Gibhunter
Top 1000 Contributor
Gibhunter's Stats
- Review Count61
- Helpfulness Votes482
- First ReviewFebruary 1, 2008
- Last ReviewJune 20, 2017
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating3.7
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count15
- Helpfulness Votes27
- First Review CommentMarch 20, 2011
- Last Review CommentMay 5, 2017
- Featured Review Comments0
Questions
- Question Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First QuestionNone
- Last QuestionNone
- Featured Questions0
- Answer Count59
- Helpfulness Votes4
- First AnswerMay 27, 2008
- Last AnswerDecember 5, 2015
- Featured Answers0
- Best Answers3
Intel - Core™ i7-2700K Quad-Core 3.5GHz Processor
This Intel® Core™ i7-2700K quad-core processor features an 8MB L3 cache for excellent multitasking capability. Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 3000 deliver lush images and vivid detail.
Nice Upgrade!
Customer Rating
5.0
Features
5.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
Video Review:
(click to see the video)
What's great about it: easy install, powerful
What's not so great: price, integrated GPU is pretty bad, but usable
So this particular processor went into an old DVD player that was gutted and had a home theater pc (HTPC) put in. Before this processor I was running an Atom Dual core and it couldnt keep up with much for HD video - forget about streaming HD video from sites like Hulu/youtube/Boxee/Netflix.
Now, with this i7 quadcore in place the HTPC handles EVERYTHING like a god.
i7-2700K - stock clock to keep the temps low.
ASRock H67M-ITX/HT LGA 1155 Intel H67 Motherboard
8GB Ripsaw DDR3 @ 1333mhz
80Gb Intel SSD
SeaSonic SS-300TFX Bronze 300W PSU
2TB Seagate Network Attached Storage for movies which stream over wifi (works great with Linksys E4200 Router)
Remote sensor built in
Bluetooth wireless trackpad/keyboard
"Unified Remote" through phone/wifi control.
Xbox 360 controller to play games on steam.
Now, with this i7 quadcore in place the HTPC handles EVERYTHING like a god.
i7-2700K - stock clock to keep the temps low.
ASRock H67M-ITX/HT LGA 1155 Intel H67 Motherboard
8GB Ripsaw DDR3 @ 1333mhz
80Gb Intel SSD
SeaSonic SS-300TFX Bronze 300W PSU
2TB Seagate Network Attached Storage for movies which stream over wifi (works great with Linksys E4200 Router)
Remote sensor built in
Bluetooth wireless trackpad/keyboard
"Unified Remote" through phone/wifi control.
Xbox 360 controller to play games on steam.
See the pic attached of how small and crammed with parts this case is.. this thing at stock clocks with a stress test going stays FAR cooler than the dual core atom did. It reaches 55C max, 35ish Idle. I was afraid I would have to underclock this to keep it cool, but considering nothing I throw at it uses more than 40% cpu,I kept it stock. It stays around 35C with the 2 exhaust fans on low - they jump up when the temp hits 56C, which I have heard happen only once while gaming.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
Seagate - FreeAgent GoFlex 2 TB 3.5" Network Hard Drive - Desktop
Build or modify your own PC:Yes
Level of Expertise:Expert
Primary reason for building/modifying PC:Hobbiest
+6points
7out of 8found this review helpful.
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Kaspersky Anti-Virus (1-Year Subscription) - Windows
Simplify your software experience and protect your PC. Learn more ›Provide your computer with the essential protection it needs to keep you safe against the ever-growing threat of cybercriminals. Kaspersky Anti-Virus combines trusted virus and spyware protection to increase your computer's defenses against the threats that lurk on the Internet. With this reliable software suite, you'll be able to fend off online attacks, protect your personal data and surf the Web in confidence.Kaspersky Anti-Virus arms your computer against an array of online threats, including viruses, spyware, Trojans, worms, rootkits and bots. As you surf, Kaspersky Anti-Virus scans all Web sites for malicious software and helps guard against phishing and identity theft. The program also detects vulnerabilities in applications and secures them to protect against potential threats. Designed for fast performance, Kaspersky Anti-Virus works smoothly to protect you without slowing you down, granting you greater peace of mind as you roam the Internet.
