MackBolan
MackBolan's Stats
- Review Count15
- Helpfulness Votes101
- First ReviewJuly 29, 2015
- Last ReviewDecember 22, 2017
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating4.4
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First Review CommentNone
- Last Review CommentNone
- Featured Review Comments0
Questions
- Question Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First QuestionNone
- Last QuestionNone
- Featured Questions0
- Answer Count17
- Helpfulness Votes16
- First AnswerJuly 22, 2015
- Last AnswerJuly 14, 2017
- Featured Answers0
- Best Answers2
Verizon - $40 Refill Card
Verizon Prepaid $40 Refill Card allows you to pay for all your Verizon Prepaid services.
Easy peasy!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: MackBolan
from Bristol, PA
on December 22, 2017
Buy a phone or have one, less than 5 minutes & you're good for unlimited talk, text & 3GB 4G data for 30 days. Go online, add more money, add a line to save $10. Each line gets 3GB data/month @ 4G speed. More plans to choose from, all are easy. This is the lowest data plan they offer. The $30 card has no data.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
Mobile Submission: False
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Total by Verizon - Samsung Galaxy J1 4G LTE with 8GB Memory Prepaid Cell Phone (Verizon)
Get an upgrade without a contract with this Verizon Wireless prepaid Samsung Galaxy J1 smartphone. Whether you want to take selfies with the 2MP front camera or watch movies on the 4.3-inch display, this smartphone is easy to use. Save battery life with the ultra power-saving mode, and enjoy access to the internet with this Samsung Galaxy J1 smartphone.
Almost perfect
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: MackBolan
from Bristol, PA
on December 22, 2017
Seriously, the phone itself is awesome as far as durability goes, reception (Verizon), & cost! Minus a star for the poor camera. No anti-shake & you have to stay very still..& then it's still blurry 5 times later. Other than that, works as good as any Galaxy I ever owned & certainly worth the $32ea. Con is too much bloatware! Apps taking up 40% of storage, no biggie, delete. Smaller size is perfect, add a plastic LCD, a removable battery, all the functions of the big phones, this is a super deal. Cosmetically, it reminds me of my S3 in appearance but these are a nice blue with a slightly "grippy" feel. Responsive touchscreen. Excellent GPS via Google or whatever app. Superior battery life. Charged it 3 times in a week. Never fell below 50% though. Screen is scratch resistant & not glass! Buy it for life because it's that tough.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
Mobile Submission: False
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Samsonite - Laser Pro Slim Briefcase for 17.3" Laptop - Black
Only at Best BuyTake your gear on the go with this Samsonite Laser Pro 67646-1041 slim brief, which features a padded, removable compartment for a laptop with up to a 17.3" display, plus a pocket for your Apple® iPad® or tablet.
Has what you need
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: MackBolan
from Allentown, PA
on July 14, 2017
The only option in store was this for a 17" HP. For the cost it's decent. I wanted a harder type case but this is actually tougher than looks. It has enough pockets for storing a mouse, charger, papers, pens, whatever. They say iPad or tablet. A matter of price & availability in my case but it worked out.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
Mobile Submission: False
0points
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Logitech Wireless Mouse M325s. A better mix of precision and comfort-with designed-for-Web scrolling. Designed for how you use the Web, our newest micro-precise scrolling makes everything you love to do online easier. Its feel-good, contoured shape and textured grips help keep your hand happy-even after long hours. And with up to 18 months of battery life, it virtually eliminates the hassle of changing batteries.
Nice mouse!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: MackBolan
from Allentown, PA
on July 14, 2017
As always Logitech makes a nice mouse in many colors. A simple USB bud plugs in. Comes with a battery! Switch to turn off the mouse, compartment for storing the USB bud, mouse "sleeps" when left idle. These have long battery life. Range is excellent to about 15'. Nice size, not too big or small. Excellent tracking even without a pad. CHEAP!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
Mobile Submission: False
0points
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17.3" Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - HP finish in jet black
HP Laptop: This HP notebook is all about getting the perfect combination of design, reliability and great features. Style and productivity while keeping your wallet in mind - that's something to get excited about.
Too many updates on start see below
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: MackBolan
from Allentown, PA
on July 14, 2017
It could've been a 5 star, here's the pro's: 17" HD but not 1080p LED screen, HDMI out, DVD drive, webcam, USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB 2.0, 8GB DDR4, light, long battery life, SD card reader, 10/100/1000 LAN.
