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Mary D.

Mary D.

Joined on 03/01/06

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 11
Most Favorable Review

Nice Overclocker

Intel Core i5-750 - Core i5 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.66 GHz LGA 1156 95W Processor - BX80605I5750
Intel Core i5-750 - Core i5 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.66 GHz LGA 1156 95W Processor - BX80605I5750

Pros: Quad Core and a 45nm design with a 95w rated consumption and a 2.66Ghz speed, BCLK 133. Pushed to 4.16Ghz (20x208) for daily use. Runs 100% stable after Prime 95 x64 on a quad-boot setup (Hackintosh, Win XP, Win 7, Ubuntu 10.10). It was running around 40C at idle and 80C @ full load under these speeds with a Thermaltake Frio CPU cooler and AS-5 paste which is acceptable but too high for my liking. I lapped the CPU (I know it voids warranty so don't do it unless you want to risk it) and now it always stays under 32C idle and 71C under load. These temps were recorded in 85F ambient temps.

Cons: Not HT

Overall Review: Tricky with DDR3-1600 speeds if overclocking the whole system and not just the CPU so I suggest to get ram in the DDR3-2000+ range to keep you happy =)

More cowbell, NO! More LUX!

LOGISYS Computer CLK12BL2 12" DUAL COLD CATHODE KIT
LOGISYS Computer CLK12BL2 12" DUAL COLD CATHODE KIT

Pros: Lightweight & very bright for their diameter. I checked my PSU and it only raises 10 watts max for both lights when my computer is on idle and I play with the switch. Installed with Azza solano 1000 w/blue LED fans, 6x1GB Crucial Ballistix Tracers (blue) & a KINGWIN Lazer LZ-850 850W modular power supply (switched to blue)... it looks monotone in there but it doesn't hurt my eyes, can see everything inside the case in detail (including some glow in the dark stickers) & can see where dirt is hiding.

Cons: The velcro pieces suck! I had a bear of a time with the light I placed on the ceiling of the box, it kept coming off until I took a lighter to the sticky part for a second or two and voilà! Another gripe is the short cables. I had to cut and solder some extension wires for extra length.

Overall Review: Don't plan on placement in your box before buying unless you know how to cut and splice wires safely.

10/26/2010

4.2Ghz on air

Intel Core i5-750 - Core i5 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.66 GHz LGA 1156 95W Processor - BX80605I5750
Intel Core i5-750 - Core i5 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.66 GHz LGA 1156 95W Processor - BX80605I5750

Pros: As the title says: 4.2Ghz on air no problem. This processor gets a 5 egg score for the stable 42% increase in speed. CPU>Price = Happy =)

Cons: No Hyper Threading and it gets pretty warm within the safe 1.4 Vcore limit... I'm thinking it's my Thermaltake CPU Cooler though. Will wait the 200 Hrs for the Arctic Silver 5 to break her in

Overall Review: OC on a Gigabyte P55A-UD6 (c) @ 1.39 Vcore, Thermaltake Frio (80 Celcius on prime95 X64 for 24hrs), DDR3-1600 Crucial Ballistix Tracers @ 8-8-8-20-28 1T, 850 Kingwin PSU... It's easy to OC. 3D Mark Vantage gave me a 51261 CPU score with stock performance settings and Superpi m32 gave me a time of 9m 09.57s.

Update!!!

Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory w/ Blue LEDs Model BL2KIT12864TB1608
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory w/ Blue LEDs Model BL2KIT12864TB1608

Pros: These sticks don't cease to amaze me, I just went 1T timings and "O M G"! So fast!

Cons: 6 sticks and a Gigabyte P55a-ud6 (c) is a no go for anything above 1333, maybe I got a faulty board or there is something quirky with this setup so I have 4x1GB.

Overall Review: Thing is, I thought it would be wiser to run them @ stock speeds 8-8-8-20-28 but with 1T timings and received a 3d mark vantage cpu score of 50270 (ddr3-1600) up from 18212 (ddr3-1800), BIG difference. I know I can get tighter timings but I'm happy just like this.

AWESOME!

Seagate BarraCuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Seagate BarraCuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: Fast, large capacity with a 32MB cache, 4.16 latency, CHEAP PRICE!!! 2 good to be true!

Cons: none

Overall Review: I don't understand why people have so many problems with Seagate products? I have had nothing but success with their drives. I would have to guess that most everyone installs these drives in cramped spaces with poor to none airflow. These drives have a 32MB cache @ 7200 RPM and have a relatively high transfer rate so I know they run warm... these are high performance drives in their category range. You cannot have these drives in an unventilated box unless you're expecting eminent failure and you are not supposed to move your computer so much either as these components have moving parts and any jarring or shaking can cause irreversible damage. TIP: if your HDD is ventilated, leave the computer running for a couple of minutes after heavy data transfers for a quick cool-off, kind of like a high performance car with a turbo after a hard run. You don't want to internal parts to start binding from too much heat. Please don't blame the company for your mistakes.

Midrange all around

SONY MDR-XB300 3.5mm Gold-Plated Connector On the ear Extra Bass Headphone
SONY MDR-XB300 3.5mm Gold-Plated Connector On the ear Extra Bass Headphone

Pros: Price! The price is right for such comfy headphones. As the name describes "Extra bass Headphones" is true, these little guys produce plenty of bass. There was plenty of effort in the design, the padding was thoroughly tested to reduce noise and to bring a more natural not-so-direct sound which brings a little warmth to the sounds emitted by the drivers so there is less fatigue and less of a chance for headaches from unwanted frequencies. If pressed harder against the ears, you can appreciate the quality of the drivers with very low distortion even at higher listening levels.

Cons: What is a pro is also a con; the padding. Since these are supposed to be mid-level budget headphones, you will not get the cleanest sound. The drivers are not bad but with so much padding, much of the sound is lost as well as quite a bit of decibels. These Headphones are also tricky if not impossible to get to audiophile quality sound out of them even with a good DSP and fine tuning the frequency bands.

Overall Review: Do not expect to get 40 hours of listening time on your ipod touch like you do with the OEM earbuds. Expect your listening time to be cut to half or less due to the power hungry drivers in these headphones... they are great for on the go listening for short trips without a charger though. Otherwise, have your MP3 player plugged in.