Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory

Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory..

Special Price Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory By Canon

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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful.
Well built, good camcorder
By M. Montana
I record a LOT of live performances, where its typically very dark, with fog and flashing lights/lasers. I think this is the most extreme that anyone could ever hope to record on a budget of under 20k. The G10/G20 are the ONLY non-pro camcorders that are usable for this. I have 4 camcorders total, so I will compare/contrast them in the context of how I use them.

1) Canon g20. G20 is essentially a g10 that has been fixed. Audio is MUCH better, Digital zoom has been removed (it was useless on the g10), Telemacro has been added. Powered IS has been moved to the touch screen and replaced with a 'Pre-Record' button (but this is changeable in manual mode), the low light seems a tiny bit better, side by side the g20 looks a tiny bit brighter than the g10, but where it REALLY makes a difference is the noise in the video. Shadows are cleaner/crisper.

2) Canon G10. This was the prime camcorder before I got the G20, I would try to hand record the entire concert on just this. With the other 2 camcorders as 'emergency backups' to clip to if I absolutely could not save a section of video (like someone walking in front of me, or a band member jumping off stage without me catching it). The Audio was beyond piss poor though, despite my best efforts it would always sound tinney, and lack on vocals.

3) Canon M30. I used this as the backup, Usually very dark and nearly unwatchable. Colors usually off. However, prior to the g20, this was the best source for audio, when connected to a shotgun mic. Audio is FAR better than the G10, but close to the G20.

4) JVC Everio 440US. Not even sure why I would bring this or set it up. Unless the lights were very bright, it just picked up noisy black, and the audio was tolerable, but far from good. It really was useless unless it was less than 2' from a person. During daylight its actually a GREAT camcorder, but has basically no low light ability.

I LOVE the new hood design, its nice having a cap built into the hood. Eye piece looks nicer.

Overall the g20 truly is a g10, specs are identical. I suspect there was a firmware update and very minor hardware changes to make the new model. I was actually trying to buy a second G10 when this hit the market. I was pleasantly surprised at the minor changes, but if you are buying this as an upgrade from a G10.... Maybe hold off till you can grab the g25 (pro model) or g30 (which supports 60p), otherwise you will likely be disappointed. It IS better than the g10, but not by enough to justify spending a grand to upgrade.

Some Misc info for people to consider buying with this:
58 mm uv filter (evena cheapo will be fine... just protects your lens from scratches/dirt/etc)
3000 mah wasabi extended battery pack, (works perfectly in this, shows time remaining, etc)
2x32 gig SDHC cards. Comes with 32gig built in, but its nice to know you have 3 separate places to record to. Plus the usb interface is slow for dumping video to a computer.

58 of 66 people found the following review helpful.
Fantastic camera! You won't be disappointed!
By Oscar Wilde
Right out of the box, it seemed very solid and high quality which one should expect for the price. The new lens hood not only works better, but also looks a lot cooler. The touch tracking focus works great and is extremely useful. In low light this camera really is just amazing. It's much better for that than any dslr I've used. The image stabilizer is very helpful. I have compared it to my dslr footage and it is MUCH more stable meaning you probably don't need a shoulder rig. I just wish that the focus ring was not so hard to turn because some times i mess up the video when trying to turn it really far. The only advantage for me when shooting with a dslr is that you get manual zoom. But it's still fine with this camera. Also, the battery that it comes with is very small, so I would recommend buying some extras. The off brand batteries will work great and it's super cheap. But other than those two things, this camera is just perfect. If you aren't super picky about audio than this is fine. But if your in a production business and need really good sound quality, you should look at the xa10.

I was a little hesitant to buy this because I thought it was going to have a deeper depth of field according to what I have read about camcorders in general. Someone also told me that camcorders don't have a shallow depth of field. When I first took it for the test, i was quite surprised. The performance was really pretty good, so don't be too worried about that if you like a shallow depth of field. Using manual focus is great and I can get a lot out of focus.

I don't think that it's weather proofed, but i have never had a problem and am never afraid to take it out in some snow which I do quite often. Like I said at the top, it is quite solid meaning it's pretty heavy compared to the other camcorders i was looking at below $1500. So if you want to go skiing with it and put it in your pocket, it will weigh down your jacket. So bringing a backpack if your going skiing or for a hike is a good idea.

I love using dslr's and were used to them. But now I can never come back to dslr's. Using this camera is just so easy and simple. You can start shooting so quick. The start up time is pretty good, especially compared to dslr's I've used. I know that some nikon's have auto focus for video, but there is no comparison. The auto focus on this camcorder is lightning, and i never worry about it in low light. Also, most dslr's that do auto focus during video is loud enough to ruin audio. And obviously, This is completely silent. And this makes the camera just that more simple and easy.