Cons: Tons of updates due to it being loaded with an upgraded version of Windows 10. Too much "bloatware". After plugging it in the large but super slow 1TB hard drive did many updates, removed all the "bloatware" in about 6 hours. No joke & I do this for a living. That hard drive holds back the i5 in a huge way. So adding a Samsung 500GB SSD to the purchase was worth it. After cloning the completely updated laptop, it boots fully in 10 seconds or so. No joke. Poor WiFi reception/speed due to the limited chip. Has a max of 70 or so mb/s on WiFi. Wired you get the full gig. An adapter got me 144.
Other thoughts: For those who want a big screen, light weight for the size, & an optical drive, this is a good way to go. I probably would have went 5 stars had it been "turn key". One shouldn't buy it unless they have hours of patience. They do offer a free set up via Geek squad, but that email came 2 days later. Do buy an SSD like the Samsung or PNY brands to get the best speed & don't need 1TB on a laptop. I would add another 8GB RAM to make it dual channel or upgrade both sticks. A 7th Generation i5 is nice but without the SSD, all that speed is held back. Weak WiFi on a laptop close to the $500 mark is unacceptable. 1080p would've been nice. But not mine anyway, was a gift & they are pleased.
Cons: Tons of updates due to it being loaded with an upgraded version of Windows 10. Too much "bloatware". After plugging it in the large but super slow 1TB hard drive did many updates, removed all the "bloatware" in about 6 hours. No joke & I do this for a living. That hard drive holds back the i5 in a huge way. So adding a Samsung 500GB SSD to the purchase was worth it. After cloning the completely updated laptop, it boots fully in 10 seconds or so. No joke. Poor WiFi reception/speed due to the limited chip. Has a max of 70 or so mb/s on WiFi. Wired you get the full gig. An adapter got me 144.
Other thoughts: For those who want a big screen, light weight for the size, & an optical drive, this is a good way to go. I probably would have went 5 stars had it been "turn key". One shouldn't buy it unless they have hours of patience. They do offer a free set up via Geek squad, but that email came 2 days later. Do buy an SSD like the Samsung or PNY brands to get the best speed & don't need 1TB on a laptop. I would add another 8GB RAM to make it dual channel or upgrade both sticks. A 7th Generation i5 is nice but without the SSD, all that speed is held back. Weak WiFi on a laptop close to the $500 mark is unacceptable. 1080p would've been nice. But not mine anyway, was a gift & they are pleased.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
Mobile Submission: False
+54points
61out of 68found this review helpful.
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Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB Internal Serial ATA Solid State Drive for Laptops and PC
With TurboWrite technology, this Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E500B 500GB internal SATA hard drive allows you to quickly update files. The 32-layer 3D VNAND flash memory ensures reliable performance, and AES 256-bit encryption keeps your data private.
Great drive...on sale!
Customer Rating
5.0
Samsung makes a great drive with the longest warranty out at 5 years! I've bought several in the last few years for new builds to fixing up older unit's. They are backwards compatible for SATA II, although that cuts the speed in half due to hardware limitations not related to the drive. When this brand goes on sale, grab one. The VNand RAM used is very fast & long lasting. Compares to many "pro" tier drives in speed, durability. Cost is the big thing, these drives are pricey, so get them on sale.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
Mobile Submission: False
0points
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PNY - CS1311 240 GB Internal SATA III Solid State Drive
Experience speeds up to 24 times faster than an HDD with this PNY 240BG SSD. It also operates at a lower temperature than a standard hard drive, providing even more performance improvements. Enjoy the drive's quiet operation, and save money on utility bills with this energy-efficient SSD. The PNY 240GB SSD is covered by a three-year warranty.
Best value & performance!
Customer Rating
5.0
These come in a few sizes, but I have used both the 240GB & 480GB versions in customer computers. I currently use one now as a "boot" drive. This brand/model can be used to replace ANY SATA hard drive in a desktop, laptop, Mac, or anything else needing a SATA drive. The speeds are as advertised, I get 480mb/s read/write while in Windows, so the speed is true. Overall installed size (GB) is larger than most drives. It can be used as a "stand alone" backup by simply using a "dock". Add all that to a low price & it's a winner all day. It has a 3 year warranty, I'm not even close. This one's in use 2000 hours & no issues. Should you need cloning software or partition tools, Acronis Home is provided via a download & code. In store you have basically 3 choices of brand/type/price SSD. This one's in the middle & the best value due to speed, construction, warranty, ease of install, & price. Not quoting my cost, but these hover around the $60 mark for a 240GB. Stay away from SanDisk SSD's (3 all were junk). The other brands I've had no problems with, just if you pay more, you're buying the name & not extra speed.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
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Insignia™ - 2-Way Indoor/Outdoor Speakers (Pair) - Silver
Enjoy your favorite tunes with these Insignia™ NS-OS312 2-way indoor/outdoor speakers that feature a weather-resistant design to provide protection from the elements. The 5" polypropylene woofers offer rich, full sound.
