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Derrick L.

Derrick L.

Joined on 06/16/05

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 4
Most Favorable Review

Low Price, High Performance

MSI GeForce 8400 GS 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Ready Video Card N8400GS-TD256
MSI GeForce 8400 GS 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Ready Video Card N8400GS-TD256

Pros: Great price for a great card. Dual-monitor output works very well. Very low profile and power consumption compared to other cards. Unexpectedly good performance for FPS, great performance for most MMO's. I bought 6 of these cards and every last one of them is running splendidly. 5 of them are used in an office setting for dual monitor displays and they can run photo manipulation and programming development software with perfect ease. The last card is used in my home PC for gaming. I can play Team Fortress 2 on almost max settings (No Anti-Aliasing), and the same thing can be said for Left4Dead. It runs very well and makes little to no noise in the cabinet.

Cons: None whatsoever, except that you might want to update the NVidia drivers as soon as you install the card.

Overall Review: With the low price tag on this card, I hadn't expected a whole lot. If I could play TF2 on lowest settings with minimal lag, I would have been happy. However, it has far exceeded my expectations. I've been able to run several games on High settings. This card has been one of the best purchases I've made all year. I'm planning on buying another soon for my smaller desktop so that it can edit videos.

Most Critical Review

Low price, Low performance.

TRENDnet TEW-432BRP Wireless Broadband Router 802.11b/g up to 54Mbps/ 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Port x4
TRENDnet TEW-432BRP Wireless Broadband Router 802.11b/g up to 54Mbps/ 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Port x4

Pros: The router was cheap and easy to set up.

Cons: Awful performance and signal strength. I have a 16Mbps connection, and I consistently get 400ms ping spikes, whereas I get no more than a 50ms spike straight from the modem. The signal drops drastically after around 25ft, and if you want it to travel through walls, forget about it. I've had many a router in my day, and I've never had one be this slow and problematic. I'd RMA the thing, but it will cost me $10 to ship it back, and I sure as hell don't want another one of these things.

Overall Review: Should have just dropped an extra $50 and just bought a good router. Once bitten, twice shy.

Comfort and Quality

Sennheiser HD201 Over-Ear Headphones
Sennheiser HD201 Over-Ear Headphones

Pros: These are a good set of headphones. They fit comfortably over the ear and do not cause discomfort if worn for extended periods of time. The sound quality is really good, although I could use a little more bass than they output. The cord is pretty long, and I've had no trouble with excessive tangling.

Cons: Like I said above, the bass is lacking a little. Other than that, I can't really complain about much. The padding on the earphones could be a little thicker to pull the speaker a little further from your ear, but it's still quite comfortable as is.

Overall Review: I'm quite happy with my purchase of these headphones. As a programmer, I can appreciate a good pair with a good comfort factor. I wouldn't mind having a couple more pairs so I don't have to transport them from work to home. For a relatively low-cost set of headphones, I don't think I could have done much better.

Excellent Ear Buds without Breaking the Bank

SONY - EX Earbud Headphones - BLACK (MDR-EX36V/BLK)
SONY - EX Earbud Headphones - BLACK (MDR-EX36V/BLK)

Pros: Excellent sound. Rich bass and clean highs. Sturdy design in comparison to some of Sony's other models. They are very comfortable for long periods of listening. I would say this is one of the best pairs of ear buds I've ever had. For discerning audiophiles, the <$30 price tag shouldn't scare you away from purchasing these. They block out all outside interference and keep your music experience pure. Also, the carrying case that comes with the buds is very nice and very handy.

Cons: The little cord wrap that came with it is a little useless, but it wasn't exactly a feature I was all that interested in. I also don't love the volume control being a part of the design, but it doesn't take away from the sturdiness of the construction. It is a quality volume control, but I traditionally don't like them inline with the ear buds. I'm grasping at straws for something negative to say about these earphones, and that's all I can come up with.

Overall Review: As a programmer, my ear buds are my best friends. In the case of the MDR-EX36V, I think they will be a great pair. I can't speak to their longevity yet, but their construction seems sturdy enough to last for years. All in all, the ear buds were a fantastic investment. I couldn't be happier.