Most Overrated Product of the Year

JavaFox · Jul 8, 2002, 08:03 AM

Yup, gather 'round and cast your vote, people!

What do you think is the year's MOST overrated product?

Arctic Silver -- Expensive, hard to clean up, Arctic Silver is marketed as a "high performance" thermal transfer compound. In reality, though, it outpeforms standard zinc-oxide thermal compound by such a pitifully small amount, it almost can't be measured!

Lian Li Cases -- Why?

Matrox Parhelia -- A card, presumably, by gamers, for gamers. Only it doesn't do too well in games.... Um, it looks pretty, though. Or something.

Intel's Pentium 4 -- The P4. There's a lot to say about the P4, isn't there? For starters, it is architecturally inferior to the Athlon. It needs a 400-500MHz advantage to outperform the more efficient AMD processor by any measurable amount. Oh, and, good DAMN is it expensive! For a P4 2.53GHz, expect to drop $650.00. For that price, you can get a processor that is a mere few percentage points slower (Athlon XP 2200+), a MSI KT3 ULTRA, 256MB of Corsair PC2700 RAM, a 7200-RPM ATA133 60GB Maxtor HDD, an ATi Radeon 8500LE, a US Robotics 56K modem, and a cheap-and-cheerful Codegen case. What are you, some kind of idiot?

Dom · Jul 8, 2002, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JavaFox
Yup, gather 'round and cast your vote, people!

What do you think is the year's MOST overrated product?

Arctic Silver -- Expensive, hard to clean up, Arctic Silver is marketed as a "high performance" thermal transfer compound. In reality, though, it outpeforms standard zinc-oxide thermal compound by such a pitifully small amount, it almost can't be measured!

Lian Li Cases -- Why?

Matrox Parhelia -- A card, presumably, by gamers, for gamers. Only it doesn't do too well in games.... Um, it looks pretty, though. Or something.

Intel's Pentium 4 -- The P4. There's a lot to say about the P4, isn't there? For starters, it is architecturally inferior to the Athlon. It needs a 400-500MHz advantage to outperform the more efficient AMD processor by any measurable amount. Oh, and, good DAMN is it expensive! For a P4 2.53GHz, expect to drop $650.00. For that price, you can get a processor that is a mere few percentage points slower (Athlon XP 2200+), a MSI KT3 ULTRA, 256MB of Corsair PC2700 RAM, a 7200-RPM ATA133 60GB Maxtor HDD, an ATi Radeon 8500LE, a US Robotics 56K modem, and a cheap-and-cheerful Codegen case. What are you, some kind of idiot?

I just knew the P4 would be a choice.

But I personaly like AMD, if not for them we would still be paying out the ass. I guess that applies to anything. Just like nVidia and ATI.

digitalwanderer · Jul 8, 2002, 09:02 AM

Where is XP on that list?

Dom · Jul 8, 2002, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by digitalwanderer
Where is XP on that list?

XP ownz joo!

Silentst2000 · Jul 8, 2002, 04:11 PM

Damn bias polls.

JavaFox · Jul 8, 2002, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Silentst2000
Damn bias polls.

It's the flamezone; it's supposed to be inflammatory.

Dom · Jul 8, 2002, 04:22 PM

Heh, every post from you is inflammatory. j/k.

JavaFox · Jul 8, 2002, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dom
Heh, every post from you is inflammatory. j/k.

Not true. I can be helpful, too! In fact, I'm so helpful that I have a fan club.

~~ByteMe~~ · Jul 8, 2002, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JavaFox
Not true. I can be helpful, too! In fact, I'm so helpful that I have a fan club.

Fan club? I think you should get back on your medication and stop listening to all those voices in your head. Just so you understand, when someone tells you to "blow" off it does NOT mean they are a fan.

People say your a perfect idiot. You may not be perfect but your doing a fine job being an idiot.

