Garmin Vivomove Luxe Stainless Steel Case with Navy Italian Leather Band
06 Sep, 2021
Well crafted health tracker
Straight off the bat, this watch is NOT worth its asking price. Given that I purchased it for less than half RRP, it is slightly more palatable.
It is suited for a small niche of people that really don't want a smartwatch, but want the health tracking data. Given you want a watch to track various strenuous activities, there are far better choices on the market.
It seems to be fairly well made, though I question its longevity as a watch in terms of software updates and battery. Talking of battery, the lifespan of 3 days is really quite disappointing for a hybrid. Though on balance, other watches on the market in this category have their own issues, it is a question of which issue you wish to deal with. I hope in a few years the hybrid smartwatch will evolve into something better than all the current offerings.
I've seen reviews complaining of the weight, but I guess this is relative, I normally wear a Citizen Eco watch, which is around 5 times heavier than this.
The leather strap is nice enough, though I could not adjust to it after years of wearing metal bands, so I replaced it with a Milanese stainless band, which really looks the part and is far more comfortable for me.
The Garmin Connect app really shines, it has all the data I need and more. I particularly like that it is also available on the desktop as a website.
The AMOLED display is very pretty when you can see it; it is very poor in sunlight. For me this doesn't detract from the watch, it is still gathering data, whether I can see it or not.
Noctua NF-P12 redux-1300 PWM high-performance quiet 120mm fan, ideal for PC case
07 Jun, 2020
Quietly expensive
Needed a single fan for a mini-PC that sits on my desk, so quiet was a must. It doesn't disapoint in this regard, in fact my CPU fan can be heard above it, which is futher in the case.
I cannot say whether this would be my choice if decking out a full tower, it's something I'd need to consider. The primary concern here is the price point, and that it's essentially 'incomplete', you need to purchase rubber mounts seperately. If quiet it you goal like mine, you'll need these.
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
25 Oct, 2019
Stealthy quiet mini powerhouse
For occasional gamers, this card is just the ticket. It's main benefit is to be able to sit 2-3° above ambient temperature with no fans spinning whilst using Windows desktop, in fact it runs cooler than my SSD!
Whilst running games, fans will spin up, though they remain inaudible until they are pushed to 80% speed. Most games will run at medium/high settings @ 1080p.
Requires a 6 pin PCI-E power connector, as this card runs just over 75W when at full throttle.
Cannot comment in LEDs and lighting, as I cannot see the card in my case.