Joined on 04/14/08
Good, inexpensive monitor
Pros: Just what I was looking for - the better image quality of non-TFT type displays just isn't worth the price premium for me. This one looks great to me. Very bright and colors are good, not washed out. Not giving me eyestrain.
Cons: One stuck pixel (red). Doesn't really bother me. Base is a little cheezy, but I'm going to get an arm mount anyway.
Overall Review: Monitor has standard 100mm hole spacing for wall or arm mounts. Speakers aren't that bad - it clears desk space. For really good sound in a game you may as well use headphones anyway. The rest of the time you just need the speakers for Windows's various system message chirping sounds, and these'll do for that purpose. Yes, viewing angles are a bit limited like all inexpensive monitors. I can't really call that a con because it is expected. Think about your planned installation - if you're in a spot where a flimsy base can hurt you, you might want to think carefully about this one. Bezel is very thin, which is my preference. This is replacing a 19" standard aspect Acer monitor. The screen on this one is about the same height (as expected) and of course a few inches wider. I definitely prefer this monitor's 16:10 aspect to the 16:9 that is quickly becoming more common.
Best power supplies
Pros: How do you evaluate a power supply when you first get it, unless you have all kinds of sophisticated test equipment? I'm ordering one of these for a build for a friend, because I have three other PC P&C units; one that has run 24/7 for *ten years* and I'm still using it. I would use it in a new build, it has never even hiccuped. Another one is running flawlessly for 6 years. It was already a few years old when I used it in a new build for another friend. I bought one of the Dell replacement PC P&C units for someone else about 7 years ago and never heard any complaint, that one is probably still running great too.
Cons: If you really want modular cables, you'll have to look elsewhere. PC P&C says "modular cables no good" and I'm not about to argue with them. They've proven to me that they know what they are doing. Better yet, do without the side window and no one will know your cables are messy :). Also, I have to admit that if you have one of those cases with the bottom inlet for PSU cooling air, it makes sense to consider one of the Seasonic units that can be installed upside-down. I'd probably still get one of these though. As far as I can tell at this point, PC P&C PSUs are immortal. I have no evidence to the contrary.
Overall Review: Can't beat PC P&C. Seasonic is capable of making really good PSUs (in fact, I believe they contract-manufacture some of these for PC P&C according to their specs and design) but you can't really be sure when you order one if you're getting their top of the line.
Nice Case, good cooling
Pros: Pretty roomy, plenty of air flow, good cooling. Pretty good provisions for cable routing. Motherboard I/O cutout fit perfectly. Makes the build alot easier than it was years ago, that's for sure! I was hesitant to get a side-window-LEDs-all over the place case (my son made me do it) but now that it's done I think it looks very nice. Not noisy despite all those fans. Giant top fan seems like an excellent idea, I think the air cooling must be much better than in a normal case.
Cons: Supplied hardware is a little confusing - not clear which screws are for the motherboard standoffs (there were eight of one type and eight of another - there wasn't nine of any one type of screw). No cutout for installing heat sink base after screwing in the motherboard; you have to install the heat sink first and if you have a big one that makes it a little tight getting to the mounting screws. Better make sure you have a magnetized screwdriver! Side panels have to be removed and drive bays partially withdrawn to get to fan filters for washing - inconvenient if the case is stored in a cabinet, no big deal if it is just sitting under a desk (make sure to leave some slack in the wires to the fans, at least a few extra inches, so you can get out the filters without taking the whole thing apart).
Overall Review: My first build in maybe 10 years so I'm no expert. Yes, the drive bays have a bunch of thumb screws but I don't see how that is a big inconvenience, I found this case much easier to work with than the stuff that was available years ago. Some notes on my specific build: Asus P6T deluxe V2 w/ core i7 920 PC Power & Cooling 750 silencer Sapphire HD 4870 (standard kind, not the vapor X) Thermalright Ultra Extreme CPU heatsink OCZ 60GB SSD + two Seagate 500GB in RAID 1 - there was plenty of room for the extra long power supply. There is no bottom intake vent for the PSU - not an issue for the PSU I used, which has straight-through cooling, but if you have one with a top fan you might want to consider getting a case with a bottom vent & install upside-down. - the 4870 display adaptor fits OK, did not necessitate removing the extra fan mounting - for this motherboard, it's very tight by the front SATA/IDE sockets, you need right-angle connectors, or have to remove the fan bracket.