functionality greatly, but it's the driving cause behind me not giving this product a higher rating.

Functioning well so far

SAMSUNG 840 EVO 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7TE500BW
SAMSUNG 840 EVO 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7TE500BW

Pros: I used one of these in an older Macbook Pro, so it's only connected at SATA II speeds due to the limitations of that system. That said, it feels like a new laptop. The other is in a SATA III system, and it's night-and-day improvement over the old rotational media. Overall I've been pretty happy so far.

Cons: I knock one egg off because these don't appear to be available with mounting brackets; you have to go buy your own.

Overall Review: At the time, these were slightly less expensive than their PRO sibling. For use in a slower system, I don't think the PRO version's extra cost is worth it. In a newer system, you're probably not going to notice a speed difference between the EVO and PRO unless you're really hammering on the drive.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 - Core 2 Duo Conroe Dual-Core 2.13 GHz LGA 775 65W Processor - BX80557E6420
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 - Core 2 Duo Conroe Dual-Core 2.13 GHz LGA 775 65W Processor - BX80557E6420

Pros: It does what Intel claims it does. What more do you want?

Cons: Buggy microcode. Then again, all processor vendors seem to be shipping processors with code bugs, as they seem driven more by market demand than pure technical excellence. The errata listed in the processor documentation (see http://download.intel.com/design/processor/specupdt/313279.pdf) listed over a hundred bugs the last time I checked.

Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: It's about time that power supply manufacturers starting putting PFC in their power supplies, and I'm glad that Antec did so with theirs. I've had nothing but success with their TruPower line, and the earthwatts line seems comparable. The power supply seems to run reasonably cool, but then it's in a system which doesn't exactly push it to its limits.

Cons: None known.

Overall Review: Power factor correction's been around a long time. I'm glad to FINALLY see it in a power supply.

Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: The case is very well put together, uses thumbscrews in all the right spots, and has great ventilation. It also has a very durable feel about it, nothing flimsy like I've seen with other cases. In short, it seems representative of Antec's typical quality. (I've been happy with their products overall.)

Cons: None come to mind.

Overall Review: The rubber-band-suspension method for hard drive silencing seems a bit hokey. Also, if you choose to use that method of drive mounting, be sure to NOT move the system.