cover
Christopher F.

Christopher F.

Joined on 04/26/02

0
0

Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 14
Most Favorable Review

Works Good, Small, Gets Hot

AVS Gear UH-204B USB 2.0 4-Port Mini Hub
AVS Gear UH-204B USB 2.0 4-Port Mini Hub

Pros: * Small Size * Includes Power adapter if Needed * Cheap * Does what it should

Cons: * Gets hot, even without power adapter attached

Overall Review: If you are using for a desktop computer, you may want to get some velcro, or find another way to secure on a temporary basis.

Tiny "Green" System

DELL Desktop PC HYBRID-140G Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 3GB DDR2 250GB HDD Intel GMA X3100 Windows Vista Home Basic
DELL Desktop PC HYBRID-140G Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 3GB DDR2 250GB HDD Intel GMA X3100 Windows Vista Home Basic

Pros: - Tiny Size ~ About the size of a large external Drive enclosure (like the kinds that would hold an full size optical drive) - very small foot print for the desktop - Good Specs, Core 2 Duo; 3GBRam - Very Low Power Consumption - Probably the Greenest Desktop - Runs Windows 7 64-Bit like a champ - No dongle or adapter for included wireless mouse and keyboard (saves USB slot) - Built-In Card Reader - HDMI Port - Slot Load DVD Burner

Cons: - Onboard Video (Intel GMA X3100) not the greatest (ie. blueray performance) - Very Expensive to Add BlueRay (Decoder Card & Drive required) - DVD Drive is slow compared to my desktop when ripping DVD's - 4GB Ram Max - Intel Wireless Card gets terrible reception (used a USB Dongle instead and it works great) - Sensor for DVD Eject (not a button, but a sensor) did not work in Windows 7 64bit. Well, really a tradeoff, either you could get the sensor to work and Keyboard features such as volume would not OR Keyboard features work and sensor would not. This was only a problem in Windows 7 64bit, to my knowledge and has since been fixed. Was annoying until they came out with the update though.

Overall Review: I purchased this from a different site about 4 months ago (same specs exactly and refurb). This was to replace a 6 year old shuttle system that will not boot (bios chip or MB problem). Needed something with a very small footprint as this is my wife's computer she keeps in the bedroom. I really like the system layout and size. It is very responsive with Windows 7 64bit. I would have liked it better if it had a better graphics chipset, however, it meets my wife's needs. Some other thoughts: - Think of this as a laptop without a keyboard or screen. - The wireless card is a mini-PCIe slot, so it may be possible to replace the card with a better one. I have not taken it apart (yet), I am not sure about how the antenna routes, however, I am sure it is simlar to a laptop. - Second mini-PCIe slot that is meant for a Broadcom Blueray Decoder card, if you ordered with that option from Dell. Thinking about trying one of those mini-PCIe HardDrives not sure if it would work.

Needed a Cheap Power Suppy; Fits the biull

hec HP585DB 585 W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included
hec HP585DB 585 W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included

Pros: - works well - No power issues - Good for my older Pentium 4 System - Cheap - Cheap

Cons: - Needs more Sata

Overall Review: My 4 year old Antec Smartpower blew one day and I wanted to get a cheap power supply to make sure that that is what the problem was and that nothing had fried on the board. Originally, I thought I might replace this one with a beefier name brand power supply. However, I have never felt the need to on this older system. Works. No power issues.

10/14/2009

Good Lappy Harddrive

Seagate BarraCuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Seagate BarraCuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: Works like it should. I do not notice the noise, so I guess it is quiet. Installation was a breeze.

Cons: It is $2 cheaper now.

Overall Review: Never had much problem with Seagate drives

10/14/2009

What do you want; It's XP

Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders

Pros: It's XP, it works with my older hardware. I never bothered to upgrade to Vista and I may wait awhile on Windows 7. Purchased for an update of my wife's PC; she is not comfortable with Linux. If you need XP, here you go.

Cons: Wish it was cheaper. Should have came with a free Bill Gates Bobble Head. My wife beats me.

Overall Review: If you do not know what it is or what it does, then don't buy it.

10/14/2009

Works good for low profile

MASSCOOL 9T370B1M3 70mm Ball CPU Cooler
MASSCOOL 9T370B1M3 70mm Ball CPU Cooler

Pros: Purchased as I needed a low profile cooler in a micro atx build. I tried the find the largest cooler that would fit in my Antec nsk-1380 case. This fit the bill. Cooling is good and I have never had any heat issues.

Cons: Might yield better results lapped. Was not completely flat. Larger fan would have been nice. Kind of noisey.

Overall Review: If you need a cooler for an older socket 478 and do not have the space for a large cooler, this one works.

10/14/2009