Slow
Customer Rating
1.0
Ease of Use
5.0
What's great about it: looks good
What's not so great: cant pronounce name, slow updates.
Updates take hours on end each day, kaspersky needs to buy a server in the US, the updates from their Russian severs take way to long.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-1point
1out of 3found this review helpful.
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Polk Audio - PSW 12" 300-Watt Powered Subwoofer - Cherry
Achieve room-shaking lows with this powerful Polk Audio PSW125 CHERRY 110V powered subwoofer that features a Klippel-optimized composite woofer cone for great performance, even at extreme listening levels.
BOom!
Customer Rating
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
What's great about it: power and sound quality
What's not so great: size
Smooth strong bass, this sub is a LOT bigger than I thought from pictures. I have it paired with Polk TSI200's and a CS10 center with klipsch promedia ultras in the rear, and the sub will overpower them easily (I keep it turned down to match). The great thing about this sub is how it can take a speaker input so you can have a sub with older receivers without a sub out. I do not like how the finish is different than the TSI200 and CS10 - it looks cheaper. This thing can really fill the void from bookshelf and todays towers that usually only have 6-7" woofers.
This product has... Easy to set up, Good build quality, huge
About me... Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Polk Audio - PSW 12" 300-Watt Powered Subwoofer - Black
Achieve room-shaking lows with this powerful Polk Audio PSW PSW125 BLACK 110V powered subwoofer that features a Klippel-optimized composite woofer cone for great performance, even at extreme listening levels.
BOOM
Customer Rating
5.0
Sound Quality
5.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
What's great about it: Price, power, features, sound
What's not so great: HUGE,
I have this subwoofer currently with Polk TSI200's, a CS10 (i think) center and soon to have T15's for the rear.
What I like most about this subwoofer is how it can literally be hooked to ANY system - be it home theater, a bookshelf stereo, or added to a computer speaker setup with a headphone splitter.
This thing has a line in input (easy to work with if you have a RCA to 3.5mm" cable), it also has something I had not seen before.. a speaker in speaker out for left and right channel. If you have an ancient classic receiver you can still have a sub in the mix by routing your speakers through the heavy gauge speaker inputs. See attached photo if needed*
Sound: It has boom, it is smooth, I havent heard it strain even listening to Dubstep or HipHop music. For movies it can provide a great thunder effect and has a good boom in movies. The cross over knob on the back and volume knob is awesome too for receivers with limited adjustment options.
This thing is HUGE, everyone who I have shown so far has been amazing at how large it is.. it would make a great ottoman if it had a pillow top. Make sure you have room for it before buying.
It has auto on, so it doesnt waste much power when not in use by detecting when a signal is present and active.
Overall, it blends very well with the TSI200's and is capable of overpowering them if turned up high.
This product has... Easy to set up, Good build quality, large, lots of connection options
About me... Tech savvy
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
Polk Audio - 5-1/4" Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Cherry
(6)
Polk Audio - 5-1/4" Center-Channel Speaker Parent: Center-Channel Speakers - Black
Polk Audio - T15 100 Watt Home Theater Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) | Dolby and DTS Surround | Wall-Mountable - Black
(3,626)+14points
18out of 22found this review helpful.
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PNY - 16GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Memory Card
With up to 50MB/sec. data transfer rates, this PNY P-SDHC16G10H-GE SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 memory card is ideal for taking demanding action photos or recording high-definition videos with your compatible camera or camcorder.
Awesome
Customer Rating
5.0
What's great about it: Value, speed
What's not so great: not 32GB
I have 3 of these, one in my car radio (16GB of music on hand is awesome), my digital camera which takes 1080p video, and my GoPro HD. These cards perform great in each application. In my car, I had a class 6 card before and it took almost 10 seconds longer to scan the card each time I start my card before playing music. Now its down to ~20 seconds which is worth the wait for 16GB of music. 1080p video recording has been flawless.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+7points
8out of 9found this review helpful.
