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Jerome M.

Jerome M.

Joined on 12/31/13

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 8
Most Favorable Review

All you need for budget gaming

Intel Core i3-4330 - Core i3 4th Gen Haswell Dual-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 54W Intel HD Graphics 4600 Desktop Processor - BX80646I34330
Intel Core i3-4330 - Core i3 4th Gen Haswell Dual-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 54W Intel HD Graphics 4600 Desktop Processor - BX80646I34330

Pros: Very quick, single thread performance is up there with the i5's and i7's. Runs cool.

Cons: Can't overclock. Intel's really annoying with this whole K and non-K thing, and the i3's would be dynamite if they were just unlocked.

Overall Review: This processor is really all you need for gaming. Single thread performance is basically equivalent to Intel's higher end, and games just aren't that multithreaded yet. I'd take this over an equivalently-priced AMD any day, especially if you don't plan on overclocking.

BUY THIS CASE

NZXT Tempest 210 CA-TP210-01 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
NZXT Tempest 210 CA-TP210-01 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Attractive, easy access and cable management, GREAT airflow, nearly silent.

Cons: Cables for the fans are a little short, required some rerouting to get to the mobo hookups

Overall Review: I was blown away buy this case. It's inexpensive, yet well-constructed and sexy. The airflow is amazing; I'm terrible at cable management, but I can still feel a breeze when I hold my hand up to any of the many air vents. The fans are whisper quiet; I added another fan to the front, but actually quit using it immediately because it was so loud compared to these fans, and was totally unnecessary given the airflow.

Z87 for cheap

ASRock ASRock Fatal1ty Gaming Fatal1ty Z87 Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX Intel Gaming Motherboard
ASRock ASRock Fatal1ty Gaming Fatal1ty Z87 Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX Intel Gaming Motherboard

Pros: Great BIOS interface, options for literally EVERYTHING (that's the point of Z87), runs reliably, attractive motherboard.

Cons: Documentation is ugly, definitely required some squinting to figure out where all the major ports were. Some of the fan hookups were inconveniently placed relative to my case/power supply.

Overall Review: Awesome buy for the money, Asrock put much fancier features in a cheaper (for the chipset) motherboard. If you want Z87, definitely go for this.

Great cool gaming card

HIS iPower IceQ X² Boost Radeon R9 270 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card H270QM2G2M
HIS iPower IceQ X² Boost Radeon R9 270 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Graphics Card H270QM2G2M

Pros: Games REALLY well. on 1080p, it can max out most graphical settings (alright, I had to reduce the AA a little). Runs very cool, hasn't broken 50 degrees yet. Would probably overclock like a champ if I tried it.

Cons: You probably can't find it easily anymore due to people buying it up for whatever-coin mining. It's better than the Nvidia GTX 660, but way harder to find.

Overall Review: Definitely get this if you can find it.

Working well, cables seem solid

CORSAIR CX Series CX600 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE Active PFC ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply
CORSAIR CX Series CX600 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE Active PFC ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply

Pros: Durable seeming cables, came with screws, holds power well. Corsair is a great brand for PSU's

Cons: Not modular (but then again, I didn't pay for modular).

Overall Review: I got a great deal on this (a $20 rebate), which made it that much sweeter.

Great RAM for cheap

Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (Yellow Heat Spreader) Model TLYD38G1600HC9DC01
Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (Yellow Heat Spreader) Model TLYD38G1600HC9DC01

Pros: Cheaper than the competition, works just as well. Kinda cool looking.

Cons: None so far.