Rivals all major brands!
Customer Rating
5.0
I bought these to use as rear satellite speakers for my home theater & they are as good as my JBL mains! In fact, due to room size, I wound up using the 2 as a center channel & they work perfect in that array as well. For the price, I expected some plastic, tin canny, junk to get by with but instead found these to be as good as any of the other more expensive offerings here. It's a shame they are discontinued now & I got mine on clearance. These are not the same as the black type made by this same company. Those, I have not heard, however they are a smaller speaker in a flimsy plastic case, so figure. These are thick acoustic plastic, really heavy duty made. They are far from "light" & I would use them with a true receiver, not an HTIB, as they are rated at 100w ea. RMS. From music to movie dialogue, these tonally match my setup, which without specs, is 500w true RMS to JBL G400 mains, 10" powered sub & these as "center", all designed to clearly play the 10-20,000k ranges. As "rear" they work great, just this room is too small for rear speakers to be useful. As an "out door" speaker or "stand alone" speaker it would work fantastic. Plenty of volume with no distortion with the right "head" unit connected. Another good use would be on a boat since they are water resistant to a degree. The connection is nice for all speaker gauge wires, no stripping needed! Push through center, rear until the wire shows & hand tighten. The mounting bracket is sturdy, easy to hang sideways or vertically, & the speaker can be positioned 90 degrees left/right/up/down depending on the mounting direction. Very universal application, great sound, low price while you can still grab these. Only found them in white.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
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Keep your laptop cool with help from this Targus Dual Fan Chill Mat AWE61US cooling system, which utilizes USB-powered dual fans and a ventilated grille to dissipate heat. Rubber pads help keep your laptop securely in place.
Bad period.
Customer Rating
1.0
Worst laptop "cool mat" I've had. Cost $40 but is a flimsy, plastic, dual 12v fans powered via USB at 5v. Tons of air holes on it, fans are not optimally placed, powered @ 5v instead of 12v or a variable & lack of air flow direction, make this a useless air swirler. I can seriously blow more air with my mouth than both those fans. It uses 2 x 80mm "cpu" style fans daisy chained into a USB connector & both fans are roughly equal distance apart on the 12" frame. 12" to support a 15" laptop? Fans located to the bottom & no direction for flow, just plug it in & the fans barely blow a breeze right over top of them only. Laptops do not have very good underside air cooling, hence why we might want something that WORKS. Since I tried to modify the thing to actually do it's job & failed, I can't return it. Total waste of $40. It's "big brother" with the 4 port USB hub is even worse. Stay away from this & the more expensive version of this product.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
+14points
28out of 42found this review helpful.
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Samsung - 850 EVO 250GB Internal Serial ATA Solid State Drive for Laptops
With a 250GB capacity, this Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E250B internal Serial ATA hard drive provides plenty of space for your digital media. TurboWrite technology delivers rapid read and write speeds for efficient performance.
Can't beat this drive!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: MackBolan
from Allentown, PA
on April 2, 2016
As with previous EVO drives, this one has plenty of speed & storage for any laptop, or desktop boot drive. They have a sturdy steel case, are universal in most SATA applications, offer blazing speeds reliably & the cost is justified. Spending $10-20 less on a different brand will leave you disappointed. I started with a Sandisk that was on sale & wound up needing to return it & buy this one like I was originally planning. I really like the steel case on these & use them for storing data over using usb flash drives for large amounts of data. So easy to install compared to other makes & if you want to really wake up a slow laptop or PC, clone your hard drive onto this & see the difference! Price wise, competitive with the rest, however just a few dollars more & the extra is so much worth it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Verified Purchaser:Yes
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
My Best Buy number: 2858795954
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MackBolan's Questions
MackBolan has not submitted any questions.
17.3" Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - HP finish in jet black
HP Laptop: This HP notebook is all about getting the perfect combination of design, reliability and great features. Style and productivity while keeping your wallet in mind - that's something to get excited about.
17.3" Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - HP finish in jet black
HP Laptop: This HP notebook is all about getting the perfect combination of design, reliability and great features. Style and productivity while keeping your wallet in mind - that's something to get excited about.
