Reviews about Components

kphippin says "The NZXT Tempest is a great case w/ lots of features." about NZXT CS-NT-TEM-EVO TEMPEST EVO Black Enthusiast Steel Tower / Computer Case (Retail) Full Tower Case

kphippin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:31:50 GMT

This case is a full size tower, which means plenty of room for anything that you may want to put in it.

This also means that it is rather large.

The average computer builder may want to get a smaller case.

This case offers lot of fans, 2 120's in front, 2 in top, 1 in rear, and a big 140 in the side window, plenty of airflow for that heat producing system. Also features snap in drive holders for easy tool-less drive swapping. Plenty of room to route cables under the motherboard tray so that they are out of sight.

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bkovacs says "This only costs $6?" about Inland Pro USB 2.0 HDD Enclosure

bkovacs — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:17:02 GMT

I recently upgraded the hard drive in an older laptop and that left me with a perfectly good 60GB 2.5-inch laptop drive. This drive used the older PATA (also known as EIDE) interface, which is rapidly becoming obsolete. I wanted to get a case into which I could put the old 60GB drive so that I could use it for general storage needs, and the local computer store just happened to put such as case on sale. I bought an Inland Pro USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure (stock #08411) for just $6.

What it is

The Inland Pro USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure is an empty case that can house a standard 2.5-inch laptop hard drive. This Inland case has the electronics necessary to convert the drive's "parallel ATA" (PATA) interface into a standard USB port. The case came with all the parts necessary to house the hard drive, including the actual case, screws and a two-foot USB cable.

Assembly

The hard drive enclosure kit came with instructions but they weren't necessary. I had the 60GB hard drive mounted in the Inline...

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wtsimm75 says "The best cooler I ever bought." about OCZ Vendetta Processor Cooler

wtsimm75 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:37:11 GMT

I highly recommend this processor cooler. After the misery with other coolers this is by far superior. It was still a little difficult to install but once its on the processor it does an amazing job cooling the processor. It is cooling an AMD 939 Dual Core Opteron 2.6ghz. I was able to run it stable at 2.9ghz. Its great for dissipating heat for all components especially for over clocking. The right components in a customized PC and this processor cooler that is universal is a great buy. I routinely shop on-line and found this one on sale on Dell's website. I am very happy about this purchase and if your customizing your desktop this would be an ideal processor cooler. You can also go to frosty-tech to see reviews on this cooler and compare with others. The design is nice and very efficient for its use unlike others I have tried. I hope this is a useful review for someone and recommend this product as well as OCZ for processor coolers.

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elisse says "Excellent product- reliable, durable, and has lasted for years." about SanDisk (SDDR-89-A15) Card Reader

elisse — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:04:59 GMT

We bought this SanDisk SDDR-89 ImageMate 4-card reader several years ago, and it is still working great. We use it daily to download digital photos from our camera to the computer, and we've never had a problem with it. In addition, it has been dropped and "kicked around" on my desk for years, and subject to all sorts of abuse from cats & dogs, too! (Note: We've only used one of the four card slots, as all the digital cameras we've had have used the same size card). We are Very pleased with this product and definitely recommend it. We've gone thru 3 cameras, but still have this same card reader!

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bondlocky says "Good product design and performance. Quality could be better." about Antec NoteBook Cooler #761345-75004-2

bondlocky — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:32:26 GMT

The Antec Laptop cooler is well designed and functions extremely well. The cooling fans operate very quietly and kept my computer much cooler than when the cooling unit isn't present.

There is also a blue LED light that shows the location of the power cord, which is good, however there is no way to shut the light off, which can be annoying.

Some downsides to the Antec Laptop cooler is that the USB cord doesn't seem to be of particualrly good quality and neither does the compartment where the cord lives when not in use.

Overall the Antec Laptop Cooler is very good for its price and operates quietly and efficiently.

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BayouBengal says "Antec USB Powered Cooler Keeps My Notebook Super Cool" about Antec NoteBook Cooler #761345-75004-2

BayouBengal — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:08:47 GMT

I've been primarily using my laptop since we moved. Setting up my office has been something that has been on the "to do" list for some time but just hasn't happened yet with all of the unplanned things that have popped up this year. When my laptop started overheating I knew that I needed to order a cooling pad. I searched online and read reviews and finally chose the Antec USB Powered Cooler. It seemed to be the perfect product to meet my needs.

Antec USB Powered Cooler

I chose the Antec USB Powered Cooler because it had both a high and low setting and also two fan motors. I also liked the fact that it was quiet and did not need batteries. It is powered through the USB port and uses very little power to run.

