Joined on 10/04/04
Superb case!
Pros: Very roomy; well thought-out; a delight to use for full-size ATX mobo. Great finish.
Cons: Manual is awful (but not really necessary anyway). Stock fans are mediocre at best. Upper tool-free mounts (for odd's) are not what I'd want to use, but they do supply screw holes so you can go ahead and screw your drives in (which is what I did, so no worries).
Overall Review: I recognized before buying this case that I'd want to yank out the stock fans and put in my own choice (PWMs where appropriate; lower rpm fixed-rev fans elsewhere; etc), and that was a good choice, imho. There's room for two 120's in the top, but case comes with just one top fan (a cheap 140). I recommend replacing it with two 120 PWMs or low-rpm fans, in part to enhance airflow but also in part to plug up the void space which would be a possible "air loop" if you don't install a 2nd top fan. Overall, this is by far the nicest case I've ever built a system with. Highly recommended.
VERY slow write speeds compared to Orico 2139C3-G2
Pros: I need an "unhoused" adapter with this form factor in order to connect with a 2.5" SSD housed in an Atomos Master Caddy II (for a Ninja V monitor/recorder) and this is an ideal form factor for that task. It would be an ideal solution for me IF it performs satisfactorily; however... it does not.
Cons: It seemed quite slow when writing to a 1 TB Samsung 860 EVO drive, so I did some careful checking, and it is SO much slower on writes than a 15-month-old Orico 2139C3-G2 which I've used & abused heavily. See the comparative results from CrystalDiskMark for the same Samsung drive using the old Orico vs. this StarTech unit. The StarTech's write speeds (for sequential especially, which is what is most relevant for the large raw video files I'm transferring) are not acceptable.
Overall Review: I'm sad about this because I really do need an interface with this form factor (not an enclosure), but I will have to keep looking I guess. Meanwhile, I will be returning this product.
Disappointing
Pros: Mouse wheel has no "click" stops.
Cons: Mouse's principal (left-click) button now works intermittently and only with a HARD click effort. Cleaning with canned air didn't help. Mouse wheel has bad bearing; grinds unless rolling it perfectly down the center. Keyboard's directional cursor keys are WAY too close to other keys, so I accidentally hit other keys when trying to use cursor keys (I'm a fast touch typist) The keyboard itermittently doesn't work or has lags. I've now had to situate the USB receiver on my monitor base (via USB extension cable) to get it to work somewhat decently.
Overall Review: It seems difficult to find a decent keyboard/mouse combo these days. After several disappointing Logitechs I thought I'd give this Microsoft combo a try (since I had a decent Microsoft RF-wireless mouse for my laptop), but after a year of using this I am once again looking for yet another keyboard/mouse combo. :(
Useless for Moto Droid Ultra
Pros: Very inexpensive.
Cons: On my Motorola Droid Ultra, this stylus tip is too blunt (it's like touching the screen with a soft, round ball rather than a more concise tip). As such, my (large) fingertip is no less accurate. I've thrown this cheap thing away; useless. Save your money; don't buy.
Overall Review: This was a waste of money.
Worked after updating firmware
Pros: High security; good value. After applying a firmware update (obtained after 4 email rounds with Kingston tech support; see below), the drive works great.
Cons: After receiving this product I found it wouldn't allow access to the encrypted volume; same result on 2 different Win7/x64 computers. After I provided detailed information about the problem, Kingston tech support suggested various fixes; none worked. I finally RMA'd drive through Newegg; rec'd a new replacement. But same problems... Another couple rounds with Kingston tech support; their final suggestion: "try latest update for the drive" (they provided a password-protected link to their FTP site for the updater). After downloading & installing, drive works perfectly. My gripes (and the reason for knocking off two eggs): a) Why was this drive shipping with 3-year-old firmware? b) Why doesn't Kingston readily post all firmware updates (I certainly checked their website for such, but not publicly posted); and c) Why did it take 4 email from them before they suggested the updater? This wasted lots of my time, & Newegg's time, and postage $$. Sheesh!
Overall Review: I normally never post product reviews on Newegg, but I always read the many helpful reviews others have posted prior to buying. I suggest to those who've bought this drive that if you have problems, be sure to email Kingston tech support and ask for the updater (file name DT4000_Updater3006_Win3012HIDi_Mac3012.exe) before wasting your time with other troubleshooting efforts; might save you a lot of time.
Overrated
Pros: Reasonable stereo sound
Cons: Very poor quality voice pickup
Overall Review: If you want a headphone set primarily to listen to music stored on a phone, etc., then this unit may suffice. But when used for hands-free cell phone usage, the quality of the microphone pickup is really bad. People frequently complain to me that they cannot hear me, etc. I avoid using it when I intend to make calls.