I am very happy with the camera so far. I have tried to upload some test video but it said that it wouldn't except the format. So if you already have a g10, than it probably isn't worth upgrading. But highly recommended and you will most likely be satisfied.

49 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Great camcorder for the DSLR fan
By mkgraham
I thought I would never get a camcorder with all the high tech HD video modes of capture out there these days. I found using video on my Canon 5d mark II superb in quality but lacked real layman control. I missed being able to focus instantaneous in a shot and the form factor of a DSLR as a video camera definitely is not there for run and gun situations I am finding my self into chasing a 2 year old around. Sure you can spend money on an elaborate setup that can turn the DSLR into something like a camcorder but I like the compactness the likes of the G20 offered.

So enter the Canon Vixia HF G20. I was interested in a sub $1200 HD camcorder and I am always a first to want a new thing so in return, and you, get an early review having 2 weeks with it so far. From what I know the camcorder is exactly the same as the G10 predecessor except for the new HD Pro sensor that allows more light capture. So I preordered and at the same time ordered this great book (I know its for the G10 and XA10, but all the G20 has is the better sensor) - Professional Results with Canon Vixia Camcorders: A Field Guide to Canon G10 and XA10 Now with the camcorder, I am happy I have read the book and use little of the huge manual that came with the G20.

So far it has shocked me how well the camcorder takes video and although the controls do take a little time to master, the touch screen works well. Maybe they did improve on it from the complaints I read on the G10.

I did drop one star for two reasons. The battery that comes with it is terrible so you best splurge on the max capacity one Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG, HF S & HF M Camcorders (Retail Packaging). Also I wish they included a shoulder strap to carry the camcorder around easily.

So I will promise to update in 6 months, but so far so good!

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HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer (M451nw)

HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer (M451nw)..

Special Price HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer (M451nw) By HP

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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful.
A really great printer for home or office!
By SeaGoddess2403
I recently talked my employer into purchasing this printer for me to replace a very old, very slow HP LaserJet that was seemingly first made when dinosaurs roamed the earth (circa 2005 AD). I used the online ratings to choose it, and I'm so glad I did!

So far, it has been great. It is very fast; the first sheet prints out in less than 10 seconds. The color is beautiful... photos print out rich and life-like. There is a setting to lessen paper curl, which was a real problem with my old printer. It easily handles manual feeds for labels, envelopes and the like (load face up and top forward). And, best of all, it features automatic two-sided duplexing (important for printing double sided newsletters or other marketing materials). In summary, it's everything I wanted in my new printer!

That being said, there is one thing to note, however... it was a complete BEAR to install. Initially, I called my IT company to install the driver from the website (yes, there was a disc provided, but I didn't want the inevitable accompanying bloatware). First of all, the printer was not a plug and play; it didn't really detect the printer as a device when plugged in, but rather showed up as a program. That aside, everytime the IT tech went to install it from the downloaded driver, right at 99%, the printer failed to install and the computer (also an HP) needed to be restarted. He tried this 3 seperate times, and each cycle took about 35-40 minutes. When he was unable to install it that way, he had me try inserting the disc. That did not work either - another fatal error, another re-start. So my IT technician was forced to call HP Tech Support for assitance. The first thing asked by HP was if my USB cord was longer than 6 feet (it wasn't). They said that cables longer than 6' long could cause install issues (? not sure how). Since that wasn't the case, we were then told that there were known issues with setting this printer up using the default SmartInstall feature and it had to be manually disabled from the printer itself. HP gave me the step by step directions to disable it via the printer's menu and sure enough, it then quickly installed.

To anyone who is having trouble installing this printer, try going through the menu to disable SmartInstall. That should solve any problems you have.

Aside from the 4 hour install problem, I really do love my new printer and recommend it readily.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
Good quality, but quirky
By T. Dokland
I bought this as a replacement for the office when our old b/w HP 2300 finally gave in after almost 9 years of service. In my opinion, HP makes good quality, solid laser printers, but their software leaves a lot to be desired, being cumbersome, slow, bloated and buggy.

Indeed, this printer delivers excellent quality prints in both b/w and color. Prints are razor-sharp and colors are vibrant. I was a bit concerned about the stated 600 dpi resolution, since our old printer and the more expensive 500-series models, reportedly have 1200 dpi resolution, but that does not seem to make any difference at all. (It might make a difference for photo printing, but we don't do much of that.) While toner cartridges are expensive, they do last quite long (though not as long as the huge cartridge on the old HP 2300), and it's definitely cheaper than inkjet.