Another high selling point for me was the 3 year warranty. Other brands only gave a one year warranty.

If you are not familiar with a cooling pad, they are used to cool down your computer and reduce the chances of over heating and losing valuable information. ...

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tk911 says "Good version of ATI's 4890" about Asus ATI EAH4890 TOP

tk911 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:03:28 GMT

I purchased the Asus EAH4890 TOP for a gaming desktop recently. It has done better than expected, but hasn't been bullet-proof. Most games will run at their highest settings without trouble, but some of the newest games simply need multiple GPU's. At a resolution of 1920 X 1200 even the flagship of ATI struggles under these conditions. I like the fact that ATI's chip has been configured to run faster than a generic 4890, so I will out spec another system with a similar setup (even if just slightly). Asus's software has worked almost pefectly with this Graphics Card, even running Windows 7 Beta. The ATI catalyst software has been flawless, but the Asus Splendid software won't allow video playback on some media players (in my experience), and I cannot seem to get the Asus OSD software to work correctly. Overall, the drawbacks are not enough for me to turn away friends, and would definitely recommend this card to someone looking to do a CrossFIre X configuration.

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AlienuzS says "Foxconn mother board not bad but foxconn can do better!" about Foxconn WinFast NF4SK8AA-8EKRS

AlienuzS — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:46:53 GMT

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jasyjen says "Something EVERY laptop owner should have" about Targus Chill Mat PA248U Laptop Cooler

jasyjen — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:47:52 GMT

I earned enough money freelance writing to finally afford a new laptop!!!! The problem is...I never owned a laptop before and didn't know much about them. I promptly took my laptop home and began using it on surfaces like my lap, a pillow, my table, etc. I began noticing that I was getting very hot using my laptop. Curious, but I thought nothing of it.

My very smart husband presented me with a Targus Chill Mat for Mother's Day. I had no idea what it was. Well, it is PURE GENIUS, that's what it is!

The Targus Chill Mat plugs into the USB port on the side of the laptop. The other side of the plug connects into the back of the chill mat. The chill mat sits underneath the laptop as you work, and the dual fans on thee mat keep the laptop running a cool temperature, therefore, allowing it to work more efficiently.

Here's what I didn't know about laptops! They can overheat when you do what I was doing. Placing them on things like pillows, or your lap, they are getting no...

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MrScientist says "AMD 9950 overclocks like a champ" about AMD HD995ZFAJ4BGH Phenom X4 9950 9950 , 2.6 GHz OEM / Unboxed Processor

MrScientist — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:44:53 GMT

I purchased the AMD X4 9950 a few months ago and am very pleased with it. It runs stable and cool, even when overclocked. I currently have it running 24-7 at 3.055 GHz at stock voltage at 32C idle. This is using quite a large, 4 copper heat pipe cooler. The stock cooler wouldn't cut it. I had overclocked it at 1.45V to as high as 3.3 GHz, but decided the trade-off between power savings and speed fell more towards power savings. With "Cool 'n Quiet," the voltage decreases when CPU power is not needed which decreases overall system power usage and fan noise.

The unlocked multiplier makes it super easy to overclock even for the ubernewbie. My current overclock is only increasing the FSB, so I can obtain better performance of my L3 cache and RAM (increasing FSB increases speed of L3 chache which will noticeably increase system performance above and beyond increasing CPU speed, at least with this and related chips).

All in all, this is a good CPU, and with the Phenom IIs out,...

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Luspher says "Fast, but unstable" about Crucial Technology Ballistix 512 MB PC3200 DDR RAM (BL2KIT3264Z402)

Luspher — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:58:18 GMT

I don't have a whole lot of good to say about this memory. The crucial ballistix ram atleast of this series i found to be highly unstable. I started off with 4 sticks, it ran for about a month without a hitch then I started to have unexpected crashes, and have segfault errors arise in almost everything I was doing. I first thought is was the software due to the unpredictable nature of the crashes, then I decided to try some ram from another computer. This solved all of my problems. I decided to RMA the ram thinking I had gotten a defective chip somewhere in there, Memtest returned no errors so i sent it all back. With 4 new sticks I had the same problem this time right out of the box. I must say i was severely disappointed. The motherboard was an ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe, but it also caused problems in all the other computers i tried it in. Later my friend purchased some ram of the same series and he has had very similar problems. I wouldn't recommend this ram.

