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Michael C.

Michael C.

Joined on 05/25/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 7
Most Favorable Review

Excellent product for a range of uses

TP-Link TL-WA500G eXtended Range IEEE 802.11b/g 54Mbps Wireless G Access Point
TP-Link TL-WA500G eXtended Range IEEE 802.11b/g 54Mbps Wireless G Access Point

Pros: Fast setup. Device reboots quickly between major settings changes. Supports all modes I needed (bridging and client modes), also supports bridging with simultaneous AP mode. Included Power over Ethernet adapter work great and lets me run just one cable for network connectivity and power to wherever I place the AP. SMA connector for easy antenna upgrades if I ever need it.

Cons: Doesn't allow wireless MAC modification. No screws included for bolting down the PoE adapter even though it has screw holes for this purpose. But really, who doesn't have a couple screws laying around?

Overall Review: Contrary to other reviews, WEP and WPA work just fine. The settings page is a bit confusing. With WEP, you have to enable one of the key spaces by choosing the bit width of the key you're entering, then enter the key. Otherwise you won't be able to click the text field or type anything in it to enter the key. This is the non-problem problem that other reviewers were having. Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine. I got what I paid for and would definitely recommend this product. If it had MAC switching, it'd get 5/5.

They thought of everything

IN WIN BM639 Black / Silver Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 120W Power Supply
IN WIN BM639 Black / Silver Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 120W Power Supply

Pros: Extremely well thought-out case! It's hard to emphasize this enough. Very quiet PSU considering the size and output. Everything is made in such a way that it's possible to disassemble and reassemble without permanent alteration. For example, the top and bottom of the case are removable as well as the sides. Even the front panel can be removed, all its parts detached, and reassembled again. This would be very important if you wanted to repaint or otherwise mod the case. Cooling is also well-designed. Sturdy gratings on the top and back provide excellent flow. Even the built-in 80mm fan is nice and quiet.

Cons: Removing ODD tray requires removal of both side panels. Installing an Intel D945GCLF requires removal of power supply... though you wouldn't think it would at first. I think they should have put the power supply pigtail cable through the securement on the case at the factory. Why leave that hanging out to get caught in a fan? A tad expensive when you compare it to some other similar offerings.

Overall Review: ODD tray has a removable insert for installing a slim optical drive and 3.5" device. The insert is removable (by screws so you can put it back again!) so that you can install a single full-size 5.25" device. HDD caddy is built to install drive upside down. Caddy has tabs that slide into bottom edge of case on one side and into tabs on motherboard tray side. A single screw secures the HDD caddy, but with the side panel on, it is impossible to drop the caddy out of its internal tabs. Power supply secures with a single screw and is aligned with two metal tabs that slide into the motherboard tray.

P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor
P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor

Pros: Good built quality. Solid and seems durable. Measures power in all the ways I can think of. kWh measurement is awesome.

Cons: W/A measurement isn't instantaneous from power-on. It takes a few seconds. This is hardly an issue though.

Overall Review: I purchased this item to measure efficiency of computer systems. Now I'm measuring cents per mile costs of running an electric wheelchair. There are many uses for this device. I think it's something every household or business should have.

Performance is only the beginning

AMD Athlon X2 4050e Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor
AMD Athlon X2 4050e Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor

Pros: Great performance even compared to my old Athlon 64 4000+. The real advantage is the power savings. Consistent 40c operating temp in my installation.

Cons: Price is slightly higher than the 65w variants, but I think this will be made up for in energy savings over the life of the part.

Overall Review: I replaced my board, processor, and memory with lower power parts including this processor. I went from about 160w consumption for the whole system to 85w. Consider the total cost of ownership, as well as savings you might gain in not having to buy such a hefty power supply, and you can see this processor is a very good investment for a mid-range desktop or a home server.

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 1GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model 991603
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 1GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model 991603

Pros: Works. Good to know I have a lifetime warranty to back me up too.

Cons: Heatspreader is a bit tall. For most, this would be a non-issue. For me, it prevented installation in a system with a compact case. I ended up using it in another system.

Overall Review: 4-4-4-12 @ 1.9v for this price from a trusted name? That's excellent!

ECS Goal3+(1.1C) AMD Sempron 3000+ 754 SiS 761 GX Micro ATX Motherboard / CPU Combo
ECS Goal3+(1.1C) AMD Sempron 3000+ 754 SiS 761 GX Micro ATX Motherboard / CPU Combo

Pros: Good 'bang for the buck'. It works as advertised. Installation was smooth and without complications. Two ATA connectors! How often do we see this anymore? Great built quality for the price.

Cons: Labeling for front panel connections is smaller than other boards I've recently built with. Color-coding or large screen print would be helpful. Doesn't come with an HSF. But I knew that from the pictures anyway. Just an FYI.

Overall Review: Budget boards have long been known for cheap components and cutting corners. But I really couldn't find anything to complain about with this one. Everything is adequate. Not stellar or outstanding, but that isn't what I paid for. If I could do it all over again, I would have gotten the ECS combo with an onboard 6100 instead.