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Matthew W.

Matthew W.

Joined on 10/01/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 8
Most Favorable Review

Cool, Quiet, Big

Noctua NH-U14S, Premium CPU Cooler with NF-A15 140mm Fan (Brown)
Noctua NH-U14S, Premium CPU Cooler with NF-A15 140mm Fan (Brown)

Overall Review: AM4 brackets ARE included in the box (since 2019, according to Noctua's site). It was unclear from the listing and reivews if the AM4 adapter kit would be needed or not, but I can confirm the brackets included in the box do support AM4. No extra adapter kit necessary. Installation was pretty easy. Had to wiggle it around a bit to get the mounting screws aligned but overall it's one of the easier mounting systems I've used and feels very secure. It is big. Not the biggest out there, but definitely check your case specs to make sure it's going to fit. I haven't stress tested it yet, but running it with a Ryzen 7 3800x and it's idling significantly cooler than it was with the stock AMD cooler. And much quieter as well (stock one was annoyingly loud). I just wish it either came in black, or that there was an option to buy it with the black fan instead of brown. I don't mind the bare metal fin stack, but the brown fan doesn't really go with the rest of my setup.

12/11/2019

Great Looking Monitor

Gateway FHD2303Lbid Black 23" 1920x1080 5ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 1000:1
Gateway FHD2303Lbid Black 23" 1920x1080 5ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 1000:1

Pros: Very sharp looking monitor. I love the design of it. Was a little curious about how stable the stand would feel, being offset and everything. But taking it out of the box, the stand is actually heavier than I expected. And the support arm on the monitor fits very snug into the base. Not worried about it at all. As far as the picture goes, it looks great. The colors out of the box are a little off, but that's expected. I've gotten it looking pretty good for now, but still have some more tweaking to do before I get it right.

Cons: The one I got has a single pixel stuck on green. I've tried a few methods to fix it, but nothing has worked yet. I realize this is somewhat common with monitors. I just got unlucky with which box I grabbed. This is why I knocked off one egg. But I would still highly recommend this monitor to anybody.

Overall Review: I bought this from a different store, mostly because I like to see a monitor in person before I buy it. I was glad I went, because it did let me get a good look at the stand (this was my biggest worry going in).

Great Monitor

ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor Built in Speakers 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR20000:1) w/ SPDIF out
ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor Built in Speakers 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR20000:1) w/ SPDIF out

Pros: I picked this monitor out for my parents last summer when I set up their new computer. The size is great (perfect for them). They do run it at a lower resolution (see other thoughts), but it works fine. Picture looks great, color was actually decent out of the box.

Cons: The speakers aren't that great, but what more could you expect from built-in monitor speakers? I guess the stand could be considered a bit flimsy feeling, but it still works.

Overall Review: My parents actually run this at 1440x900, so that everything shows up larger on the screen. If I were the one using it, I'd go with 1680x1050. We have nothing connected to it to really make use of the 1080p resolution. That said, at any resolution higher than 1680x1050, the monitor doesn't even use all the pixels. This may be some setting I don't have correct, but I've tried everything I can think of to fix this. Again, not an issue for us, because we never run it at full 1080p. Also, as with any glossy surface, it does show dust and fingerprints very easily. Just be aware of that.

Good keyboard

OCZ OALKBELX2US USB Wired Slim Alchemy Series Elixir II Keyboard
OCZ OALKBELX2US USB Wired Slim Alchemy Series Elixir II Keyboard

Pros: Good size, heavy for it's size - makes it feel a little better built. Keys are comfortable, easy to press. It's also a pretty quiet keyboard. The back feet have rubber on them, so it won't slip on a smooth surface.

Cons: None really.

Overall Review: Yes, the left shift key is small, but you get used to it. Mine was ever so slightly warped when I got it, but it's not really a problem. It just bows a little bit in the middle. I guess it could be an issue if you're really picky.

Great Mouse

OCZ Technology OCZMSEQRD Blue 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser 2500 dpi Gaming Mouse For Desktop
OCZ Technology OCZMSEQRD Blue 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser 2500 dpi Gaming Mouse For Desktop

Pros: I've been using this mouse for a little over a month now, and I love it. It sits really well in my hand, and seems to be tracking well, but I don't do any real gaming so I can't comment on that. It looks great, the "triple threat" button works great for navigating through folders. I've even found some use for the variable resolution in precision graphic applications.

Cons: Had to wait a month for it to be in stock

Overall Review: I'm running Vista Ultimate 64-bit, and the mouse definitely works. I haven't even tried installing the software, but I don't need to. Even the forward/back thumb buttons work, but I don't use them.

I loved this mouse

Kensington PilotMouse 72239 Blue/Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel RF Wireless Laser Mini
Kensington PilotMouse 72239 Blue/Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel RF Wireless Laser Mini

Pros: I got this mouse over a year ago for Christmas. The size was great, the tracking was awesome. Also very comfortable to use. It's also a good weight. Not so light it feels cheap. Wireless is good. Signal seemed strong throughout the room. On/off switch is great for improving battery life. I always shut it off when I left the computer. Over 1 year, I think I replaced the batteries twice.

Cons: So, why am I writing in past tense, and only giving it 4 eggs? Just in the last month, it stopped working. I'm honestly not sure whether it's a laser issue or wireless issue. I've put in three different sets of new batteries in. It will work mostly fine for about an hour, and then it just won't track anymore. It starts jumping around, or just not responding at all. I eventually got fed up with it, and am now borrowing my roommate's backup wired optical mouse. I miss the accuracy of the laser...

Overall Review: If I were going to get another wireless mouse, I would consider buying this one again, or at least the same brand. But I will be replacing it very soon with a wired mouse. I work on a desktop and have a wired keyboard, so the wireless doesn't really gain me anything.