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Anthony B.

Anthony B.

Joined on 12/15/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 17
Most Favorable Review

Good

Kingston 2GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N6/2G
Kingston 2GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N6/2G

Pros: No issues.

Cons: None.

Most Critical Review

OK

KINGWIN Revolution RVT-12025D 120mm H.D.T. CPU Cooler
KINGWIN Revolution RVT-12025D 120mm H.D.T. CPU Cooler

Pros: Works well when not overclocking. Made a good component for a science fair project.

Cons: Can't remove a large amount of heat.

Good case, but with a few minor problems

DIYPC Alpha-DB6 Black Acrylic ATX Bench Case Bench Computer Case Mining Rig Frame Case for ATX/Micro ATX motherboard - PC components not included
DIYPC Alpha-DB6 Black Acrylic ATX Bench Case Bench Computer Case Mining Rig Frame Case for ATX/Micro ATX motherboard - PC components not included

Pros: Obviously this is a pretty unique case, and it's perfect for my space-constrained on-a-shelf overclocked rig. There's no other ATX case on the market that I found that is more compact than this. Also, it does its job pretty well; it keeps everything in place, and it has decently good cable management for a slab of plastic.

Cons: However, there a few minor issues that keep me from giving it 5 eggs. First of all, the manual is terrible for the amount of assembly required. It may not look like it from the picture, but this case is actually quite difficult to put together. One must install the drive bays, USB ports, motherboard standoffs, and add-on card holders with little to no instruction. With the wide array of nuts and screws sent with the case (which is actually pretty nice, since there are extras), it is sometimes difficult to determine which screws should be used to assemble what. The design of the case itself is also a little questionable. The downward-mounted power supply may pose a heat problem for some, and it makes simply attaching the AC power cord quite a feat. Also, take note: if you have both an IDE optical drive and an IDE hard drive, AN OEM IDE CABLE MAY NOT REACH TO BOTH DRIVES. This design is essentially unavoidable, but it's important to know that you may have to purchase a longer IDE cable; luckily, I already owned an extra long one. In addition, I would also note that the design of the drive bays may pose an issue down the road if one were to replace a drive; the way the drive bays are attached, it seems as though one would have to tip the entire case sideways to remove a bay, which could pose an issue for people like me who own very heavy CPU heatsinks.

Overall Review: The case makes a little plasticky-squeaky noise when you move it around, but it really doesn't matter. In general, I would recommend this case to anyone who is up for the challenge. It's a great, simplistic case, and I think it's the best option for overclockers with a space constraint.

Good

ASUS P5N7A-VM LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9300/nForce 730i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
ASUS P5N7A-VM LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9300/nForce 730i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Easy to set up. Easy to overclock.

Cons: GPU gets a little too hot so we installed a fan on it. Have not been able to get HDCP handshake to work.

Good

Intel Pentium E5200 - Pentium Dual-Core Wolfdale Dual-Core 2.5 GHz LGA 775 65W Desktop Processor - BX80571E5200
Intel Pentium E5200 - Pentium Dual-Core Wolfdale Dual-Core 2.5 GHz LGA 775 65W Desktop Processor - BX80571E5200

Pros: Never had an issue with an Intel processor.

Cons: Could be cheaper.

Good

APEX MJ-16 Black Steel Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case ATX12V SFX 250W Power Supply
APEX MJ-16 Black Steel Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case ATX12V SFX 250W Power Supply

Pros: Easy to work with. I like the tunnel for the CPU fan. Power supply is OK.

Cons: Drives interfere with RAM installation. Power supply could be more powerful.