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Joshua M.

Joshua M.

Joined on 09/19/02

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100 Reviews
Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 110
Most Favorable Review

Stable, Fast, Compatible

WD 500GB My Passport Ultra Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 Model WDBPGC5000ABK-NESN Black
WD 500GB My Passport Ultra Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 Model WDBPGC5000ABK-NESN Black

Pros: I have tested this portable drive in a variety of Operating Systems ranging from Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1. Also including server 2008, 2012 and Ubuntu. The drive is a top notch performer in both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connections. I tested the transfer of many smaller files and larger backups files and in both situations the drive performed as expected. Aside from very light, it is very portable and fits almost everywhere including pockets. Benchmarks: USB 3.0 CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64 50 MB Seq Read: 104.5 MB/s Seq Write: 99.55 MB/s 512 K Read: 46.23 MB/s 512 K write: 66.88 MB/s 4K Read: 0.631 MB/s 4K Write: 2.222 MB/s 4K QD32 Read: 0.755 MB/s 4K QD32 write: 2.319 MB/s USB 2.0 CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64 50 MB Seq Read: 34.22 MB/s Seq Write: 28.45 MB/s 512 K Read: 23.76 MB/s 512 K write: 26.96 MB/s 4K Read: 0.696 MB/s 4K Write: 1.958 MB/s 4K QD32 Read: 0.736 MB/s 4K QD32 write: 2.054 MB/s

Cons: None.

Overall Review: The enclosure is a bit wider than most 2.5" Drives that I have worked with. The drive uses the USB 3.0 Micro-B plug. The other thing that you may want to consider is the length of the cable which is around 1 foot. If you have the need for a longer cable consider a USB extension cable and make sure it is USB 3.0 compatible.

11/27/2013
Most Critical Review

Sorry D-Link

D-Link DCS-2132L HD Wi-Fi Camera
D-Link DCS-2132L HD Wi-Fi Camera

Pros: I have purchased and used many of D-link's products but unfortunately this camera did not make it to that list. Currently, I also have a LOFTEK CXS 3200 which you can get for around $60 and has way better picture quality and features - make sure to read my Cons section. Most of the features that the camera offered worked as expected, such as the Micro-SD, night vision, Sound, Motion Detection, Wireless/Wired connections and remote access. I was able to setup the Camera with my wireless network pretty fast. The interface is actually very easy to use and understand; I was able to find all of the configurations and features where I expected them to be. The motion detection was very accurate also; I had no problems setting this up nor saving files to the Micro-SD or transferring to an FTP site or sending files through email after configuring the SMTP protocol. At night, the infrared kicks in and does show you a picture. The Camera and the stand itself are OK. They really don't feel like the cheapest plastic, but definitely do not feel like something of high quality. It was very easy to adjust the angle (vertical, horizontal) or keep it pointing to a particular place by making simple adjustments on the stand. Wall mounting was also a breeze. Optionally, you can remove the Stand in case you want to mount the body of the camera using your own methods.

Cons: - Price! As mentioned above I have a LOFTEK CXS 3200 which is half the price, you can swivel around remotely and has a much clearer picture. This camera is just too expensive consider the low quality of the picture as I mention below. I did a comparison side by side in multiple environments (low light, bright, dim) and the LOFTEK wins by quite a bit. - Picture Quality; Although the picture is in fact 720p, the quality is horrible with low lighting. I even tried pointing it at my yard during the day to get a nice clear view and the quality just wasn't there. In some cases it was just blurry when inside the house, you cannot really tell the person's face or make out simple objects. The picture quality did get better if the Camera was basically outside when it's nice and sunny. It really feels more like a baby monitor than anything else. - Wifi Range: It's not the best. Where I was sitting I had 3 cellphones (Galaxy S4, Torch 9850 and iPhone 4s) and a laptop (HP g7) reach the wireless access point just fine. The camera had to be moved closer in order to reach the access point or it would lose connectivity randomly. - Limited: For this price I should be at least able to move the camera remotely or have PoE features, which it doesn't.

Overall Review: Make sure to upgrade the Firmware as soon as you configure the Camera.

No problems here

UNITEK U3123-30HUBCR-01 USB 3.0 3-port Hub + All-in-one Card Reader with 5V/2A Power Adapter
UNITEK U3123-30HUBCR-01 USB 3.0 3-port Hub + All-in-one Card Reader with 5V/2A Power Adapter

Pros: I have owned this USB HUB since Feb 2014. So far I have plugged in tons of devices, including Cellphones (in particular Samsung Galaxy S4), digital cameras, and many other devices. I have been able to insert my 32 GB SDHC card and copy pictures instantly. So far I have not faced any problems with this card reader and I have used it almost everyday. I also tested the USB 3.0 speeds with some external 2.5" drives and the speeds are as expected.