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Avid - M-Audio MobilePre USB Audio Interface
Turn your PC or Mac into a recording studio with this USB audio interface that includes ProTools SE software with more than 100 virtual instruments for creative sounds. Four top-panel knobs let you adjust input and output levels and headphone volume.
works fine
Customer Rating
5.0
Sound Quality
4.0
Durability
5.0
Video Review:
(click to see the video)
What's great about it: It works
What's not so great: price for such a seemingly simple device
It works fine on windows 7 without even downloading special drivers from the website.. windows automatically installed it from windowsupdate (this is in response to the negative review below).
Anyway, I got this to interface a guitar to my PC and be able to use guitar rig without lag. In ableton Live 8 I can set this mobile pre as the sound card and ASIO drivers work great on it with ~8ms latency, which I can barely detect.
Also, unlike some brands I have noticed this one has powerful amps built in for both the phantom power and the headphone out. It works great all around.
See the attached video.. it shows how handy having a second soundcard (the mobile pre) is when using ASIO drivers.. which normally wont let you play a song in WMP while the drivers are activated. Also.. listen for the lag.. Laptop is an HP DM4, 8GB ram, i5@2.4ghz, and solid state hard drive.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+12points
18out of 24found this review helpful.
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Forza Motorsport 4 - Xbox 360
Your hands tremble as they hover over the steering wheel. You relax your arms and let your hands fall instinctively into place. Your foot is aching with the anticipation of pushing the pedal to the floor. Your eyes are trained on the track as you mentally prepare for every twist and turn. You look left, then right. Your opponents are focused and silent. You see the flag being carried out. Any minute now. Adrenaline begins to pump through your body, and you tighten your grip on the wheel. This is it. You're about to go speeding forward into the world of Forza Motorsport.Rev your engine and prepare for a racing experience like never before when controller-based racing meets the freedom and interactive power of the Kinect. Get into gear with Forza Motorsport 4, the newest game to the Forza Motorsport franchise, featuring content from leading brands like Top Gear and many others. Use the Profile Import feature to automatically add gift cars to your garage based on your player level and cars in your garage in Forza Motorsport 3. Don't worry that all the hours of your hard work will go to waste — import the detailed layers and liveries you created in the Forza Motorsport 3 Livery Editor. With a history of top thrills and high ratings, Forza Motorsport 4 is sure to offer a realistic experience from tires to engine blocks.
Woot?!?
Customer Rating
3.0
The 2011 Subaru WRX does 0-60 in 4.7seconds. The STI is a tag slow due to gear ratios, but has a faster 0-100. In this game its aggrivating to see such a fast car go so slow.. like the game is in slow-motion. I counted a 0-60 of over 7 seconds, which makes everything feel so slow.. the car drags at 80+mph gaining unrealistically slow speed.
This product has... Appropriate for your kids
About me... Frequent player
I would recommend this to a friend!
-118points
11out of 140found this review helpful.
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GoPro - Tripod Mount - Black
This tripod mount is compatible with select GoPro quick-release cameras allowing you to attach your camera to most tripods.
Works
Customer Rating
4.0
What's great about it: works
What's not so great: cheap plastic
Does what it should - allows the GoPro to be mounted on any tripod. I turned mine into a use any camera with GoPro mounts. Take a bolt that fits the tripod screw hole, cut it ~1/3 inch long, and screw it in. Finally, break off the third plastic arm and now you can use your digital cam with GoPro mounts.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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GoPro - Chest Mount Harness
GoPro Chesty Chest Mount Harness: This GoPro chest mount for your camera makes it easy to capture exciting video and photos from the level of your chest. Perfect for any activity where you want a lower-than-the-helmet view of the action.