JavaFox · Jul 8, 2002, 06:21 PM

Surely, ByteMe, you can do better than that!

I'll bet it took you thirty minutes to come up with that post, too.

Dom · Jul 8, 2002, 06:33 PM

Java, stop deleting your DriverHeaven cookies and voting for the P4!

JavaFox · Jul 8, 2002, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dom
Java, stop deleting your DriverHeaven cookies and voting for the P4!

Psh, I'm more lazy than I am passionate about hating Intel. Why would I bother? Let's let the results speak for themselves.

Judas · Jul 9, 2002, 05:51 AM

HEY... were the hell is AOL on that poll!?

Ryoko · Jul 9, 2002, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by digitalwanderer
Where is XP on that list?

AMEN.

Malus · Jul 9, 2002, 06:23 AM

I think Pentium deserves the top spot. I'd rather have a Lian-Li case, with a Parhelia inside whose heatsinks are attached with Artic Silver, instead of a Pentiun IV anyday.

JavaFox · Jul 9, 2002, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Malus
I think Pentium deserves the top spot. I'd rather have a Lian-Li case, with a Parhelia inside whose heatsinks are attached with Artic Silver, instead of a Pentiun IV anyday.

LOL!

No, seriously, why no votes for the others?

digitalwanderer · Jul 9, 2002, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dom
XP ownz joo!

Maybe when it learns how to spell it will....

DallasStar · Jul 9, 2002, 11:22 AM

I voted for Lian Li.....why? Because most people keep saying "get lian li cases because they're aluminum...blahblahblah".... Why Lian-Li? Other companies make Aluminum cases too. Lian Li is the only one anyone ever recommends. Why is this? I don't know. The other cases are usually just as good and sometimes better (and of course sometimes worse).

Why not P4? Well, iduno, I didn't vote for P4 because their 2.53ghz processor really is powerful (ignoring the price and inefficiency).

Why not the Parhelia? Because it hasn't even been released yet. We shouldn't base our choices on reviews with drivers which the developers haven't even finished enough to have a first releasable nonbeta version.

Why not Arctic Silver? Because:

1. I've never used it.
2. Although its no different from regular "grease", it does last longer, so I'd be more than willing to just pay for that (yeah yeah, i agree, it is overrated on how well it helps cooling).

So THERE!!!

Judas · Jul 9, 2002, 02:43 PM

uh... how long does normal "grease" last?

JavaFox · Jul 9, 2002, 03:31 PM

Judas, there's no reason to put grease in quotes -- thermal compound really is grease. Or, more accurately, silicon-based oil with suspended thermally conductive particles.

Cheap grease can dry out after a few thousand hours of use.

digitalwanderer · Jul 9, 2002, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dallasstar
I voted for Lian Li.....why? Because most people keep saying "get lian li cases because they're aluminum...blahblahblah".... Why Lian-Li? Other companies make Aluminum cases too. Lian Li is the only one anyone ever recommends. Why is this? I don't know. The other cases are usually just as good and sometimes better (and of course sometimes worse).

I used to agree with you that Lian seemed just too over-hyped for an aluminum box, but I got to get my hands on one and poke around in it a bit at the last local PC show and I gotta admit I was impressed as hell. It's not just an aluminum case, that aluminum seemed to be about 18 gauge to me! (Very thick for those with no steel experience.

) And it was disgustingly well constructed and solid! I picked it up and shook it, (it was the heavest case I'd ever lifted!), as hard as I could, (you should have seen the freaking dealers face when the weirdo who was asking all the questions picked up his premiere, show piece item and shook it for all he was worth over his head. I like watching peoples reactions to things like that, I'm weird that way.

), and I could not hear ANY rattles or shakes! It was like one big solid fricking piece! Most "fan noise" problems I've had/heard about aren't really the fans, it's the way the fan make the imperfections in the case rattle. This sucker wouldn't rattle. No way, no how!

