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Nicholas L.

Nicholas L.

Joined on 09/15/11

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Love it!

PNY VCGGTX7602XPB-OC G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
PNY VCGGTX7602XPB-OC G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card

Pros: This card has been great. I bought it because I wanted to have 3 monitors setup as 5760 x 1080. The card installed easily and was easy to setup to span the three monitors. I plan an old-school game that works great too. The price was great and it came with a rebate that was easy to apply for. I am considering adding a 4th monitor but I need a bigger desk!

Cons: None.

Overall Review: Great card. Don't think about it, just do it.

12/24/2013
Most Critical Review

USB 3.0 stopped working

IOGEAR GFR304SD USB 3.0 SuperSpeed SD/ SDHC/ MMC/ SDXC/ MicroSD/ MicroSDXC/ Extreme SD Cards Reader / Writer
IOGEAR GFR304SD USB 3.0 SuperSpeed SD/ SDHC/ MMC/ SDXC/ MicroSD/ MicroSDXC/ Extreme SD Cards Reader / Writer

Pros: Small. Works with microSD and SD cards. USB 3.0 is very fast when combined with fast cards. Inexpensive.

Cons: USB 3.0 stopped working after several uses. Before it failed it was quite warm. It still works with USB 2.0 ports. Construction is cheap and the cover does not fit well and is easily lost.

Overall Review: I should have known it was going to fail when I noticed how warm it got. Something is clearly wrong with the design.

Not Good.

ORICO 6619US3-BK SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5" and 3.5" HDD, SSD [8TB Support]
ORICO 6619US3-BK SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5" and 3.5" HDD, SSD [8TB Support]

Pros: Inexpensive. Supports 2.5" and 3.5" SSD and HDD. USB Interface.

Cons: It does not work on USB 8.1 without a firmware upgrade. The firmware upgrade requires emailing support for the tool and new firmware. The instructions are written in Chinese and the tool has a lot of options, but you can figure it out after some trial and error. Once the upgrade is complete, it "works" with Windows 8.1. BUT (and this is a big "but") on a USB 3.0 port it disconnects and then immediately reconnects randomly roughly every 30-120 seconds. On USB 2.0 it stays connected longer, maybe 3-10 minutes before disconnecting and reconnecting. The constant disconnecting/reconnecting makes large transfers and reformatting impossible. For those skeptics out there, this is not a bad cable or connector. I tried all four USB ports on my laptop (2 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0) and had the same behavior. The ports work reliably with other USB devices, including USB 3.0 HDD. On Windows 7 it seems to work better but I have not tested it for long. My confidence in the device is shot.

Overall Review: I knew when I bought this that it would need a firmware upgrade to work with Windows 8.1. But I wanted this so that I could use it as a way of backing up a new Windows 8.1 laptop to an older 3.5" HDD. But even after the firmware upgrade, the constant connect/disconnect cycle makes that impossible. I should send it back, but since it was cheap money I will skip the hassle and put Orico on my personal "Do Not Buy" list.

12/24/2013

Good not great

ASUS VS248H-P 24" 1920 x 1080 Full HD VGA DVI HDMI Asus Eye Care with Ultra Low-Blue Light & Flicker-Free LED Backlit LCD Monitor
ASUS VS248H-P 24" 1920 x 1080 Full HD VGA DVI HDMI Asus Eye Care with Ultra Low-Blue Light & Flicker-Free LED Backlit LCD Monitor

Pros: I own two of these monitors. I bought one about 2 years ago and another just last week. They are good for a variety of uses including word processing, CAD and some gaming. I like the fact that they have real buttons, not capacitive touch. The three input options (VGA, DVI and HDMI) are nice to have too.

Cons: The build quality is somewhat cheap, but it is in line with what I would expect for a sub $200 24" monitor. The second monitor (that I bought last week) has one bad pixel (stuck on green). The defect is annoying while gaming but not an issue when doing most other activities. (I find it amazing that they can't make monitors with all the pixels working.) This monitor is not a good choice for graphics design work as the colors are not completely uniform and there is a chance you will get a bad pixel.

Overall Review: This is a solid monitor for the money. I would consider buying from ASUS again.

12/23/2013