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Erik O.

Erik O.

Joined on 03/27/08

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Perfect Firewall

GIGABYTE GA-C847N-D Intel Celeron 847 1.1GHz Intel NM70 Mini ITX Motherboard / CPU / VGA Combo
GIGABYTE GA-C847N-D Intel Celeron 847 1.1GHz Intel NM70 Mini ITX Motherboard / CPU / VGA Combo

Pros: Dual NICs Extremely quiet Easy to use BIOS

Cons: Not passive cooling (not really much of an issue)

Overall Review: I wanted a dual gigabit NIC board for a pfSense build and here it is! pfSense 2.1 RC0 nano-vga works like a charm running off of a USB flash. (You need 2.1 build of pfSense 2.0.3 doesn't see NICs) I wanted passive cooling for less power and noise, however this thing proved me wrong. Unless your ear is right next to the fan you can't hear it, and it's still super low power. Great board, I would definitely buy another for another firewall build.

Great little case

Antec ISK 110 VESA Black ABS plastic / 0.8 mm SECC Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case 90W External Adapter, Up to 92% Efficiency Power Supply
Antec ISK 110 VESA Black ABS plastic / 0.8 mm SECC Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case 90W External Adapter, Up to 92% Efficiency Power Supply

Pros: Very small and light Very will built, didn't feel cheap Included compact power supply Sharp looking case, happy with the design

Cons: Extremely tight, but as expected

Overall Review: Only reason I gave 4 eggs instead of 5 is because the front panel USB and audio jacks are really in the way of the motherboard. I played around with it for quite a while before i decided to just take them both out and throw them away. It didn't bother me too much because it was being used as a firewall case and those ports would never be used. It would of been frustrating if I was using it for a desktop build. I'm sure it's possible to get them in there with some more time and patience, however I feel they definitely could of made the connectors thinner, they seem very bulky. I would absolutely buy this case again.

Perfect

StarTech.com USBMBADAPT 6in USB 2.0 Cable - USB A Female to USB Motherboard 4 Pin Header F/F
StarTech.com USBMBADAPT 6in USB 2.0 Cable - USB A Female to USB Motherboard 4 Pin Header F/F

Pros: Perfect for permanent USB flash drive installs so they aren't hanging out of the system waiting to be broken or lost.

Cons: It can be hooked up backwards if not careful, this could cause damage to motherboard and/or usb device. They could of used a full 10 pin USB header connector to remove this risk, but that would waste the other USB port.

Overall Review: I used this to load PFsense on a flash drive with out the flash drive hanging out the back of the system. I had to be creative mounting it internally, but I'm happy that the flash drive is packed inside the system. You can use two of these per USB header on the motherboard if you needed. Make sure to check the USB header pinout before turning the computer on!

Awesome power supply

ZALMAN ZM600-HP 600W Continuous @ 45°C ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Modular Active PFC Modular LED Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Power Supply
ZALMAN ZM600-HP 600W Continuous @ 45°C ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Modular Active PFC Modular LED Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Power Supply

Pros: Super quiet and cool. Had one of these power my gaming computer for about 4 years nonstop before it died. Only time my comp was ever turned off for more then 30 seconds was to move it.

Cons: Expensive, but you get what you pay for I suppose.

Overall Review: Ordering a 2nd one to replace the first one. Hoping for another 4 years.