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James W.

James W.

Joined on 05/23/12

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 3
Most Favorable Review

Good case for the price, but misleading advertising

AZZA Solano 1000R Black / Red Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX Computer Case
AZZA Solano 1000R Black / Red Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX Computer Case

Pros: It has nice space, is not too expensive, and has 3 USB2.0 slots, an Esata slot and HD Audio and microphone ports on the front. Top fan has speed control. In my opinion it is a nice case, if you cannot afford better, dont want to pay moreor are willing to sacrifice ever so slightly for the appearance this has

Cons: First of all, the main reasons for not having the 5th egg is as follows, in order of importance: 1. The Newegg page is misleading. In the highlights it says the case has 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, ESATA and HD audio & microphone ports on the front pannel, but in the description further down, it actually says that the case has 3 USB 2.0 on the front. The further down description is accurate: There is no USB 3.0 solution on this case at all. 2. The fans are all 4 pin Molex, not 3 pin, so either get conversions or plan to connect them to the power supply directly. Also, if you get the water cooling block for the CPU, like the one linked in my other thoughts, be warned: Mounting it on the top exhaust port will actually conflict with the side panel intake fan. You cannot have both, and will have to remove the side panel intake fan. However, you can mount the block on the bottom of the case behind the PSU, but the water pipes will have to be routed around bigger graphics cards, which can be tricky. It's still doable though. 3. you have to completely remove the hard drive bay in order to get to the 140mm fans, AND in order to insert hard drives. This is not really a bad thing though. It is hard to take out the drive bays with a standard ATX motherboard in the computer with RAM and a graphics card in. 4. It is thumb screws, nothing snaps in, no locking mechanisms for the drives.

Overall Review: To point number 3, a little tip: dont put the motherboard into the case (not standard ATX anyways) before putting in the hard drives and the 140mm fans (if you replace them). It is hard to take the bays out if oyu dont do it without the motherboard in Link to a CPU water block that fits on the top exhaust fan slot but cannot be put on with the side panel intake on the case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106189 The PRO blocks the side intake, but the performer shouldnt. Still, a nice case.

Most Critical Review
Intel Centrino 6235 IEEE 802.11 Dual Band N600 Mini PCI Express Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 4.0 Combo Adapter, 2.4GHz 300Mbps/5GHz 300Mbps-OEM
Intel Centrino 6235 IEEE 802.11 Dual Band N600 Mini PCI Express Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 4.0 Combo Adapter, 2.4GHz 300Mbps/5GHz 300Mbps-OEM

Pros: read the description

Cons: I have the Asus Sabertooth Z77 motherboard. Bought this thinking it would be a cheap, good solution for bluetooth perifrials and wifi. Turns out, it does not actually fit in the PCI-E slots, only in the PCIE 2.0 and 3.0! its about 3mm too long for the PCI-E 1 slots.

Need a headset? Get this one.

Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 USB Connector Circumaural Stereo Headset
Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 USB Connector Circumaural Stereo Headset

Pros: Good sound, good mic sound recongnition, USB port. Can also seperate video calls and teamspeak to have it play from your headset while the computer sound comes from your speakers. Also, I have no echoing or computer sound bleeding into my conversations. Headset sound can be turned up and down on the headset cord independent of the computer, and the mic can be muted in the same way. Also, this is inexpensive compared to many pieces I have seen, and is worth more than its price. Overall, this is the best mic and headset with the lowest hassle I have ever worked with.

Cons: None. Works like a charm. No issues at all.

Overall Review: No sound canceling, but that isn't a big deal, it is less than $30