No good for biking
Customer Rating
2.0
Quality
4.0
What's great about it: comfortable compared to helmet cam mount, shakes least of all mounts but still shakes a lot.
What's not so great: price, plastic, design
As far as downhill mountain biking goes, I have the camera mounted pointing as far up as possible due to the design of the mounting system. Without a screen on the gopro I had no idea how my video was turning out, and sure enough at home all my video footage from the chesty was pointing straight down to the ground.
It is impossible with both me and the person I was with and his chesty to get useful footage of the bike and trail ahead while going down a mountain. The only good footage was while i was sitting up - which only happened for a few seconds at a time while going slow.
It is impossible with both me and the person I was with and his chesty to get useful footage of the bike and trail ahead while going down a mountain. The only good footage was while i was sitting up - which only happened for a few seconds at a time while going slow.
This mount I am sure is great for other things, but come on, make it more adjustable!!!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
-13points
6out of 25found this review helpful.
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GoPro - Camera Roll Bar Mount
Take dynamic action shots with your GoPro camera when you mount it to a radiator cap, bike frame, surfboard or tube with a diameter of 1.4-2.5" with this roll bar mount.
Broke on first use
Customer Rating
1.0
Quality
1.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
Video Review:
(click to see the video)
What's great about it: the idea
What's not so great: plastic, breaks easy, almost lost camera
I took this to Sunday River with hopes of mounting it to the seatpost for a behind my bike shot of the person in back of me. I had it mounted and tightened with a screw drive since this mount will move no matter how hard you hand tighten it with only a little force.
When mounting it, it felt cheap and I thought it might break at the base since the half circle grips are really really thin and flex a LOT when tightening.
Anyway, I got down the mountain using Level 2/5 (easy - step up from a gravel trail down the mountain) trails. At the bottom I noticed it was gone.. see pictures below for the break off point. My camera made no sound or feel when it popped off.
Anyway, after 2 trips walking down the mountain and wasting an hour I gave up. Lucky for me though the guy I was with spotted it on the chairlift up reflecting back at us.
The camera corrupted the last 20 seconds of the video so I lost the part where it fell off unfortunately, but in putting the camera back up against the broken mount I know with 100% certainty that my back wheel did not hit the camera - it is impossible at the height it was mounted.
When mounting it, it felt cheap and I thought it might break at the base since the half circle grips are really really thin and flex a LOT when tightening.
Anyway, I got down the mountain using Level 2/5 (easy - step up from a gravel trail down the mountain) trails. At the bottom I noticed it was gone.. see pictures below for the break off point. My camera made no sound or feel when it popped off.
Anyway, after 2 trips walking down the mountain and wasting an hour I gave up. Lucky for me though the guy I was with spotted it on the chairlift up reflecting back at us.
The camera corrupted the last 20 seconds of the video so I lost the part where it fell off unfortunately, but in putting the camera back up against the broken mount I know with 100% certainty that my back wheel did not hit the camera - it is impossible at the height it was mounted.
GoPro NEEDS to make $30 mounts out of metal, the place this mount snapped off has no effect from how tight it is mounted which wasnt overly tight IMO or loose, it was at the start of a plastic arm!
I almost lost a $300 camera because GoPro cheaped out on ALL of their mounts. A $30 mount shouldnt be made of thin flimsy plastic.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+2points
7out of 12found this review helpful.
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Gibhunter's Questions
Gibhunter has not submitted any questions.
What camera to buy?
I'm looking for a more portable digital camera which has: at least a 6x zoom; view finder; quick shutter speed (like instant); and requires common batteries (like AA or AAA). Brand does not matter, but the camera has to be pretty stout as I'll be using it outside.
Check out the 2 cameras attached, these are point and shoot sized cameras, but the internals are nearly equivalent to one of those big DSLR cameras for fast picture taking and adjustment. The lenses are interchangeable on these as well. As far as battery goes, most cameras now in the 300+ range will use their own special sized battery, however they will also get 400-600 photos off a charge or about 1.2 hours of HD video recording with continuous auto focus.
