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Karl S.

Karl S.

Joined on 01/12/04

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 22
Most Favorable Review

Nice Dummy Build

BIOSTAR ECO HD61V Intel Socket H2(LGA1155) Intel H61 Barebone
BIOSTAR ECO HD61V Intel Socket H2(LGA1155) Intel H61 Barebone

Pros: Works! No problems with XP install. HD / CDROM cage easy to remove and load. Drivers install smoothly.

Cons: Case Fan LOUD. Had to replace and acually started installing new fan while it was on since the power supply and CPU fan aren't nearly as loud. (Not silent but MUCH better with the new fan.) Lid doesn't fit well but does the job. (gaps and over hangs.)

Overall Review: I read the reviews and expected to replace the case fan. Much happier that I knew a part of this case was instant trash.

Most Critical Review

WOW that's LOUD!

iStarUSA S21-20F2 Black Aluminum / Steel Tower Case Compact Stylish Mini-ITX Enclosure 200W Flex ATX
iStarUSA S21-20F2 Black Aluminum / Steel Tower Case Compact Stylish Mini-ITX Enclosure 200W Flex ATX

Pros: Kinda small. Sturdy Metal. Room for another fan. Design lets you stack stuff on it. Nothing sharp. SSD fits easily. plenty room for cables unless you add another fan, then it gets tight.

Cons: WOW that's loud! Didn't read the reviews due to the cost and I regret it. I have a server running 6 fans that's quieter! Came with NO feet. No Sticker for the little area in the front. No Screws provided. (But don't we all have a million by now?) Power LED could land a plane. Why have such a bright light hiting you in the face when you can hear it two rooms away?

Overall Review: Will consider buying a new Power Supply if the rebate holds true. Covered the on light with a permanent industrial black Sharpie - its still brighter than the USB Drive next to it but no longer performs Lasik.

12/22/2012

SLOW Menu

NETGEAR FVS318N-100NAS ProSafe Wireless-N 8-port Gigabit VPN Firewall
NETGEAR FVS318N-100NAS ProSafe Wireless-N 8-port Gigabit VPN Firewall

Pros: Sturdy metal construction. Wired connections fast and stable.

Cons: Features are VERY confusing. This may be improved is the interface wasn't SO SLOW. Wireless kicked all users off if a hacked droid phone connected to the wireless. (<- read that again and explain that to me.) Interface SLOW (not connection speed)

Overall Review: Interface (browser based) was painfully slow. Menu required drilling down and changed menu options so switching between menus was impossible. I thought I could deal with the complexity since I'm MCSE and CCNA and I could but it took minutes to do simple port restrictions. And when the wireless kicked all users off because of a droid phone, that was it! I put my old router (with less ports) back.

Server's Best Friend

Western Digital WD RE4 WD1003FBYX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive Bare Drive
Western Digital WD RE4 WD1003FBYX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive Bare Drive

Pros: Read the description. These drives last. Use for Servers or for a RAID drive D to go with your SSD Drive C. Use the RED for NAS. (all good experience with both.)

Cons: Noisier than solid state but thats not why you're buying this!

Loose

Fosmon Universal 3-Slot Notebook AC Power Cord, IEC320 C5 to NEMA 5-15P (6 Feet)
Fosmon Universal 3-Slot Notebook AC Power Cord, IEC320 C5 to NEMA 5-15P (6 Feet)

Pros: Works, Cheap, Thick.

Cons: Doesn't fit snugly. Sticks out a little when connecting to the Intel DC3217IYE.

Overall Review: Worried that it might slip out and turn the computer off. Will try another brand next time.

Two DOA

FSP Group FSP220-60LE(80) 220W Mini ITX/ Flex ATX 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply with Intel Haswell Ready
FSP Group FSP220-60LE(80) 220W Mini ITX/ Flex ATX 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply with Intel Haswell Ready

Pros: Fits in Case. Cables are short

Cons: Doesn't work. I got first one DOA. Spent $$ for shipping for a repair and second one is DOA. Other power supplies of the same manufacturer work and higher and lower Watts work... Just a bad egg unless New Egg shipped me back the same power supply thinking is was good...

Overall Review: Was trying to build a cheap PC and so far paid over $300 for nothing that works. sigh. You get what you pay for.