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jsconte says "No Customer Service or Warranty Support" about Antec Titan 650

jsconte — Sat, 02 May 2009 04:44:57 GMT

I purchased an Antec Titan 650 Server Case back in October 2008. After a couple of months the Power switch became erratic and I had to remove the front panel just to turn on the power. About 2 or 3 weeks later the Power Supply failed and the system was dead. Needing this system running (it was my server) and thinking that this case was one in a million I decided to source the identical case. I called about every store in the west end but eventually found one. I was completely stunned at what I took out of the box, the case looked like a $20 case, by the way this case is worth upwards of $250. My first instinct was to return it to the retailer but I needed it and knew there were none around. I figured I would bring it to Antec's attention when I submitted my RMA for the dead case. I did that within days and had a case opened with Kyle. I waited and waited and didn't hear anything so I decided to check the status of my ticket online. My ticket was CLOSED!!! No resolution, no contact no...

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mwhitson14 says "The Belkin Cooling Platform works great!!" about BELKIN LAPTOP COOLING PLATFORM * WITH FAN F5L001-APL Cooling Fan

mwhitson14 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:47:30 GMT

The Belkin Cooling Platform has really saved the life of my battery. I have a Dell laptop this will be five years old in May, and had begun experiencing problems with the battery overheating. I bought the cooling platform at Best Buy for $30. It's so simple to use; all you do is plug it into your laptop, and it starts right up! It keeps my battery completely cooled off, which is the best thing you can do to extend the life of your laptop.

My tip with the platform is to keep it propped up on a flat, stable surface. The fan can circulate much better when it is to blocked on the bottom. However, it does still work, and pretty effectively.

My one complaint with this platform is the sound. It is definitely not quiet. It's not one to take to the library, becausing the whirring is quite loud. Also, since my computer is pretty old, it sucks the life out of my battery pretty quickly.

Overall, great bang for the buck.

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streetrace442 says "ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz is worth it!" about ASUS XONARD2 Sound Card

streetrace442 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:05:41 GMT

After being fed up with Sound Blaster always claiming they don't have patch(es) for their sound card(s) everytime Microsoft has an up date, or unwilling to make one, I went to ASUS instead.

You can use the ASUS Xonar D2X in the 7.1 or 5.1 mode.

I have this card hooked up to my Logitech Z-5500, and compared to my old pc which had a Audigy2, the Xonar gives out much better sound quality. The Audio center that comes with the drivers is simple but has a good amount of tools and options. Gives good 5.1 sound in both digital and analog for games/movies as well. I have yet to see how the recording quality in this card is, but it has a very good DAC inside. I know right off the bat if you wanted to make some serious music you'll wind up getting a audio interface box. My system has Flat frequency response and this card makes everything shine through with clarity. The EQ on the card is great as well.

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streetrace442 says "The Intel i7-965 is the way to go!" about Intel Core™ i7-965 Extreme Edition, 3.2GHz 965 Boxed Processor

streetrace442 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:02:24 GMT

Anything other than the i7-965 is just wasting time! The speed it just unbelievable! It's the fastest commercial processor ever. Overclocking this baby to 3.8 was nothing at all by simply changing the multiplier. It ran stable for 24 hrs with 8 instances of prime95 with no other adjustments. Of course, I did go back and manually adjust everything else but just wanted to see how easy it was. I was pleased. This would be like me owning my 1970 Olds 442 all over again except with a NOS fogger system.

Great new architecture. Finally completely caught up to and surpassed AMD on the architecture side. This is quad core for Intel processors done right, finally. Memory controller is finally on the die itself. No more insanely clocked front side bus bottle necking memory access. With the memory controller on the die the processor can now get memory directly. The architecture is now in balance and the components complement each other nicely.

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streetrace442 says "The need for speed, Intel DX58SO" about Intel DX58SO (890552615995) Motherboard

streetrace442 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:20:14 GMT

This is a GREAT motherboard! The only thing negative that I could think of about this board is, the fastest RAM you can run on it is only 1333. Which, when you think about it, it really does make you wonder why without over clocking it. However, if you do want this same board where you can run faster RAM, ASUS offer it where you can overclock it to run 1800. Just look for it under the CPU socket type LGA 1366. Either way, I can't personally see anyone regretting purchasing it.

I love how simple this board is. No unnecessary heatpipes running all over the board and no ridiculous colors. It is completely passively cooled (but comes with an optional fan if you are overclocking).

PS As of today's date, 04/16/09, you can purchase this board for only $244.99 at NewEgg. I don't know where viewpoints gets there prices from but they are way off base with them. If you consider the one by ASUS, it only cost $359.99. The board is also referred to as the X58.

