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Ilan K.

Ilan K.

Joined on 05/04/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 11
Most Favorable Review

Does the job nicely

IOGEAR GUC2020DW6 USB 2.0 External DVI Video Card
IOGEAR GUC2020DW6 USB 2.0 External DVI Video Card

Pros: Easiest way to add another display. Crisp, clear picture, not full HD but gets the job done for most monitors. Drop in the CD, one reboot, and that's it. Works fine in Vista.

Cons: Seems finicky when it comes to video playback, but you shouldn't expect to watch movies with this anyways. However, since it seems conceivable this might be used by laptop users giving presentations, it may become an issue.

Overall Review: One of the few external video cards with DVI as opposed to VGA. Worth the premium? Not sure. All in all a handy little device. Would be killer to actually have 6 of them hooked up, just to see it :)

Not as pictured but still good!

Axiom 286716-B22-AX 146GB 10000 RPM Ultra320 SCSI 3.5" Hot-Swap Internal Hard Drive Retail
Axiom 286716-B22-AX 146GB 10000 RPM Ultra320 SCSI 3.5" Hot-Swap Internal Hard Drive Retail

Pros: Worked as described, 3-year warranty is nice; hopefully will be retiring server long before then but good to know it's there if I need it.

Cons: Drive is pictured in a Dell hot-swap caddy; actually arrived in an HP caddy. Make sure if you're adding this to an existing setup that you order the correct caddy from a supplier or you have one laying around that will fit.

Overall Review: It's important to note these are NOT NEW DRIVES - they are basically reconditioned drives by Axiom. Mine arrived with the original Seagate sticker still on and the Axiom sticker was affixed over top. I know this is old tech so it's common sense these drives would not be brand new, but nowhere in the description does it state these are rebuilt/reconditioned.

Just what the Dr. Ordered

SilverStone SDP09 6Gbps 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD adapter for 3.5" hot-swappable drive bays, Nickel
SilverStone SDP09 6Gbps 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD adapter for 3.5" hot-swappable drive bays, Nickel

Pros: Allows mounting of a 2.5" drive in a hot-swap or rackmount server drive caddy/tray. Rugged construction, nothing complicated about it. Pre-mounted board is simply a 1-to-1 re-mapping of the pins to another SATA connector. Drive install is a snap; plenty of screwdriver room, includes screws (not pictured).

Cons: Only possible con are the included screws which are the standard hex-head PC screws; most hot-swap caddies require screws with heads that are flush with the tray, so make sure you have some laying around or that the caddies you purchase include screws.

Overall Review: Fits flawlessly in Dell 11th-gen server trays, both hot-swap and cabled-in.

Able Performer

SUPERMICRO SYS-5015A-PHF 1U Intel Atom D510 Dual Gigabit LAN w/ IPMI Server Barebone
SUPERMICRO SYS-5015A-PHF 1U Intel Atom D510 Dual Gigabit LAN w/ IPMI Server Barebone

Pros: Light and compact (around 10-12 lbs with 3.5" HDD); no worries at all about installing this on 2-post rails. Atom D510 is scary quick despite its reputation; Hyperthreading is a bonus! Indicator lights on the front are bright and easy to see. The board is laid out beautifully and installed to spec (sticker proudly announces that it is assembled in the USA). Connectors on the back are all solid; nothing feels cheap. Unit is quiet and runs cool. Available PS/2 connectors on back for you old-schoolers. Simple, easy-to-open chassis lid (5 screws) lifts off easily to give full access to the unit. No sharp edges or nasty surprises inside. Grated front and rear should allow for decent ventilation. Unit ships in manufacturer's carton, and is packed well (nearly surrounded by foam). Includes HDD mounting screws, Rack Screws and additional Motherboard mounting screws/standoffs (all in individually labeled bags; impressive). Manual is cleanly written and easy to understand.

Cons: Only two external USB ports (a third is actually located on the top of the motherboard, useful when doing an OS install but not much use once the lid is back on). The integrated Matrox g200e video is a capable standard but is really showing its age. No driver disk included, although Win 2k8 seems to have included drivers for all of the hardware. Supermicro's site is not a joy to navigate.

Overall Review: The MB takes up less than half of this case; this would be a fun project box for hackers (6 SATA ports on the MB). Motherboard and HDD are insulated by a plastic sheet with holes cut for screw mounting, so not much shock/vibration absorption here. HDD is mounted from the bottom, so if you're looking to use two 2.5" HDD, be sure to buy an adapter bracket that matches up with the bottom holes of a standard 3.5" (I recommend N82E16817997007). Power connector for second SATA disk is included but zip-tied to the leftover PS cables. The only active cooling in the unit are the fans in the power supply; no fans on the MB and no case fans. Heat however should not be an issue with this unit even in minimal ventilation. Installed Server 2008 R2 x64 for giggles and was impressed at how quickly it installed as well as ran; the D510 is really an impressive chip. MB includes an x16 slot but the position of the mounted HDD would make squeezing any card in practically impossible.

Gets the job done

SYBA SD-ADA50024 2.5" SATA/USB To Compact Flash Adapter
SYBA SD-ADA50024 2.5" SATA/USB To Compact Flash Adapter

Pros: Simple, lightweight form factor. USB connection (mini, not micro for those curious) is a definite bonus. LED indicators are a plus. CF card fits nicely and securely; does not require excessive force to insert or remove. Mounting holes have matched up with any mounting brackets I've tried.

Cons: None that I have encountered so far.

Overall Review: Have purchased a few of these for simple firewall installs, all of them seem great. I have yet to run into the flimsy SATA connector trouble others seem to have; all the ones I have received have been very solid. Maybe they've changed the design.

Great Solution

JATON VIDEO-PX309-QUAD Radeon HD 3450 4 DVI outputs 512MB DDR2 Per GPU 1GB Total Onboard PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card
JATON VIDEO-PX309-QUAD Radeon HD 3450 4 DVI outputs 512MB DDR2 Per GPU 1GB Total Onboard PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card

Pros: 4 DVI in a single slot (here's looking at you, Dell users), runs cool and quiet. No external power connector needed; seems to run fine for general use on most weak commercial power supplies. Good performance for most general business use. Jaton's website was easy to navigate to find the correct drivers; their version for Win7 x64 worked perfectly, although it seemed to function just fine with the Microsoft-provided driver set. Card seems to be constructed solidly and the included breakouts are rock-solid and don't feel cheap at all. Works fine with breakout+DVI-to-VGA adapters if all you have are analog panels. Excellent price point compared to other quad-head single cards that are usually designed for CAD use and cost hundreds more.

Cons: Slightly weak GPU, but most users will be buying this for the convenience factor of multiple monitors, not for its 3D performance. The price is definitely higher than two individual dual-head cards but if you're saddled with a system with only one PCIe x16 (again, most Dell users) this is the way to go.

Overall Review: **Dell Users** I too had trouble getting this card to function on certain units until I checked Dell's website for a BIOS update; the issues with Foxconn-based Dell motherboards (in the Vostros and such) cleared up after I installed the newest BIOS.