CHRISTOPHER P.
Joined on 08/21/09
- 9
Great price, great performance!

Pros: Awesome performance for the price!!! Needs/costs relatively less electricity to run! Stays very cool, I haven't seen it reach 60c (my room temperature is ~25c, my case is the Lian-Li PC-P50). Very quiet, I never hear the fans run. It will play all the highest-demanding games such as BF3 on ultra at 40fps, 60+fps if you turn down Anti-Aliasing (tested on a single 1080p monitor and a Phenom II 965). Short PCB so it will fit in small form factor cases. And it looks cool!
Cons: Only 1GB memory on this particular model (however the price is much cheaper compared to a 2GB model), but this is not a problem for games if you are playing on one monitor <= 1200p. It may become an issue if you plan on using eyefinity with high texture resolutions or using texture mods (on a single screen), for example GTA or Skyrim high res mods.
Overall Review: I upgraded from a stock 1GB 5870, and this card runs games significantly faster while using less power and running cooler! According to AnandTech benchmarks, the 7850 uses 57 less watts on idle and around 100 less watts during load. If I ran my computer 6 hours a day and played 2 hours of games a day, and assuming one KWH costs 13 cents, I would save around 25$ a year just from upgrading. At the time of this review, I have owned the card for 2 months.
You get what you pay for

Pros: Sound sensitivity control Brightness Price
Cons: Tubes aren't sealed very well, the caps came off some Lights start dimming dramatically after about 6 months HUGE wire mess The wires can be too short many times, depending what your doing
Overall Review: Whether the sound reactivity is good or bad depends on the person. Personally, I thought it worked well. Don't bother using the adhesive velcro. These are a great toy, but the sound reactivity really has no practical use.
Handle Broke!

Pros: Lightweight Best looking microATX case imo Black cables
Cons: The handle is dangerous! After about a year, it snapped, luckily while being picked up and not while being carried. Surprisingly, it didn't break where the screws are (the handle is attached to the case by 4 tiny screws). The plastic itself broke between the area where you grip it and the area which contacts the case. The side panels get stuck and are very difficult to remove. Installing a 3.5" card reader was extremely difficult, it didn't seem to fit correctly. Probably won't fit a 120mm cpu cooler.
Overall Review: The quality of this case is terrible. Things don't seem to fit in place, and the handle isn't strong enough to hold a computer!
A fun toy

Pros: Flexible lighting not in a tube Black, stylish PCI plate, buttons, circuitboard Nice black wrapped cables as expected from NZXT
Cons: Brightness level III did not work on arrival. However, I fixed it by loosening the screws which attach the circuit board to the PCI plate. The circuit board gets in the way of my motherboard so it may not fit in some situations.
Overall Review: LEDs focus light in one direction like a flashlight. When installing, point the LED to the area you want lighted. The bad thing about this is the lighting may not be smooth, it looks like a bunch of tiny flashlights pointing random directions. If they aren't positioned perfectly, viewing your case at certain angles will shine a light right in your eye.
Misleading Pictures

Pros: Works right out of the box. Low price. Cool heat shield.
Cons: The circuit board is NOT black. It is green. Not a big deal but it was a bit disappointing.
Great Pick!

Pros: Lots of useful tools Price Impressive Packaging
Cons: Does not include a long extension for the screwdriver like the 45 pc set does. This means you will need an extra screw driver so you can reach pci slot screws on certain computer cases.
Overall Review: When I first used the soldering tool, it smoked quite a lot. However, it just needed worked with, and stopped smoking after a few uses. Makes yourself look professional with a nice toolkit.