Insignia™ - 50' Speaker Wire - Clear
Only @ Best BuyEasily connect your speakers to an A/V receiver or amplifier using this Insignia™ NS-HS50501 speaker wire that features 18-gauge thickness for durability and 50' length to enable versatile setup.
what does "marked polarity" mean
what does "marked polarity" mean 50ft. 18 gauge
It means that one wire is marked, typically with a stripe, to denote negative or positive. Most applications use the striped side as the negative, like speakers. By now you probably figured this out. Question asked 1 year & 1 month ago.
7 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
Insignia™ - 50' Speaker Wire - Clear
Only @ Best BuyEasily connect your speakers to an A/V receiver or amplifier using this Insignia™ NS-HS50501 speaker wire that features 18-gauge thickness for durability and 50' length to enable versatile setup.
What is the best gauge speaker wire to use with Bose 301 speakers??
All speakers work best with the largest gauge wire possible, 18 being the "standard". See my review on this product. While it will work fine for any speaker that you can attach manually, it is over priced in my opinion & in fact by searching it out. So be it Bose or any other brand, if it takes separate wire, use 18 gauge braided speaker wire of any brand & you'll be fine.
7 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
Seagate - 1TB Internal Serial ATA Hard Drive for Desktops
Ideal for use with desktop performance towers, all-in-one computers, consumer-grade NAS devices or desktop RAID arrays, this Seagate internal hard drive features a 1TB capacity, so you can store plenty of digital files.
Is this marked with "AF" for "Advanced Format"?
This would be on a physical label on the drive itself with the other "logos" and perhaps on the box.
Not sure, but it doesn't matter. This drive is for any SATA desktop that holds a 3.5" internal hard drive. It can be formatted into any format, DOS, Linux, Unix, Windows, etc. Not MAC, they use a "special" drive format & drive.
8 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
from
Allentown, PA
Seagate - 1TB Internal Serial ATA Hard Drive for Desktops
Ideal for use with desktop performance towers, all-in-one computers, consumer-grade NAS devices or desktop RAID arrays, this Seagate internal hard drive features a 1TB capacity, so you can store plenty of digital files.
Is this product compatable with HP desktop a6700y model numberNC686AAA#ABA
Yes it will fit. Keep in mind, it's a bare drive with no operating system. I would clone the old drive to the new using the supplied software or download from Seagate for free. If you are changing this drive because of speed issues, forget that. These PC's were slow from day one. Upgrade the CPU, memory, & put a video card in for better performance.
8 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
from
Allentown, PA
Insignia™ - 400W ATX Power Supply - Gray
Keep your important computer components running with this Insignia™ 400W ATX power supply that features a 6-pin PCI Express connector for simple installation. The 4.7" fan provides efficient cooling to ensure optimal performance.
Will this work well in my HP Pavllion 500-281?
Yes, just if you have an aftermarket video card or upgraded the cpu or ram, you may want more juice.
Products from my answer
Insignia™ - 520W ATX Power Supply - Silver
(416)
Thermaltake - TR2 430W ATX 12V V2.2 Power Supply - Black
(485)
Thermaltake - Smart Series 650W ATX 12V v2.3/EPS 12V 80 Plus Power Supply - Black
(598)8 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
from
Allentown, PA
Frigidaire - 6,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner - White
With 3 cool settings, 3 fan speeds and 8-way air direction control, this Frigidaire FFRE06B3Q1 window air conditioner lets you regulate the temperature in an area up to 250 sq. ft. An on/off timer allows you to program settings up to 24 hours in advance.
Maximum window width
Is a 38" window too wide for this unit, or will the window installation "wings" extend that far?
I would think it is too wide.
8 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
Frigidaire - 6,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner - White
With 3 cool settings, 3 fan speeds and 8-way air direction control, this Frigidaire FFRE06B3Q1 window air conditioner lets you regulate the temperature in an area up to 250 sq. ft. An on/off timer allows you to program settings up to 24 hours in advance.
How long is the electrical cord that comes with the unit?
About 7ft.
8 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
MackBolan
Frigidaire - 6,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner - White
With 3 cool settings, 3 fan speeds and 8-way air direction control, this Frigidaire FFRE06B3Q1 window air conditioner lets you regulate the temperature in an area up to 250 sq. ft. An on/off timer allows you to program settings up to 24 hours in advance.
Can I buy the mounting hardware only for this AC somewhere?
I was given this AC unit however the screws, lock frames, and seals were not given to me. Is there someone I can purchase it separately?