cover
Michael F.

Michael F.

Joined on 12/18/05

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Good Memory

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) ECC Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Server Memory Model KVR800D2E5K2/2G
Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) ECC Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Server Memory Model KVR800D2E5K2/2G

Pros: I haven't had any errors or crashes running this memory.

Cons: None

Overall Review: I've been running this memory for about a year now and haven't had any issues with it. I run it in a very small form factor case (Antec Aria) which gets very hot. There have been zero issues with this memory and I'm about to purchase two more sticks. For the majority of this time I've been running windows vista ultimate with areo enabled.

Most Critical Review

Changed My Mind

Antec NSK1300 Black / Silver Aluminum / Plastic Micro ATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply
Antec NSK1300 Black / Silver Aluminum / Plastic Micro ATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply

Pros: -Compact -Solid Construction

Cons: -Needs Custom PSU -HOT -Custom PSU is only 300w -HOT -Nicks and dings make it ugly and dingy fast -HOT

Overall Review: I posted a 5-egg review after my first month with this case, back when it was called the Antec Aria. My initial impressions were positive since it was obviously a well made product. Its construction does well to dampen the noise from fans and it feels very solid. However after running my pc in this case for over a year I no longer can suggest this case to those who want something compact. For one it gets too hot. Heat has been a constant battle with this case. Also the PSU is only 300w and is custom built. So if this PSU breaks you have to order a replacement from Antec, and no upgrading your wattage. One of the attractive things about its appearance are the soft walls on the side of it. I'm not sure what material it is but it feels really nice and thick. However the material is easily dinged up and gets to looking ugly pretty fast. I was running with on board graphics(ATI R600), using low voltage ram(1.8v), installed a 2 bay Antec exhaust fan, and still having heat issues.

A Fine Case

Cooler Master Elite RC-331-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Elite RC-331-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: I purchased this case during the Black Friday sale for thirty bucks. For that price it is a fantastic little case! Some people say they have problems with the tool-less bay holders being a little loose but if you feel uncomfortable with it you can use screws to make it even more secure. Also this case seems to have good air flow

Cons: The price is now back up to fifty bucks.

Overall Review: At $50 I'd probably shop around and see if there is a better deal but would still consider this case... however at $30 this is a great case!

You get what you pay for.

Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply - Intel Haswell Fully Compatible
Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply - Intel Haswell Fully Compatible

Pros: I got this PSU on sale at a local big-box electronics store for around $39 about 6 or so months ago. Good Price.

Cons: About a month ago my system started to have stability problems. Something wouldn't install properly, infrequent lag in responsiveness, and other oddities. Then over the past two weeks my system would lockup and then return to life with the message that my display driver (ATI) had to be restarted (I give credit here to Windows Vista here for it's ability to actually recover somewhat from this type of failure instead of a whole system crash.) This progressivly had gotten worse and Vista had started to give me BSODs. And I was simply running Visual Studio 2008 and web browsing when these crashes would occur! I ran stress tests on individual components (CPU, GPU, RAM) and everything seemed fine, but the overall system statility was obviously comprimised. The thing I hate about faulty PSUs is that when they have problems it is impossible to diagnose. The errors that they cause can make the problems seem like they come from somewhere else!

Overall Review: So yesterday I purchased a CORSAIR 450VX. My system is sooooo much more stable now! This will sound strange but under my old PSU when I would install the ATI Catalyst 8.9 drivers I couldn't run the Control Center, it would just lockup everytime I tried to run it. I never thought it was due to my PSU, I thought there was some sort of bug in the software and was waiting for 8.10 to resolve the issue (since google couldn't find anyone else with my same issue). Lo-and-behold I can now run the Control Center! Go-figure. I actually had a similar problem with another faulty PSU a few years ago. I would try to install Visual Studio 2005 and it would continuously fail. I couldn't figure it out. Long story short, after getting a new PSU the problem was resolved. So the lesson of this story is that even though it can be hard to justitfy to yourself spending lots of money for a PSU, it is money well spent. I thought I could trust this PSU since it was made by Antec...

Awesome Buy!

HP Color LaserJet 3600N Q5987A Personal Up to 17 ppm 600 x 600 dpi Color Print Quality Color Ethernet (RJ-45) / USB Laser Printer
HP Color LaserJet 3600N Q5987A Personal Up to 17 ppm 600 x 600 dpi Color Print Quality Color Ethernet (RJ-45) / USB Laser Printer

Pros: -Prints fast from sleep in both Black & White and Color. -Great print quality for a laserjet -Cheap price per page (According to the Toms Hardware artical: "Color Laser Printers: Fast and Affordable!" - Price per page: .01 B&W, .08 Color -Networked enabled versions (3600n & 3600dn) have an extensive web based configuration menu. (I'm not sure if you can access it via the USB connection)

Cons: -Packaged drivers do not work under Windows XP x64

Overall Review: -To get the proper drivers installed into Windows XP x64 you need to download them from hp's webiste. If you are installing it over a network you need to add the printer via Windows Control Panel and specify "local printer attached to this computer" then create a new "Standard TCP/IP port" and then specify the printers IP addy. -purchased my 3600n from a local retailer (0ffice Dept0) for $530 (including a $100 mail in rebate). -I'm glad to be free from the freaking expensive ink cartridges. If i need photo quality prints I'll send my pics to C0stc0 over the internet, which is much cheaper than the cost of an ink jet print.

Best Cube case on the market

Antec LifeStyle ARIA Silver/Deep blue Aluminum Micro ATX Desktop Computer Case 300Watt SmartPower Active PFC Power Supply
Antec LifeStyle ARIA Silver/Deep blue Aluminum Micro ATX Desktop Computer Case 300Watt SmartPower Active PFC Power Supply

Pros: 1. This thing is solid, once everything is bolted in it feels like a brick. If it had treads and a cannon I'd mistake it for a mini tank. 2. Holds 3 internal HDD's, good if you want a tiny server with RAID-5. 3. Internals are realitivly cool inside. My AMD xp only goes over 100f under heavy load with stock fan. 4. Quality Power supply. 5. Slick looking.

Cons: 1. Funky shaped power supply, I'm not sure how a replacement would fit if it needed to be replaced. (I emailed antec, I'll post their response as soon as I get it) 2. PSU is only 300W 3. The blue lights get anoying after a while, you might like it beter than me if your in it for the *bling* factor.

Overall Review: Yes this case is cramped to work in, but thats the price you pay for a tiny case. Its not unbearable to work in, and its actually quite clever how it was put together. Just the other day I saw the antec aria sitting next to the aspire xQpack at my local Electronics store. I'm glad I got the aria. The aspire seemed more like something you'd purchase at walmart, everything on it was flimsy and bendable and the case its self was quite a bit bigger than the Aria. One other note, all the pics of the Aria i've seen don't show the top vent. There is a vent that sits above the PSU on the lid. When I do a follow up review I'll post pics. Fantastic SOLID case.