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John D.

John D.

Joined on 01/14/14

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review
HyperX Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX16C10B1BK2/16X
HyperX Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX16C10B1BK2/16X

Pros: Low profile, so it's probably going to fit with whatever enormous cooler mount you've got to fit next to it. And it's black :)

Cons: My mobo didn't recognize it as 1600 speed, but I was able to specify the clock myself without issue.

Overall Review: I like black.

Most Critical Review

No diagnosing issues with this board

GIGABYTE GA-F2A75M-HD2 (rev. 3.0) FM2+ AMD A75 (Hudson D3) USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-F2A75M-HD2 (rev. 3.0) FM2+ AMD A75 (Hudson D3) USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Looks beautiful, has enough expansion and storage options to meet most needs.

Cons: This board has no error diagnosing tools onboard. On 99 and five-more-nines percent of boards, this feature is fulfilled with a simple PC speaker connection. This motherboard has no PC speaker connection and no built in speaker. If you are unable to POST or see a BIOS screen, well, you're So Out of Luck. It could be your cpu, it could be your ram, it could be this motherboard itself. But you'll never know with this board because GA made it impossible to tell without a PC speaker and beep codes. Of course you code buy a POST card, but that is pretty silly unless you are doing computer building or repairing professionally.

Overall Review: I was not able to pass the POST phase with my setup and I have no way of identifying the fault because of the lack of a PC speaker with this motherboard. For most people, lack of a PC speaker will never be an issue. But in the odd case that you need it, you really do need it. If I could give it 0 eggs for this reason, I would.

Not silent, but quiet

SeaSonic Platinum Series SS-400FL2 Active PFC F3 400W ATX12V Fanless 80 PLUS Platinum Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
SeaSonic Platinum Series SS-400FL2 Active PFC F3 400W ATX12V Fanless 80 PLUS Platinum Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready

Pros: Modular, efficient, cheap, so good for economy builds / media PCs

Cons: Even without fans, it still produces an audible hum. It's quiet, but it's not silent.

ASUS A78M-A FM2+ AMD A78 (Bolton D3) USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
ASUS A78M-A FM2+ AMD A78 (Bolton D3) USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Compatible with latest Kaveri APUs out of the box, unlike other vendors, who claim support but actually require an older CPU in order to update the BIOS (I'm looking at you, Gigabyte). Has 4 RAM slots, so that's a plus for an mATX as far as I'm concerned. The LED on the board is green. I like green.

Cons: Linux user experience is truly awful, but at least it exists and it's not Asus' fault. The OpenGL drivers that are available through Ubuntu 13.10 are broken for APUs. In order to get hardware accelerated video you need to download directly from AMD proprietary beta drivers. You can't generate .debs with them (feature is broken, installer doesn't recognize Ubuntu, need I remind you its 2014) and they do not provide a dkms module. That's right, every time you upgrade your kernel, you need to run the installer again. Come on AMD, get your shtuff together. Also there is a row of capacitors near the southbridge that are somewhat high profile (maybe 6-7mm?) so you may have spacing issues if your cooler comes with its own giant mounting contraption.

Overall Review: That green LED light is just so bedazzling.