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Rhett L.

Rhett L.

Joined on 03/08/07

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 2400PRO 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Graphics Card 100272L
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 2400PRO 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Graphics Card 100272L

Pros: Fanless, but still runs cool. 512MB for the price of many others' 256MB cards.

Cons: S-video output is slightly overscanned and tilted clockwise. If not for that, I'd have given it 5 eggs.

Overall Review: Needed a fanless card for my HTPC, and this one works just fine.

Most Critical Review
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX

Pros: Didn't catch on fire. Yet.

Cons: One stick was DOA, which (according to newegg) made me ineligible for the rebate. The memory was just barely worth it with the rebate; without it there was no point at all. True to form, the rebate was denied. I'll never buy anything branded Corsair again.

Overall Review: Massive heatsinks allow a DOA stick to make a much better paperweight.

GREAT cooler for $19.99

ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro - Compact Multi-Compatible Tower CPU Cooler | 92 mm PWM Fan | for AMD AM4 and Intel 115x CPU | Recommended up to 115 W TDP
ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro - Compact Multi-Compatible Tower CPU Cooler | 92 mm PWM Fan | for AMD AM4 and Intel 115x CPU | Recommended up to 115 W TDP

Pros: I'm using this on an i5-2500K OC'd to 4.2GHz. With OCCT running the small data set for more heat, it was reaching 80*C at 100% with the stock cooler. With the Freezer 7 it's at 60*C. None of my apps actually peg the CPU at 100%, so in everyday use it's even lower. We'll see how it does at 4.5GHz. Quieter than stock cooler, both idling and at full speed. Pre-applied thermal compound.

Cons: The Intel mounting bracket is simple but fiddly. You need three hands to simultaneously guide the cooler and the two screws into the correct positions, or a pair of forceps to move the screw that you couldn't hold into the bracket threads. Three of the six pipes are shiny copper while the other three look corroded. I thought this was a defect, but even the newegg photos show it. It still looks cheesy.

GREAT for budget builds

Intel Pentium E5200 - Pentium Dual-Core Wolfdale Dual-Core 2.5 GHz LGA 775 65W Desktop Processor - BX80571E5200
Intel Pentium E5200 - Pentium Dual-Core Wolfdale Dual-Core 2.5 GHz LGA 775 65W Desktop Processor - BX80571E5200

Pros: Amazing bang for the buck. I've bought 2 in the last 4 months and they rock.

Cons: They're not still $65?

Overall Review: I was all set to get an aftermarket cooler when I saw a review that said the stock HSF was very quiet and did a decent job of cooling. It's great in my HTPC, undervolted to about 7V.

Made a great HTPC upgrade

ASRock 945GCM-S LGA 775 Intel 945GC Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
ASRock 945GCM-S LGA 775 Intel 945GC Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Cheap. Sturdy. Works like a charm.

Cons: Given the price point - none, really.

Overall Review: I'm using this board with an E5200 as an upgrade to my HTPC, which is housed in an Ultra MicroFly case. Mild OC to 2.8GHz because I'm trying to keep temps down with low-speed fans. Solid performance, even with old DDR2-533 RAM.

Another happy MacBook

Transcend 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model TS256MSQ64V6U
Transcend 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model TS256MSQ64V6U

Pros: It works, and it's cheap. The rebate makes it "insanely great."

Cons: Price went down $1 after I ordered. I may have to call a lawyer, or Dr. Phil, or Oprah.

Overall Review: Jump on this before the rebate is gone!!!