But the idea of shelling out $150 bucks for ANY case just seems like a real waste of your system building buck, that's the easiest part to go cheap on and not affect your performance! (Well, with a couple of extra fans and a little help from Mr. Tinsnips...

)

JavaFox · Jul 9, 2002, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by digitalwanderer
I used to agree with you that Lian seemed just too over-hyped for an aluminum box, but I got to get my hands on one and poke around in it a bit at the last local PC show and I gotta admit I was impressed as hell. It's not just an aluminum case, that aluminum seemed to be about 18 gauge to me! (Very thick for those with no steel experience. ) And it was disgustingly well constructed and solid! I picked it up and shook it, (it was the heavest case I'd ever lifted

*ahem* Aluminum is my metal of choice not because it is pretty, not because it "dissapates heat," and not because it'll make me popular with the girls.

I use an aluminum case because it is light. So, to me, having an aluminum 18-gauge, tank of a case really defeats the purpose of aluminum. Might as well make the case out of granite.

There is no reason, in my eyes, to have a heavy aluminum case, unless you like the way it looks.

UberLord · Jul 9, 2002, 10:41 PM

Also, Li-Lan cases are the only ones I know that come pre-modded with windows (case windows, not M$ windows)

JavaFox · Jul 9, 2002, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by UberLord
Also, Li-Lan cases are the only ones I know that come pre-modded with windows (case windows, not M$ windows)

Whatever -- plenty of cheap-o cases have Windows. Both of the following cases have a window, both are under $70, and one of them looks good (the aluminum one!).

Frodo301 · Jul 11, 2002, 06:48 AM

& it's not related to computer products, I would have to say the over rated and over hyped product of the year belongs to the Xbox.

Jul 8, 2002, 08:03 AM	#1
JavaFox E Pluribus Unum Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,203 Rep Power: 0	Most Overrated Product of the Year Yup, gather 'round and cast your vote, people! What do you think is the year's MOST overrated product? Arctic Silver -- Expensive, hard to clean up, Arctic Silver is marketed as a "high performance" thermal transfer compound. In reality, though, it outpeforms standard zinc-oxide thermal compound by such a pitifully small amount, it almost can't be measured! Lian Li Cases -- Why? Matrox Parhelia -- A card, presumably, by gamers, for gamers. Only it doesn't do too well in games.... Um, it looks pretty, though. Or something. Intel's Pentium 4 -- The P4. There's a lot to say about the P4, isn't there? For starters, it is architecturally inferior to the Athlon. It needs a 400-500MHz advantage to outperform the more efficient AMD processor by any measurable amount. Oh, and, good DAMN is it expensive! For a P4 2.53GHz, expect to drop $650.00. For that price, you can get a processor that is a mere few percentage points slower (Athlon XP 2200+), a MSI KT3 ULTRA, 256MB of Corsair PC2700 RAM, a 7200-RPM ATA133 60GB Maxtor HDD, an ATi Radeon 8500LE, a US Robotics 56K modem, and a cheap-and-cheerful Codegen case. *What are you, some kind of idiot?*

Jul 8, 2002, 09:02 AM	#3
digitalwanderer Colour Commentator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Highland, IN USA Posts: 5,619 Rep Power: 0	Your missing one aren't you? Where is XP on that list? __________________ WTF is up with the sigs?

Jul 8, 2002, 04:11 PM	#5
Silentst2000 Can I be cool? Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 355 Rep Power: 0	Damn bias polls. __________________ P4@2.4ghz Radeon 9700pro DDR 400 Nuff said