Products from my answer
Olympus - 12.3-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black
Sony - NEX-3 14.2-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
13 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
can you put a memory card in a waterproof camera?
for olympus stylus 8010 can you add or change the memory card?
Yes, it has the usual doors for battery and SD card removal as other cameras, the doors are just rubberized to prevent water from working its way in. Waterproof cameras generally warn the user all over to make sure there is no sand/hair/dust on the rubber that might break the seal.
Take a look also at the Panasonic DMC-TS1 DMC-TS2 or the upcoming DMC-TS10 too, it is olympus's main competitor.
Take a look also at the Panasonic DMC-TS1 DMC-TS2 or the upcoming DMC-TS10 too, it is olympus's main competitor.
13 years, 10 months ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
What is the best laptop for me?
I plan on getting a new laptop before the end of next year. With very little computer know-how, I don't know what to buy. My laptop is my life, and I use it for everyday tasks. It has replaced my regular hard drive using PC. I'll be taking it with me to college. I need something for:
- Pictures
- Music
- Gaming
- Programs
- Fast
- Lightweight and preferred big screen
I'm going to be designing video games, programs, and writing a lot. I have a tons of pics and music and some useless programs, and video game emulators.
- Pictures
- Music
- Gaming
- Programs
- Fast
- Lightweight and preferred big screen
I'm going to be designing video games, programs, and writing a lot. I have a tons of pics and music and some useless programs, and video game emulators.
Honestly it sounds dumb, but a macbook pro with windows 7 would meet your needs best in my opinion. The problem is finding a PC that is "lightweight" for gaming. The macbook pro's have decent GPUs for gaming and game design. Otherwise toshiba/gateway usually offer one or two gaming computers in each of their lineups but they are very thick and very heavy with low battery life.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
Don't know what I need
Want to create my own website. browse web,email, etc. nothing fancy,no game playing.
For what you list you could get away with any laptop or desktop offered at Best Buy, however your experience will be much better if you make sure to choose a laptop with a dual core processor. They usually start at $470. Single core processors are just slower to run the applications you list above and honestly most single core processors can barely play youtube videos today, and some of the low end dual core computers can play youtube fine even in 720p but cannot handle 1080p video through youtube.
If its in the budget pick a laptop with an Intel i5 processor, they run 700-900 but are far superior in performance of everyday tasks. Go for an Intel i7 if you have a lot of money to spend.
If its in the budget pick a laptop with an Intel i5 processor, they run 700-900 but are far superior in performance of everyday tasks. Go for an Intel i7 if you have a lot of money to spend.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
how many gigabits?
so im planning on buying a laptop for the first time soon and i have no clue how many gb i should get.. i'll mostly use it for music, chatting, e-mailing, storing pictures and a lot of surfing the web etc. but not much more than that and im not exactly sure how much each gigabit will hold. Help please?!?
Hi, first off to clarify, gigabits are for measuring speed while gigabytes are for storage.
There are 2 types of memory you might be referring to, memory and hard drive.
Memory for what you describe I would recommend 3-4 gigabytes. The computer manages your memory and will use more if you have more so I cant say how much a gigabyte will hold.
Hard drive, you could get away with 160GB but I would recommend at least 250 Gigabytes if you store photos and music <--- so you have room to grow your collections. A gigabyte is 1024 megabytes and a typical music song is ~4 megabytes while a typical photo ranges from 2-6 Megabytes depending on your camera. So each gigabyte can hold either ~250 songs or photos. And expect a computer to use upto 20GB for a recovery partition, 12GB for windows 7 and ~10GB will just disappear because of how drives are formatted for windows.
There are 2 types of memory you might be referring to, memory and hard drive.
Memory for what you describe I would recommend 3-4 gigabytes. The computer manages your memory and will use more if you have more so I cant say how much a gigabyte will hold.