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XxColeybbyxX says "AWESOMEE" about Electronic Arts Boogie Superstar Bundle Wii (15824) Motherboard

XxColeybbyxX — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:47:21 GMT

whenever i come home from school i always play boogie superstar

it has the songs teens love

this is the song list

1. angel..love like this..pocketful of sunshine-Natasha Bedingfield

2. dance like theres no tomarrow-Paula Abdul

3.bullseye..potential breakup song..like whoa-Aly&Aj

4. the great escape- Boys like Girls

5. everytime we touch..what hurts the most-Cascada

6. fancy footwork-Chromeo

7.Thnks fr th mmrs- fall out boy

8. glamorous-Fergie

9.Elevator- Flo rider ft Timbaland

10.i dont wanna be in love- good charollette

11. wake up- hilary duff

12.hold on..SOS...thats just the way we roll..when you look me in the eyes-JB

13. no one- Alicia Keys

14.take you there-Shean Kingston

15. Girlfriend- Avril Lavinge

16.Bleeding love- Leona Lewis

17.shake it- Metro Station

18. what you got- Colby O'Donis

19. I dont think about it- Emily Osment

20.nine in the afternoon- panic at the disco

21. hot n cold- Katy Perry

22. Jump to the rhythm-Jordin Pruitt

23. shut up and drive..please dont stop the music-Rihanna

24. YAAH!- Soulja...

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LaurieM says "The Antec NoteBook Cooler is durable, effective and affordable." about Antec NoteBook Cooler #761345-75004-2

LaurieM — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:15:29 GMT

A few weeks ago, I broke my Belkin Laptop Cooling Pad by using it directly on my lap. It caused the fan to stop rotating which made the motor burn out. Clearly my fault. Although I liked the Belkin, a friend of mine suggested that I get the Antec NoteBook Cooler #761345-75004-2. It was being advertised on Amazon.com for the affordable price of $29.79. I liked the look and design so much that I ordered it. It's a great little gadget!

About the Antec Notebook Cooler

This USB-powered cooler has a pass-through connector that allows the user to draw power from any USB port without losing use of the USB port. No batteries or power adapter is needed. There are two double ball-bearing fans that are very quiet and the consumption of power is quite low. The aluminum surface helps conduct heat away from the laptop. There is a dual control switch that is set to low but can be changed to high if needed. It is compatible with Macs and PCs. This cooler measures 13" x 11.2" x 0.85" and weighs 1.6 Ibs....

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bkovacs says "Amazing value in an SD memory chip" about Transcend 16GB SecureDigital SDHC Class 6 Card with Bonus SD Card Reader 8 GB (TS16GSDHC6S5W)

bkovacs — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:18:00 GMT

I recently got an HD camcorder that uses Secure Digital (SD) memory, so I bought a Transcend 16GB SD memory chip to go with it. The Transcend chip is part number TS16GSDHC6, which means it is an SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) chip that is "Class 6" rated for speed. I paid a bit less than $35 for this Transcend 16GB SDHC chip at Amazon.

What it is

If you're not familiar with SD memory, it is about the size of a postage stamp and about as thick as two postcards. It weighs just a fraction of an ounce. This Transcend 16GB chip conforms to the SDHC standard, which means that it will work with any device rated for high-capacity SD chips. (Anything 4GB and higher must be rated SDHC for it to work properly.) Since I'm using the Transcend 16GB SDHC chip in an HD camcorder, I needed a chip that can handle data at continuously fast rates. At the moment, "Class 6" is the fastest rating for SD memory chips. According to the package, the Transcend TS16GSDHC6 can be used only in devices that are SDHC......

Manofpopsicle says "The Ultra Aluminus is a great case loaded with features." about Ultra Max (ULT31824) ATX Mid-Tower Case

Manofpopsicle — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:47:59 GMT

The ULTRA Aluminus ATX Mid-Tower (if you could call it a Mid-Tower) case is a fantastic choice for any build, as it provides the perfect combination of looks and features for a relatively low price (about $100) considering what you're getting. It's very large but surprisingly lightweight and durable, giving all of you hardware components plenty of room to breathe and providing superior air flow throughout your system. It also has plenty of room for expansion/upgrading, as it has numerous drive bays and expansion slots.

The Aluminus is made of a lightweight aluminum with a beautiful liquid gloss finish, and has a clear, vented side panel (one 80mm CPU air duct and one VGA vent), giving the case a great look about it. In the front is a swing out bezel in which you'll find five 5.25" external drive bays, two 3.5" external drive bays, your power button, and a lock. When unlocked, you will be able to completely open the front of the case, revealing a 120mm fan port (the rear of the case also...

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