Cons: Just one con but easy to solve; super bright blue LED light...yes its that bright!

Excellent and very useful!

TP-Link AV600 Powerline Ethernet Adapter(TL-PA4010 KIT)- Plug&Play, Power Saving, Nano Powerline Adapter, Expand Home Network with Stable Connections
TP-Link AV600 Powerline Ethernet Adapter(TL-PA4010 KIT)- Plug&Play, Power Saving, Nano Powerline Adapter, Expand Home Network with Stable Connections

Pros: I paired these with my TP-LINK WDR3600 Router. I did not even read the instructions, I plugged one into the Router and the other into a workstation and it immediately worked - It was that easy. The Wi-Fi antenna in these impressed me. My router is in the garage and the workstation is on the second floor, on the opposite side of the house. Benchmarks for internet speed through a network cable showed 31 down / 19 up. With the adapters I was getting 30 down / 17 up. Downloading a 370 MB Driver file from HP.com averaged 3.16 MB/s. Transfer to NAS Device in same network averaged about 5 MB/s

Cons: Not really a con, but these are very similar to a power block, so make sure to take that into consideration when you plug them into an AC outlet. In a regular Duplex Wall outlet the adapters are small enough to not block the second outlet.

Overall Review: Power consumption: 3 Watts per adapter

12/22/2013

Very good product

Corsair 128GB Voyager Slider USB 3.0 Flash Drive (CMFSL3B-128GB)
Corsair 128GB Voyager Slider USB 3.0 Flash Drive (CMFSL3B-128GB)

Pros: The flash drive performed as expected and works beautifully across a range of devices and Operating Systems such as Windows XP, Ubuntu, Windows 7, 8 and Server 2003/2008/2012. I was pleased with the performance on both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Copying a 326 MB file took about 6 Seconds on USB 2.0 and 3 seconds on USB 3.0 - however I did also perform benchmarks: CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64 (Results in MB/s) 50 MB, USB 2.0 SEQ Read: 35.60, Write: 13.14 512K Read: 32.19, Write 13.93 4K Read: 4.665, 1.491 4K QD32: 5.383, Write: 1.710 CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64 (Results in MB/s) 50 MB, USB 3.0 SEQ Read: 99.06, Write: 44.96 512K Read: 86.43, Write 24.47 4K Read: 6.614, 1.533 4K QD32: 8.065, Write: 1.775 Overall for the capacity and speed I would consider this Flash drive to be of good quality. I have not received any corrupt data or problems so far.

Cons: Two minor cons which could affect others but not me. 1. The flash drive is a bit wide so do not expect to plugin any other device next to it if the other USB port is very close. 2. Sometimes when inserting the Flash Drive into a tight USB port the USB connector in the flash drive retracts. I would have to push the flash drive in by holding it from the back instead of the sides.

Overall Review: Formatted to 115 GB on Windows 7, NTFS.

11/10/2013

Well Built - Solid Performance

Rosewill ROCC-13001 AIOLOS PLUS 120mm Long Life Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Core i7
Rosewill ROCC-13001 AIOLOS PLUS 120mm Long Life Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Core i7

Pros: I did a direct comparison of this heatsink with my COOLER MASTER Hyper 212. There are very few differences, starting with the fact that the Rosewill has a larger heatsink, not by much, but it does have a bit more volume. The heat-pipes are identical, and the quality of the build is excellent, I could not see any manufacturing defects or parts that were not built with good quality.. The fan was very easy to install, everything just snaps right into place and actually stays in place. Temperatures for an AMD FX Series were in the 20s°C or 70s°F which is a great temperature to be at on idle. On Full load it barely reached 30°C or 86°F. This heatsink is highly recommended; it is well built, affordable and also very quiet.

Cons: 1. A bit difficult to install for AMD Chips - it's not difficult, just a bit hard to reach the old fashioned clips. 2. Review the Dimensions before purchasing, it's possible it may not fit in smaller cases. 3. Supports only one 120 MM fan. In most cases this is more than enough, but people very serious about cooling their CPUs may want two fans installed (front, rear) just like the COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 supports. Again, not a major issue considering even with one Fan this Heatsink performed well.

10/22/2013