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Micah M.

Micah M.

Joined on 08/04/08

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Makes eggcelent Windows (IIS) Server

Foxconn nt-A3700-0H0WBANA AMD A45 (Hudson D1) Black Mini / Booksize Barebone System
Foxconn nt-A3700-0H0WBANA AMD A45 (Hudson D1) Black Mini / Booksize Barebone System

Pros: Tiny Low Power Decent hardware Solid so far Quiet Mounts to tv or wall

Cons: Only 1 memory slot (but supports 8gb stick) No expansion ports Haven't used wireless, but it looks cheap

Overall Review: I love this machine for what I'm using it for. I currently have Windows Server 2012 installed and am using it as a web server, a spiceworks server, a vpn server, an hmail server, and a few other various things. It is mounted under my desk with the included tv mount, wired to the router, and basically invisible, which is more than I could ask for. Furthermore, it uses hardly any power, so if power goes out in my house, the UPS should keep it running for about 90 minutes. This is a huge plus in my book since I don't like having my website go down for even a minute. I have been running this straight for over a month with no problems, no hangs, no restarts, no excessive heat, but I obviously am not taxing the system much. Windows Server software doesn't put much load unless you run massive databases and other fun stuff. I just run small databases and a few websites, and for this task it is more than adequate. I highly recommend that you use an SSD as it will benefit this system greatly. I didn't have much issue cracking the case open once I found a good place to start, and nothing seemed easily breakable during the process. This unit deserves high praise for being what I think might be the best low cost, low energy home web server solution out there. 5 eggs!!!

Most Critical Review

I tried so hard to like it

ASUS RT-N56U Wireless Router Dual Band N600 Multimedia Ultra Slim Gigabit 802.11a/b/g/n support USB Storage, Print and Media Server
ASUS RT-N56U Wireless Router Dual Band N600 Multimedia Ultra Slim Gigabit 802.11a/b/g/n support USB Storage, Print and Media Server

Pros: This router has the best feature set you can find on the market right now. And it's about $60 cheaper than the closest competing router.

Cons: Where to start. I'm on my third unit now after going through RMA two times. I've contacted support more than I'd ever like to, and I've read every forum out there. I tried every firmware version that Asus released and even one that was made by a third party. The result? I own a brick. The strangest thing about it is it has had the same symptoms every time. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I deigned to run a webserver over wired lan with the RT-N56u. I'm through trying to like this router, I'm going to see if I can get it to power up again and if I can I'll give it to a friend who doesn't need any of the features I tried to use.

Overall Review: I want so bad to like this and recommend it, but for some reason it just didn't work out for me. If you don't need to run a webserver, or connect a USB hard drive, or set QoS, or consistently connect to the internet, or try changing some settings, then maybe this is the router for you.

I love this mouse

GIGABYTE M7700 GM-M7700 Noble Black Tilt Wheel USB RF Wireless Laser Mouse
GIGABYTE M7700 GM-M7700 Noble Black Tilt Wheel USB RF Wireless Laser Mouse

Pros: Small, compact, feature-packed

Cons: Doesn't come with a carrying case

Overall Review: I've compared this mouse to the feel of a lot of other mice including a Logitech G9x and a couple of different Razer gaming mice. Not only does this one fit my hand better (large though they are), but it serves as my general use and gaming mouse. The battery life is very ample, although I can't quantify it exactly. I don't think I have to recharge them more than once every few months. I love this mouse so much, I might get the bluetooth version for my next laptop which will probably have bluetooth built in. I would easily recommend this mouse to anyone, whether friend or enemy.

$35 = good buy

ASUS Radeon HD 3650 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Graphics Card EAH3650 SILENT MAGIC/HTDP/512M
ASUS Radeon HD 3650 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Graphics Card EAH3650 SILENT MAGIC/HTDP/512M

Pros: I can't believe what this card is capable of for such a low price. I haven't exactly tried to run Far Cry 2 or anything, but for entry level gaming this card can perform. The box included a dvi-vga adapter, and an s-video to component adapter (why since s-video can barely handle 480p?). The card can be overclocked using either Asus software, or ATI Overdrive. So far I haven't seen it exceed 70 degrees Celsius, even with overclocking the core to 850mhz.

Cons: The heat sink does get hot, hopefully dissipating heat throughout the case as much as possible; but I'd recommend installing a fan near it if possible. Also, don't expect to be able to run highly detailed, newer games at a high resolution. You'd need two of these combined to accomplish that, and it doesn't support Crossfire so one card is all you'll ever get.

Overall Review: In summary, I'm pleased with this card because I didn't expect it to run circles around the latest games, but I needed something close to the cutting edge on a budget.