However, there are some quirks. We use the printer hooked up to wired internet, and that works well. I was never able to get it work on the wireless, and it seems you cannot use both wired and wireless simultaneously. The printer is reasonably fast under normal conditions, but not nearly as fast as our old HP 2300, which really cranked them out. You may have to wait 20-30 sec for the first page to come out. More troublesome is it that the printer has a tendency to freeze up at regular intervals. Suddenly and for no apparent reason, it won't print, delivers a "spool area full" message, and deleting the job and resetting the queue won't work. The only way to fix it is to turn the printer off and back on again. In spite of this, I am pretty happy with this printer.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Great Printer for ePrint and Apple AirPrint
By AJ iEverything Guy
I was recently introduced to the function of AirPrinting with our iPads and iPhones. As soon as I saw how easy and functional it was, I had to have a printer that was capable of performing. After some extensive research and checking out many different models, I made the plunge to get this printer. We use both Macs and PC's in our home and found that it was a little difficult to get the printer setup initially with the Mac but once we set it up with the PC, it took about 15 minutes. There's also a really easy to use "ePrint" app that you can get from the Apple Store which allows you to print anything remotely from your phone. Finally, you can even setup an email address where anyone can print to your printer if they send an attachment to your email address setup for printing.

All in all, a good printer. I would have given it 5 stars if I could have set it up with the Mac and saved 30 minutes but all in all, a good experience.

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Safety Siren Pro Series3 Radon Gas Detector - HS71512 by Family Safety Products, Inc.

Safety Siren Pro Series3 Radon Gas Detector - HS71512 by Family Safety Products, Inc...

Grab Now Safety Siren Pro Series3 Radon Gas Detector - HS71512 by Family Safety Products, Inc. By Family Safety Products, Inc

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206 of 210 people found the following review helpful.
Believe it really works
By Stud
The documentation I got with my house showed a radon reading above 50.0 before a mitigation system was installed and < 4.0 after it was installed.
The radon mitigation fan broke and I falsely thought painting / sealing the basement floor (years ago) would stop the radon.
After plugging in this unit I got a reading (after a few days) around 10.0 and it went up day by day. I replaced the mitigation fan when the reading was around 20.0. This unit then showed the level go down each day (took about 2 weeks to get to safe level).
Highly recommend this considering you can spend $15.00 a pop on those radon testers you mail in. One I used said I had a safe level.

88 of 95 people found the following review helpful.
Works as expected, but documentation could be better
By A. Dulin
I bought this gizmo a few weeks ago to monitor the basement in our new house and see if it is usable as an entertainment/gym area. In the summer when we did the radon test the result came in at 2.4 . When I first turned on this device the result came in at 8.4 !!

That made me freak out a bit, but after re-reading the instruction I realized that placing the detector 2 feet away from the sump hole may not be the right thing to do. So, I moved it closer to the middle of the basement and reset it. After a couple of days the reading came in at 4.6 .

During heavy rains the device showed readings of as high as 5.9 and it went down to 4.2 during dry weather.

Before taking any drastic measures I decided to first do some common sense maintenance tasks on the basement to at least prevent radon from entering the living area upstairs. I taped up all the cracks in the HVAC ductwork that I could find. The radon reading slowly creeped up to 4.6 due to reduced ventilation of the basement, but at least none of it was going upstairs.

I called our house inspector who did the test and he pointed out that when we inspected the house there were storage cabinets over the sump hole and along the walls, covering up the "mother earth." So I placed a piece of rubber tile over the sump hole and the reading when down to 3.2 in a couple of days.

So, what's the moral of this story ? While I can't vouch for precision of this device I learned the following:

- You need to leave it on for at least a month before you get an accurate reading.
- There is no need to freak out over "mildly" high readings. First, the device is not that accurate. Professional continuous testing devices cost thousands. So, don't take what it says as an absolute measure. Trust, but verify. Second, the US EPA requires mitigation at 4.0 -- but based on my research European agencies require mitigation at 7.0 and in some parts of Canada as high as 20.0 .
- If the reading is mildly high, say between 4 and 6 like it was in my case, then common sense maintenance tasks may take care of the problem. For example, covering up the sump hole with a piece of rubber tile helped bring the reading down to under 4.0 for us.

What radon mitigation people don't tell you is that you can cut your radiation exposure in half just by circulating the air in your basement. Moving the air around encourages the plate-out (settlement) of charged daughter particles of radon decay. It doesn't reduce the radon itself, but it encourages the actual dangerous stuff to stick to the walls and furniture instead of your lungs. The decay of the daughter particles is measured in minutes, and not even days. There is a guy who patented a ceiling fan as a means of mitigating radon. So, the point is -- mild increases in radon levels can be mitigated cheaply, if not for free.

