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Dayle G.

Dayle G.

Joined on 01/09/09

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 6
Most Favorable Review

Nice and Cool

Cooler Master Seidon 120M - All-In-One CPU Liquid Water Cooling System with 120mm Radiator and Fan
Cooler Master Seidon 120M - All-In-One CPU Liquid Water Cooling System with 120mm Radiator and Fan

Pros: Looks good, but about the same as the others (the little blue light on it goes with my theme). Cools my Phenom II X4 955 that I overclocked from 3.2 to 3.6. Running Prime95 for a couple hours and it never got over 49 C, and it usually sits around 33 C when doing simple activities. Installation was straightforward. Extra screws for a second (push/pull) fan were included.

Cons: Installation may have been simple in principle, but the springs for the screws are extremely tough. I thought I was going to break my motherboard when I had to throw my body weight onto the screw driver just so the screw would reach the threads. It is also a little big for my Cooler Master Elite 430 case; I have have two fan slots on top, but I can not use the rear one because the radiator is so large. It would probably work best in a full case instead of a mid. I measured it and if a 20mm or thinner 120mm fan were used, then it should fit perfectly, but they are usually more expensive, lower performing, and rather scarce. I will admit that the noise above 50% fan speed is quite loud. I lowered mine to 40% and as long as there is any sound playing (music, game, video) I can't even hear it. The only time the fan kicked up above 50% was after overclocking while running the stress test, otherwise it is hardly noticeable.

Overall Review: As other reviewers have pointed out in many reviews of these water-cooled units, there is a lack of airflow across the motherboard and specifically the northbridge. I picked up a 40mm fan and attached it to the northbridge heatsink, which solved my problem for only $5.

12/17/2012
Most Critical Review

Not so fast

Corsair 64GB Voyager Slider USB 3.0 Flash Drive (CMFSL3B-64GB)
Corsair 64GB Voyager Slider USB 3.0 Flash Drive (CMFSL3B-64GB)

Pros: I love the storage capacity, which is why I opted for the 64GB. No cap to lose anymore.

Cons: Quite a bit slower than I was expecting. My 6 year old 8GB 2.0 PNY goes at least 50% as fast. If I am lucky I can transfer files at up to 20MB/s, usually sits around 16-17MB/s.

Overall Review: It is true that the slider doesn't protect the inside of the 3.0 connector, but then again, I don't carry this around in my pocket or on a key chain. Usually sits in it's own pocket in my bag when it isn't plugged into a computer.

Work Fine

Rosewill RCAB-11038 - 18" Flat, Blue SATA III UV Cable with Locking Latch - Supports 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps Transfer Rates
Rosewill RCAB-11038 - 18" Flat, Blue SATA III UV Cable with Locking Latch - Supports 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps Transfer Rates

Pros: Sata III. Works great. Much more flexible than the stock ones that came with my mobo. Matches my color scheme (blue led fans, blue mobo, blue ram).

Cons: Longer than I needed, but that was easily fixed with a clear zip-tie.

Overall Review: Plan on buying two more to replace the stock cables that barely twist far enough to plug into my SSD and HDD.

Very Fast

HyperX 3K 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive) SH103S3/120G
HyperX 3K 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive) SH103S3/120G

Pros: This SSD works great. I haven't run any speed tests, but as fast as Windows 8 and my games load, it doesn't really matter to me. It stays cool and hasn't given me any issues thus far.

Cons: None

12/17/2012

They are what they are

Rosewill RISP-11003 1 Watt 2.0 Digital USB Speakers - Retail
Rosewill RISP-11003 1 Watt 2.0 Digital USB Speakers - Retail

Pros: Good sound for basic computer usage. Simple controls. Look decent.

Cons: When turned up beyond 80% they can crackle a little. Don't get very loud, but that's what you should expect for $8. It may be a windows 8 issue, but I know that half the time I power up from sleep mode the speakers don't work.

Overall Review: I found that to get them to work again, instead of reconnecting, all I had to do was adjust the volume on the desktop; pressing the buttons on the speakers won't wake them up.

12/17/2012

Impressed

BYTECC Bracket-252B 2.5" Dual HDD/SSD Screwless Bracket For 3.5" Drive Bay - Blue
BYTECC Bracket-252B 2.5" Dual HDD/SSD Screwless Bracket For 3.5" Drive Bay - Blue

Pros: This installed fairly easily. I was also surprised about how sturdy it felt, the picture makes it appear quite fragile. Fits both my SSD and an old laptop drive I have for extra storage quite nicely. The blue also matches the color scheme in my case quite nicely.

Cons: The handle was a little annoying when using this for 2 drives and having to route all 4 cables around it. I have considered cutting off the handle, but I don't currently have access to a dremel. The holes matched up closely, but not perfectly with my Cooler Master 430 case. I didn't even use the plastic "screws" as the quick-release clips that came with the case just needed a little 'persuasion'.

Overall Review: It took a moment to figure out which holes to use and another minute to 'persuade' the clip to go on, but all in all it is a solid product that does exactly what it should.

11/26/2012