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Zachary B.

Zachary B.

Joined on 11/02/09

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Works great with an NZXT g10

CORSAIR Hydro Series H55 Quiet Edition Water / Liquid CPU Cooler 120mm (CW-9060010-WW)
CORSAIR Hydro Series H55 Quiet Edition Water / Liquid CPU Cooler 120mm (CW-9060010-WW)

Pros: Keeps my GPU cool in my main desktop in tandem with an NZXT g10. Keeps an i3 4340 in my HTPC/console-killer cool and quiet.

Cons: There are better performers, but not at this pricepoint

Overall Review: If you're not going to push an overclock to the extreme, this should be enough. And if you're looking for a AIO for a GPU, you really don't need more than this.

Most Critical Review

failure at 3 months

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2B1600C9
CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2B1600C9

Pros: affordable, spacious RAM

Cons: one stick died within 3 months.

Overall Review: I had this installed in a build for my fiancée's mother. The PC began bsod-ing, and rebooted saying OS could not be found. Tracked the issue down to one bad stick that would crash any system it was installed in. I am not happy about that, and I will be sticking with g-skill from here on.

Excellent, if you know what to expect

NZXT RL-KRG10-B1 Sleeve Kraken G10 GPU Bracket
NZXT RL-KRG10-B1 Sleeve Kraken G10 GPU Bracket

Pros: Dropped my typical max temps to ~61 C, even when hammering the GPU with ENB-enabled Skyrim, or Crysis 3 at max everything.

Cons: I have no gripe with the bracket itself. Its simple, and works as intended. The VRM cooling leaves much to be desired, and this is where research is so important. Check if your card has VRM heatsinks already. Mine did. If not, do some Googling and find some for your particular card. Purchase RAM heatsinks for your card. They're not entirely cheap, but they will really help keep those components cool. I went from having artifacts at a mild overclock, to no issues and low temps with 100mhz over stock with heatsinks.

Overall Review: I purchased this along with a PowerColor 290x. The card, even with PowerColor's admittedly very good cooler, was a loud space heater. I did my research, and also bought some RAM heatsinks for the card. My video card already came with VRM heatsinks, but if your card does not, I strongly recommend purchasing some!!

Just... wow

EVGA 02G-P4-3757-KR G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 FTW w/ ACX Cooling Video Card
EVGA 02G-P4-3757-KR G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 FTW w/ ACX Cooling Video Card

Pros: Fits just fine in my Cooler Master 130, runs games at 1080p, sips power, and after the firmware update, stays relatively quiet. I'm using it as part of my HTPC upgrade, and it has turned a very modest machine into an Xbox One/PS4 killer. Runs Skyrim at Ultra without missing a frame. Crysis 2 requires some settings to be dialed back, but still looks amazing. Looking forward to running Titanfall on this bad boy.

Cons: Be aware that this edition of the card requires a 6-pin power connector. Also, card runs fairly loud until you perform the firmware update. Hopefully, newer editions of the card will come with the update already applied.

Overall Review: If you don't need top of the line, if you want energy efficiency, or if you want a simple upgrade to a pre-built or store-bought system, the 750ti is for you. If you're putting this in a store-bought system, you'll probably want a version without the 6-pin plug.

My error

GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2 FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2 FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Works, very affordable. Overclocks reasonably well.

Cons: Very minor gripe: not a fan of the SATA port layout.

Overall Review: I had previously reviewed this product with a 1-egg, stating that it had failed. This was my error. As it turns out, it was one of the sticks of Corsair XMS3 RAM that died. Off to review that.

Solid, especially at this price.

COUGAR Spike Black Steel / Plastic Micro ATX Mini Tower Gaming Case with USB 3.0 and 12CM Cougar Fan
COUGAR Spike Black Steel / Plastic Micro ATX Mini Tower Gaming Case with USB 3.0 and 12CM Cougar Fan

Pros: Decent style. USB 3.0. Tool less system for hard drive and 5.25" bays. Can't really ask for more at this price.

Cons: Wish the power supply was at the bottom. I'm a little concerned with how well the screws will support the PSU over time. Only one fan pre-installed. Would love to have a better spot to hide PSU cables, but again, I paid $35.

Overall Review: I used this for a home theater PC build for a friend. Time will tell if everything holds up, but I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly everything went together while building it.