Jul 9, 2002, 06:23 AM	#15
Malus BSD SMASH! Join Date: May 2002 Location: A rabbit hole. . . Posts: 1,170 Rep Power: 0	I think Pentium deserves the top spot. I'd rather have a Lian-Li case, with a Parhelia inside whose heatsinks are attached with Artic Silver, instead of a Pentiun IV anyday. __________________ quad (FreeBSD/amd64 8-CURRENT): Intel Q6600 - Asus P5E-VM HDMI - 2x2 GB Kingston PC6400 DDR2 Ram - Seagate 320GB 7200RPM HD - 2xSeagate 1TB 7200RPM HD in RAID 1 via ZFS - Lite-On 20x DVD Multi Recorder - Coolermaster Centurion 5 router (FreeBSD/amd64 8-CURRENT): Intel E4500 - Intel D945GCNL - 2 GB PC6400 Mushkin Ram - Lite-On 48x24x48x16 - Seagate 320GB 7200RPM HD - Silverstone SST-SG02-F wanderer (FreeBSD/i386 7-CURRENT): Lenovo Thinkpad T61p mini (OS X 10.5): Intel Core 2 Duo @ 1.8Ghz, 4 GB Mushkin PC5400 Ram - Headroom MicroDAC Portable sound: Rockboxed iPod Video -> Westone UM2's Not-So-Portable Sound: Headroon MicroDAC -> Singlepower PPX3-SLAM -> Grado RS-1's or Beyerdynamic DT-880's Very-Not-Portable-Sound: Squeezebox v3 -> Denon AVR-1507 -> B&W 683's & Sunfire HRS-10

Jul 9, 2002, 11:22 AM	#18
DallasStar Junior Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wave Existence Posts: 2,065 Rep Power: 0	I voted for Lian Li.....why? Because most people keep saying "get lian li cases because they're aluminum...blahblahblah".... Why Lian-Li? Other companies make Aluminum cases too. Lian Li is the only one anyone ever recommends. Why is this? I don't know. The other cases are usually just as good and sometimes better (and of course sometimes worse). Why not P4? Well, iduno, I didn't vote for P4 because their 2.53ghz processor really is powerful (ignoring the price and inefficiency). Why not the Parhelia? Because it hasn't even been released yet. We shouldn't base our choices on reviews with drivers which the developers haven't even finished enough to have a first releasable nonbeta version. Why not Arctic Silver? Because: 1. I've never used it. 2. Although its no different from regular "grease", it does last longer, so I'd be more than willing to just pay for that (yeah yeah, i agree, it is overrated on how well it helps cooling). So THERE!!! __________________ "A picture of my existence... would show a useless wooden stake covered in snow... stuck loosely at a slant in the ground in a ploughed field on the edge of a vast open plain on a dark winter night." --- Franz Kafka

Jul 8, 2002, 04:22 PM	#7
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Heh, every post from you is inflammatory. j/k.

Jul 8, 2002, 06:21 PM	Thread Starter #10
JavaFox E Pluribus Unum Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,203 Rep Power: 0	Surely, ByteMe, you can do better than that! I'll bet it took you thirty minutes to come up with that post, too.

Jul 8, 2002, 06:33 PM	#11
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Java, stop deleting your DriverHeaven cookies and voting for the P4!

Jul 9, 2002, 03:31 PM	Thread Starter #20
JavaFox E Pluribus Unum Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,203 Rep Power: 0	Judas, there's no reason to put grease in quotes -- thermal compound really is grease. Or, more accurately, silicon-based oil with suspended thermally conductive particles. Cheap grease can dry out after a few thousand hours of use.

Jul 9, 2002, 10:41 PM	#23
UberLord A Legend in Underwear Join Date: May 2002 Location: Unknown Posts: 5,255 Rep Power: 0	Also, Li-Lan cases are the only ones I know that come pre-modded with windows (case windows, not M$ windows) __________________ Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout) Read my blog "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." Stephen Roberts

Jul 11, 2002, 06:48 AM	#25
Frodo301 Outraged Join Date: May 2002 Location: The mountains Posts: 584 Rep Power: 0	Although I Own One & Like It & it's not related to computer products, I would have to say the over rated and over hyped product of the year belongs to the Xbox. __________________ The greatest thing you'll every learn is to love, and be loved in return.