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Robin A.

Robin A.

Joined on 06/25/08

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Good Sound Device For What It Is

SABRENT USB-SND8 8-Channel 3D USB 2.0 External 7.1 Surround Sound Box w/Digital Output
SABRENT USB-SND8 8-Channel 3D USB 2.0 External 7.1 Surround Sound Box w/Digital Output

Pros: Price, Works as advertized

Cons: Comparability issue(see other thoughts), no instruction to be found anywhere. output jacks are delicate

Overall Review: For the price this device is a bargain I must say and the one I received looks different then the one pictured here and at Sabrents website. If's all black and the L & R sides of the case are radius round like a half circle top to bottom so much more sleek looking. I assume it's a newer version. I had a compatability issue where there was a high pitch 1K twst tone type sound way in the background. Couldn't hear it when playing music or gaming but when not it could be faintly heard just loud enough to drive me nuts. I contacted Sabrent CS after hours and was gotten back to the next morning. The tech and I through the website exchanged ideas to what migh be wrong including right off the bat the unit may be defective. It went on all day so I must say he surely did try to solve the issue. What it ended up being is the powered studio monitors I have Mackie has three inputs XLR, RCA and 1/4" TRS. I was using the RCA input which is a unbalances input and the card and it didn't like each other. I had swapped all cables and no go until I tried the 1/4" input with another det of cables that will also accept a TS unbalanced line and the noise went away and all functions work. I'm only running 2.1 stereo but while checking out things to get rid of the noise I tried the rest of the output options and they worked but was still using RCA inputs so the noise was still present. Now for twenty bucks I would have given it five stars but taking one off not for the noise but the output jacks are a but on the weak side. When on if the cable to the speakers gets jiggled or the unit itself gets bumped or moved the crackling noise that happens out of the speakers is way too loud for comfort. But all that really means is it has to be set up someplace out of the way of any accidental movement. If in a do over situation yeah I'd buy it again for my purposes. If I was going to be using it with like a 7.1 sound speaker config and 56" Plasma TV home entertainment computer set up I probably would go for something a bit more sophisticated but then allot more costly too. But as mentioned it is a great price for all the features it has.

Most Critical Review

Was Good (Past Tense)

Skytech Blaze 3.0 Gaming PC Desktop - AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.60 GHz, RTX 3070 8 GB GDDR6, 1 TB NVMe, 16 GB DDR4 3200, B550 Motherboard, 750W Gold PSU, RGB Heatsink, AC Wi-Fi, Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Skytech Blaze 3.0 Gaming PC Desktop - AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.60 GHz, RTX 3070 8 GB GDDR6, 1 TB NVMe, 16 GB DDR4 3200, B550 Motherboard, 750W Gold PSU, RGB Heatsink, AC Wi-Fi, Windows 10 Home 64-bit

Pros: Well the RTX3070 is a Gigabyte and reason I bought it when the scam shortage was just about to go full tilt. It is a major improvement for a graphics card.

Cons: The ASROCK mobo died after only 6 months. The case is kind of nice. Kind of.

Overall Review: I could have just gotten a weak longevity oem mobo by ASRock. I don't overclock at all. Ever, being paranoid of what actually did happen un-overclocked. Hmmm... maybe that is the problem. It, the box, wanted to be overclocked to the absolute maximum and mad it got a wuss like me as a owner. Hahaha. I bought it for the RTX3070 in the first place anyway. But it was very nice until lights out.

Lowers Ambient Room Temp

Haier CPN12XC9 12,000 Cooling Capacity (BTU) Portable Air Conditioner
Haier CPN12XC9 12,000 Cooling Capacity (BTU) Portable Air Conditioner

Pros: Great price(got mine on a Shell Shocker deal on top of a regular sale so below two bills with tax), Portable, Decent volume of cold air output 31.8F measured at vent output w/ IR Thermometer(it does cycle the cooling on and off), Remote control included(not the batteries though), Not obnoxiously large, Back-lit operation display I really would give it 4.5 egg rating but can't

Cons: A bit on the noisy side but to be expected on this type of unit, Reading about the problems other people have had.

Overall Review: For me it's working out great and was purchased as a temporary quick fix while the 2.5 ton heat pump packaged unit that died gets replaced. It's being used in a 300sq ft rehearsal studio which would be unusably hot otherwise. It's capacity is just barely able to cut it but it is very undersized. Have had zero problems with leaks or shutting down, picked it up at will call so no shipping or packaging problems(shipping was free but DIY'd it instead). Worked perfect right out of the box and also the one I got looked brand new without a mark or sign of wear and tear on the unit or remote control. Running the exhaust duct was a little bit of a hassle but not a problem because the place has no windows and is dual wall construction for soundproofing. If I could get a identical one at the same price I paid I would. When the regular A/C unit is replaced this unit is going to somehow become the CPU cooler that beats them all hands down that's system heat check and mate I tellz ya'.

Spot On...

Thermaltake W0157RU 450 W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC VGA Power Supply
Thermaltake W0157RU 450 W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC VGA Power Supply

Pros: East installation, Quality craftsmanship (Hey, it's a ThermalTake right?), Powerful, Runs very cool, Single 5 1/2" drive bay used, Comes with all the connectors needed for a standard installation, Instructions supplied are very clear. Price is very fair for the benefits received.

Cons: Doesn't include a real Playboy Bunny Centerfold Model to call my very own. (Any month will do!!!).

Overall Review: I think it's a great idea someone finally came out with and we will be seeing more manufactures coming out with PSU's of this same conceptual design. As it is there are only a few that I know of and it seems that Video Cards as newer models develop will continue to have high (or higher) power requirements as the newest, latest and fastest generations keep coming out. The build I am working on at this time will have the ThermalTake 650 watt version as the ThermalTake Xaser VI Full Tower case (another EggCellent Product) I just received has the bay area to use the 650 watt dual 5 1/2" drive bay version. The 450 watt version I have now easily powers two SLI'd Zotac 8800gt's OC'd from the manufacturer using stock settings. Made the case temp actually drop a degree or two also, not a big thing but I'll take it because ThermalTake gave it. A Spot On choice if anyone is thinking about purchasing it, you'll be glad you bought one.

10/16/2008