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Daniel A.

Daniel A.

Joined on 01/16/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 12
Most Favorable Review

Little Powerhouse

Intel Core i3-3220 - Core i3 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge Dual-Core 3.3 GHz LGA 1155 55W Intel HD Graphics 2500 Desktop Processor - BX80637i33220
Intel Core i3-3220 - Core i3 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge Dual-Core 3.3 GHz LGA 1155 55W Intel HD Graphics 2500 Desktop Processor - BX80637i33220

Pros: Excellent CPU. I run music production with Windows 7-64 and Sonar 8.5. Anyone who's ever used Arturia's Moog Modular V knows how CPU intensive it is. This CPU doesn't even break a sweat. It's also a very cool CPU which means quiet fan speeds (another plus for music production.)

Cons: None

Overall Review: Graphics are fine for non-gaming uses. Text is clear and colors true. Don't let the i3 designator fool you, this is a powerful CPU.

Good Board

MSI Z77A-G43 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
MSI Z77A-G43 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Pros: Nice board. No frills - just what you need. i3 3220, 2x8gb Crucial Balistix Sport 1333. Everything works fine. Z77 seems be a good chipset. i3's integrated graphics are fine. High speed SATA is great.

Cons: ClickBios II is a joke. It supposedly lets you enter the BIOS while in Windows. Takes forever to load and it's very slow. It's easier and faster to simply enter the BIOS on boot.

Overall Review: Cool little front panel leads doohicky lets you plug front panel pins into it and then just plug the doohicky into the MB. Clever.

Stable

Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT8G3D1339DS1S00
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT8G3D1339DS1S00

Pros: Works fine. Very stable. MB friendly 1333. Will by another pack soon and bump my computer to 32 gigs.

Cons: None

Overall Review: Over the years of building computers, I've found that keeping RAM one level below the highest non-OC supported RAM keeps everything much more stable. I run music production and stability is much more important to me than speed. Therefore, while my MB supports 1600 without OCing, I drop back to 1333 and never crash.

Works Great!

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes

Pros: Works Great. Quiet. Not hard to install. I thought it was overkill for an i3 3220, but impressive temps. Internet browsing is around 25c. Running Sonar 8.5 and various CPU intensive plugins it's never gone above 30c!

Cons: None

Overall Review: Fine for full tower case. Had to remove a side fan, but with this cooler I don't need it anyway.

Nice!

HP 23" 60Hz IPS LCD Monitor, IPS Panel 7 ms D-Sub, DVI, HDMI Pavilion 23xi
HP 23" 60Hz IPS LCD Monitor, IPS Panel 7 ms D-Sub, DVI, HDMI Pavilion 23xi

Pros: Looks nice. D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI inputs. Brilliant picture! Sturdy Stand. Ordered on Tues, Received on Thurs!

Cons: None.

Overall Review: Amazing monitor for the price.

Great!

SONY High Speed DVD RW Drive Black SATA Model 5280S-CB-PLUS
SONY High Speed DVD RW Drive Black SATA Model 5280S-CB-PLUS

Pros: Built solidly. Tracks DVDs and CDs perfectly, clean or scratched. Burns perfectly every time. I haven't made a coaster yet.

Cons: None

Overall Review: I'm buying another for my other computer.