Hard drive, you could get away with 160GB but I would recommend at least 250 Gigabytes if you store photos and music <--- so you have room to grow your collections. A gigabyte is 1024 megabytes and a typical music song is ~4 megabytes while a typical photo ranges from 2-6 Megabytes depending on your camera. So each gigabyte can hold either ~250 songs or photos. And expect a computer to use upto 20GB for a recovery partition, 12GB for windows 7 and ~10GB will just disappear because of how drives are formatted for windows.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
WiFI..
so im getting a laptop and i despretly want Wifi for the surfing webs and stuff like that and i heard a wireless router will give me Wifi to my laptop but does it matter that at my house i have slow AOL dialup?.. do you need like roadrunner or sumin to recieve internet conection to your laptop?
You cannot get wireless to work on dialup internet like AOL. You will have to get something like Time Warner's Road Runner, FAirpoint DSL, HugesNet, or a wireless broadband card which works through cell phone towers.
All laptops for sale at best buy have wireless built in so you just need a wireless router at your house and one of the high speed internet providers listed above.
All laptops for sale at best buy have wireless built in so you just need a wireless router at your house and one of the high speed internet providers listed above.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
How do i get my laptops product key?
I bought my laptop at Best Buy like 2 months ago. I need to use Microsft Excel and the computer is asking me for the product key to register it. Under my laptop there is a microsoft product key number with the same number of digits that the computer is asking me. However my computer does not accept it. Is there any other way i can get the product key for my computer?
That key on the bottom is the microsoft windows 7 key. There is no microsoft office key because computers only come with a trial for that program. You will need to purchase microsoft office 2007 OR switch to using microsoft works which should be included as a full version OR try "open office" a free alternative available online OR download the office 2010 beta which is good until some time in the fall this year.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
Battery won't stay connected
I have had my Gateway laptop since January and now the battery will not connect to the computer when it is on. The battery icon always says the battery is at 0% battery life, when it has been charging all night. The only way I can connect the battery back is by popping it out and then back in. This happens usually when the computer gets shut down, put on standby, or moved at all. Any suggestions to fixing this problem?
You have a couple options here. This sounds like a hardware issue but it also sounds like one covered under the manuf. warranty and also Best Buy Black Tie Protections if you have added that. You can since it is less than 1 year old contact gateway through the chat on their website and see how long the repair would take them (It will need to be sent out for service either way) or take it into your local Geek Squad and they can send it out for you. Geek Squads turn around time will be around 2-3 weeks so if gateway says they can do it in 1 week, I would take them up on that. They will mail you a box to ship it back to them in.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
What's a good computer choice for someone entering high school?
The saying "you get what you pay for" goes strongly with computers. You may see a few offerings on laptops in the $350-$400 range, and they often wont cut it for a pleasant experience. For around $480-$550 you should be able to find a laptop well suited for high school. Take a look through the weekly ads as they come and in particular look for computers with a dual core processor - in particular I would recommend an Intel i3 for basic use or the Intel i5 if you have $600-700 to spend. The i5 is a processor with enough power to handle future applications which looks to be soon based on youtube and other websites moving to high definition content. The sub $400 laptops usually have single core processors and really struggle to do the simple tasks such as browsing the internet while working on a document or playing music while doing homework.
Products from my answer
HP - Laptop with Intel® Core™ i3 Processor - Biscotti
Dell - Inspiron Laptop with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor - Black Obsidian
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine
GPS that works in Honduras, CA
I'm traveling to Honduras ,CA and need to get a GPS unit that will work down there. Any sugestions?
Joe.
Joe.
Any GPS will be able to connect to a GPS satellite in central america, but none of the GPSs sold in America have the maps preloaded by default. Most only come with United States and Canada - the answer is yes any will work, BUT you need to get a map update for central america. This does not from my searching look to be a product Best Buy sells currently, but a quick search on google bought me to some sites selling SD cards loaded with the maps ready to pop into your new GPS and use.
14 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Gibhunter
from
Bangor, Maine