Epinions Recent Reviews for paulphoto

Is the Raptor really FAST as Claimed?

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:34:18 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Eight months ago, I put together a small workstation machine for a friend. He wanted a dual-socket configuration but did not want to spend too much money on the extended ATX form factor motherboard utilizing SCSI technology. So I suggested using Asus...

High-Performance SCSI Hard Drive

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 23:27:56 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - I made a switch to using SCSI (Small Computer Scalable Interface) hard drives for my workstation system back in 2004. Since then I never looked back to IDE or SATA (I or II). During the early years of my SCSI adventure, I have explored virtually...

A Workstation System Chassis with Impressive Style and Fashion!

Tue, 26 May 2009 15:21:20 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Chieftec Aegis CH-05B-B-OP ChassisMany of the workstation systems I build are based on extended ATX (eATX) motherboards (12x13 inches) which require a larger system chassis. System cases designed for eATX are expensive and often lack...

The Best Workstation Motherboard in Dual Quad-Core

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:56:55 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Tyan has always been on the cutting edge to produce system boards to provide the computing power and capabilities demanded by computer enthusiasts in the workstation and gaming sector. Of course, Tyan is big in terms of providing system boards for...

A Brilliant Zoom Lens from a Third-Party Lens Maker

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:47:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Almost every Saturday morning in Autumn, I often make time to visit this small lake in my town. The lake is elongated with shallow bed and only drops deep towards the middle; it's more of a swampland with cattail, Indian paintbrush, touch-me-not flowers...

Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 is Excellent

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:20:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - It has been quite awhile since I craved for any new lenses to add to my lens collection. Partly because I felt I had in my humble possession a set of superb zoom lenses for my field of work in part-time freelance photography (people and landscape). From...

An Excellent Zoom Lens from a Genuine Camera Maker!

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:23:44 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - I explored two zoom lenses: Nikon AF-S Nikkor VR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED (IF) DX and Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 ATX Pro DX. In this review, I will discuss the Nikkor AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR IF and will soon post a review of the Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 as...

The 8GB USB Drive with Style!

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:05:40 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - I have to admit. This was an impusle buy. I saw it on eBay (sold by an online retailer) for $12.99 + $7.49 H/S (& insurance). For $20, it costs the same as my 4GB Sandisk (Micro Cruzer) I bought back in the summer. With its large 8GB storage size, I...

Is the 7200RPM Laptop hard drive FASTER than its 5400RPM Counter Part?

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:40:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - My Laptop (model/brand: ZT Affinity PC, by ZT Group) came with a 100GB 5400RPM SATA Hitachi Travelstar hard drive. In it, I have Windows XP and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 installed as a dual-boot. Needless to mention, the system originally came...

The D300 is Excellent and Fun to Use!

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:09:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Introduction< b>I have held my ground as a film photographer for a very long time. In my opinion, slide film still produces superb image quality that CMOS or CCD image sensor has yet to compare and succeed. Quite frankly, viewing an image on a...

Cheap DVD burner.. but Excellent Performance. Wow!

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:26:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Like many computer related components/devices, CD/DVD-ROM drives or burners are more affordable than ever; well, except the Blu-Ray technology, which I do not yet have the need to use one. CD/DVD drives or burners are now available in PATA (IDE) or...

The Supermicro H8DC8: What a headache.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:09:36 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - The Supermicro H8DC8 is not a new breed of workstation motherboard for dual-socket AMD Opteron 940-pin single or dual-core processors. Its introduction two years ago meant for an alternative choice for AMD users who crave for SLI (scalable link...

Excellent Product Reveals Itself on the Results It Produces

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:40:42 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - It is amazing how affordable or cheap DVD+R or DVD-R recordable (write-once) discs are these days. I recall back in early 2004 I bought a 100-pack of DVD+R 16x (by Fujifilm) for $89.99 at BestBuy – and that was also on sale. Now, I can get a 100-pack...

The Best Tripod Money Can Buy!

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 11:58:22 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - I currently own three tripods for my part-time profession in photography (Bogen/Manfrotto 3001N, Gitzo G1320, Gitzo G1340). Among them, the Gitzo Mk2 series 3 G1340 is my most favorite both for nature and freelance photography. I bought...

Microsoft Windows Vista Business: Vista--the Ultimate Experience of Windows?

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 13:16:08 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - The Family of Vista By now, it is common knowledge to almost everyone who is aware of the new Microsoft Vista operating system and its various editions available today. But it helps to list them here and compare the different features each...

Fedora Project Linux: The New Fedora 7 Linux (Moonshine)

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:34:43 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Fedora 7 Linux It's no big secret that Linux is the new kid on the block which has become stronger and more powerful (secure) but at the same time very friendly (hardware compatibility) and gentle (stable). I am not here to provoke any hot...

ATI's Mid-Range Graphics Card shows its Stuff

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:20:33 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - ATI Radeon X1600 Pro 512MB The Radeon X1600 is the current offering of graphics display card from ATI. It is available in two editions: X1600 Pro and X1600 XT. Each is available with an option of PCI-Express 16x or AGP 8x. In terms of...

The New Seagate Barracuda 7200.10

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:32:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - The Barracuda SATA II 7200.10 160GB (ST3160815AS) The Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II is the current offering of storage devices from Seagate. I have been a satisfied user of Seagate hard drives since their release of the Barracuda...

Most Attractive Looks...but with Hidden Weaknesses...

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:40:44 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - XION Hydraulic XON-566TB The Xion Hydraulic XON-566TB supports ATX or micro ATX motherboard, and features such a nice style. It is definitely on the flashy side, with its look-through side window, hydraulic front door, neon lights, 140mm side...

The Dual-Core is Just Awesome...and More Affordable

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 20:22:06 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - The AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor has gained a lot of popularity, and is presumed to compete against Intel Core 2 Duo processors of the same class. The X2 has evolved from the previous 939-pin socket that utilizes motherboard's memory controller...

A Nice ATX Case!

Sat, 4 Aug 2007 13:21:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Desktop PC or workstation cases offered from Cooler Master come with such a nice selection. Many of which are at quite a reasonable price and with appealing design, not to mention practicality. The one being reviewed here comes with a 350-Watt power...

Does ATI Radeon 9550's impressive 256MB memory offer Impressive Performance?

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:19:57 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - I saw this ATI Radeon 9550 at BestBuy and Circuit City sometime last year selling at $99.99, but I was never interested in it. Recently, I found one (new in original sealed shrink wrap) on eBay selling for $27.00 plus $10 shipping, and my old ATI Radeon...

Alien Skin Software Snap Art: Snap Art is Photographer's Best Friend

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 11:07:40 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - Snap Art is AlienSkin's new product that specializes in image manipulation and effects. It is particularly useful in photography or media artwork. It is a plug-in program for Adobe Photoshop CS or Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 or later version. With Snap...

Rocketfish Twister Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse RF-TWIST: An Excellent Mouse on the Road with a Laptop

Sun, 27 May 2007 20:28:54 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - The Rocketfish laser mouse is quite a unique pointing device. It is designed for a laptop/notebook mouse in place of the touchpad or pointing stick. Its small size is suitable for this type of application. Due to its unique plug-and-use capability, the...

The Best Workstation/Server Chassis

Thu, 3 May 2007 11:03:14 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulphoto - The Chenbro SR10569-BK is referred to as a mid-range server or a workstation, merely for the fact that it features limited storage support – if four internal hard drives are not enough for your storage, that is. Chenbro refers to this model as SR105...