Joined on 10/09/02
Perfect for Mac
Pros: Works perfect in mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro. Using Lion 64bit mode. GSkill manufactures great memory. Never had a problem or failure.
Cons: None
Overall Review: MacBook Pros need CAS7 memory. Make sure you are not buying the CAS9 version of GSkill.
Router lacks capabilities
Pros: The TP-Link Archer C2600 router has a lot going for it. It is a very nice looking, high quality workmanship, well laid out, descent firmware settings and wall mountable. I like to mount my routers high up on the wall near the ceiling to get the best coverage in my home. I removed a competitor’s router and set up this router up with several home computers, laptop, iPhones, iPad, TV/DVD and my home server. All went very well on both the 2.4 and 5Ghz channels. The server did not fair to well and I’ll discuss that below. Transfer speeds were disappointing between the USB3 thumb drive attached to the router and a wired network computer, and two wireless computers (one running with an “N” adapter and the other with a TP-Link AC1900 T9E adapter). To test the speed I transferred 54 JPG files totaling 325MB to each computer as follows; Wired direct to C2600 router = 15 MB/s Wireless “N” adapter = 7 MB/s Wireless TP-Link AC1900 = 12MB/s Overall the speed was lacking for file transfer. Internet browsing was fast and snappy for all devices connected with no issues. The firmware is very extensive and includes a quick setup, basic and advanced sections. The advanced sections gives a lot of control over the router and has the majority of setting you expect to have available.
Cons: The C2600 Router and Windows 2012R2 Essentials that I use for my home server refuses to cooperate in establishing Remote Server Access. I use this capability to access files from the server to my work office. My previous router had no issues and turning on UPnP was all it took. With the C2600, UPnP is available and on but refuses to establish the remote connection. Windows Server always times out with several error messages to turn on UPnP, which it is. I have been tinkering with it over the past several weeks and have given up at this point. There is no updated firmware for this device so server remote access is a failure at this point and a substantial disappointment for such a nice high powered router.
Overall Review: I was unable to test the MU-MIMO features. The iPhones do not support the technology, no does my TP-Link AC1900 adapter. Hopefully new devices will be released soon with MU-MIMO capabilities. This router is a real tossup. Fast internet access, slow file transfers and no server remote access. Depending on your needs it may suit your needs.
Superior Photo Editing, video not so.
Pros: Well, this new edition seems to have it all covered for taking any photo and transforming it to look like anything you want! It has an amazing selection of editing capabilities. Using this MAC version on my Mac Studio M2 Max with 64gb of memory every edit is nearly instant with no need to wait to make your next change or changes. From the main editor screen, you have 3 choices for Quick, Guided and Advanced sessions. Quick gives you a limited number tools to do the basics adjustments to the photo, guided will guide you several different options including adding special effects and advanced will give you all the tools available to make any changes you want. The program allows you to develop slide shows, photo collages, photo prints, phot books, greeting cards, calendars and many more projects. You can work with AI built into the program and layers as well. Overall, this program gives you an amazing ability to make your best photos even better.
Cons: Although the layout is quite good, at times, I got lost of where I was within the editing features. There is so much capability built in it will take time, practice and patience to become fluent using all the features. You need to setup an Adobe account to activate and use the software. When asking for me to enter the software serial number I got the dreaded spinning beach ball. This should not happen as the program does not respond any longer. Adobe, you need to fix this!. There is no force quit in the Apple menu for the program so you need to power off the computer. Not good. I was unable to install Premiere Elements due to this issue, Hopefully Adobe comes up with a fix soon to address it.
Overall Review: Photo editing made easy. Everything you could want in an editing program is built in and ready to use. You can't ask for anything more than that. Excellent all around. Good job.
Excellent power
Pros: This is a typical well packaged Corsair power supply. Excellent build quality. Large 140mm cooling fan. Plenty of modular cables. Very nice that you use only the cables you need, keeping things neat and organized. I connected the power supply up to my test system, an ASUS Sabertooth motherboard with an 8 core AMD processor. The power supply is extremely quiet, as the fan didnt kick on from normal use from my testing. My test system is open-air so I can hear any noises plainly being out of a computer case. Voltages appeared rock steady using my Fluke digital meter. The 3.3v rail measures 3.3v, 5V measures 5.14V and the 12V rail measures 12.06V. So, all is good with the voltage supplies.
Cons: I can not find any real cons with this power supply. It works exactly as required.
Overall Review: Super quiet, no fan noise, modular cables and 650W. Nice all-around power supply.
Excellent RAM
Pros: First off the RGB lighting is amazing. It's vivid, colorful and bright. It adds a lot of color to your case if you have the side window. I'm running this kit on an ASUS Prime Z390-P motherboard with an I7-9700K cpu. The kit comes well packaged and protected. The ram is a bit shorter than normal and could help those using a fan/heatsink combo. I am using a Corsair AIO so no clearance issues with water cooling. The RAM has 16-20-20-38 timings. The revision of the ram is v4.32, the latest I believe. It is a crazy simple install and setup. Snap the ram into place, boot up, enter the BIOS and select XMP 1, save and reset. Perfect boot up, timing parameters are spot on and the computer runs absolutely smooth, quick and responsive. You can't ask for anything more than that. The iCue software is available on the Corsair websites and allows control of the RGB memory lighting. The latest version is available to download.
Cons: No cons as of yet. Everything is working as it should.
Overall Review: DDR4 3200 seems to be the sweet spot for RAM speed today. Fast and super cost efficient. Not sure if you can see, sense or feel faster RAM. Maybe running benchmark programs, but other than that, DDR4 3200 is quite fast. When looking for new RAM or upgrading, keep this on your radar. It is a nice, fast, kit.
Excellent cost performance security camera
Pros: I have had this security camera installed for 9 days. After a full charging cycle overnight the battery level is a 86%, so maybe a recharge every 6-7 weeks from my estimates. The camera is very easy to install and adjust using the app. Wi-Fi connection was seamless with my Nighthawk router on the 2.4G band. Once mounted everything is done via the app. The Arlo app is very easy and intuitive to use. The settings are easily laid out and labeled appropriately. You can set the camera to automatically notify you by motion, people, vehicles, animals and others. Sensitivity is adjustable, so if you have constant movement from something in the field of view its possible to mask that out with the sensitivity. It’s possible to set up an e911 call or call a friend if you get a notification while not at home. The captured videos last as long as there is movement up to 300 seconds. The videos are stored on the Arlo cloud for 30 days. They are easily viewable and able to delete them from the app. For night viewing the camera has a built-in, bright, LED light. It woks very well and easily illuminates the area when any movement is detected. You receive a notification on you’re your linked cellphone. I use an iPhone 7 with no issues. The Arlo comes with a 90 day trial for storing your videos for 30 days and after that it’s a subscription for $2.99/month.
Cons: When it comes right down to it there are not really any cons at this price point. Maybe recharging the camera every month or two is about it. Any that is not bad for a wireless camera device. The $2.99/month fee may be a turn off to some as well after the trial period expires.
Overall Review: It’s a great camera with a clear 1080p 130 degree field of view. Easy set up. Great app. Instant notification to your phone. Nice
Look elsewhwere
Super long delivery time. Very old stock, over 4 years old. It was still sealed. No warranty on the drive.