To conclude, I find this device useful in general as a tool for measuring earth gases entering the basement. Besides radon there is a lot more harmful stuff that may be seeping in that you need to worry about. Ground water carries all sorts of disgusting stuff and in some areas of the country mildly high radon levels are the least of your worries (think arsenic, mercury, MTBE, etc.) So, if the Safety Siren is telling you you have mildly high radon readings it probably means you have mildly high levels of all sorts of other disgusting crap in your basement. Common sense methods of circulating the air, covering up the exposure to dirt, etc. is enough to control the problem.

UPDATE 3/4/09: I realized that I had the device's power supply right next to it. Moving it away from the unit lowered the radon reading by at least 1.0-2.0 pCi/L . It is now consistently below 4.0 . This is a finicky little gadget. I wouldn't rely on it as the source of all truth about radon. TRUST BUT VERIFY.

120 of 133 people found the following review helpful.
Great product helped me and colleague reduce lifetime lung cancer risk
By Swiss-American Boy
Though the interface is a bit clunky the device really works great!
I would never again bother with those mail-in radon detectors again -- save to validate the machine -- as our device's values were shown to be the same. But, unlike those mail-in cans the results are delivered within the two days (the device needs that amount of time to calculate a moving average) instead of a month.
Thanks to the device I was warned of a 4.5 pico curie level in my basement. After having a radon mitigation system installed, the device showed the level dropping to 1.6.
A friend of mine, more out of curiosity, asked to borrow the device. He put it in his basement expecting nothing much. A few days later he heard a fire-alarm like siren coming from the basement. He'd forgotten about the detector. When he finally realized it was the radon detector he was shocked to find his basement had a radon level of 13! Now, he too has a radon mitigation system and the levels have dropped to around 1.0.
We calculated that we reduced our families' lung cancer mortality rates by multiples -- especially for my son whose lungs are more sensitive.

"...Mortality rate is usually expressed as deaths/100 over a lifetime of exposure (70 years 75% of the time). Does not tell you when the deaths occurred, just an estimate of how many.

4 pci/liter: 3% average mortality (e.g. 3 out of 100 people expected to die of lung cancer)
15 pci/liter: 10% average
20 pci/liter: 15% average mortality
200 pci/liter: 50% average mortality

Houses with upwards of 2000 pci/liter have been measured! Even these can be dangerous in the short term (10 years or less). Although these mortality rates seem very high, they are similar with those for things we accept as part of our everyday lives.

10 pci/liter is roughly equivalent to the risk of smoking 1/2-1 pack of cigarettes/day or having 500 chest x-rays/year.

Can also express risk as a loss of life expectancy. Tells you, how much something shortens the average (not your) life expectancy. Doesn't say when any individual will die. 15 pci/liter lowers the average life expectancy by one year (10% mortality). Smoking a pack a day reduces it by 6 years. Being 25 pounds overweight reduces it by 2 years. Automobile accidents reduce it by 2/3 years. Home and work accidents reduce it by about 100 days...."
-- GEO113 Radon Lecture Notes

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TI-36X Pro Scientific Calculator

TI-36X Pro Scientific Calculator..

Grab Now TI-36X Pro Scientific Calculator By Texas Instruments

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148 of 155 people found the following review helpful.
The best scientific calculator
By Edom
Compared it to casio 115es and the sharp 516w (both are top-of-the-line, non-graphing, non-programmable, scientific calculators). This thing blows them away. It is much easier to use. It doesn't need specials modes for matricies and complex numbers, and does them on the same stack (just like CAS calculators). The operation history is implemented just like on ti-89/92. Go up and grab any number from history, and use it in any calculation, by simply going up to it, and hitting "enter" (it's easier than copy and paste). They finally fixed the "*10^" problem and replaced with the standard "E" button (which takes priority over all other operations). It's as if they listened to all of my complaints about the ti30xpro and fixed them all and made the ti36xpro. All the extra features (solver, matrix, statistics, formula table, integrals, derivatives) are extremely intuitive, and I literally never needed the manual to use them.

Another AMAZING thing (because we're on AMAZon.com), is that after you solve for things in the solver, or you do the linear fit on your statistical data (as an example). The calculator actually saves the variables from their respective solvers into the variables. So after you've solved for things, all your solutions are in the variables. IE, you solved for t in the solver => go back to stack, and the variable t will have THE number in it. Calculator also remembers the history and the variables when turned off. It's intuitive and simple.

My only gripe is that when editing it defaults to the "replace" method, instead of "insert". I usually need to insert things when redoing calculations, not replace things. It's an extra keystroke, it's a minor gripe in comparison to how much easier it is to use than the competition on all other counts. Another small feature that I noticed on the Sharp 516 is that it puts apostrophes on the thousands (so it shows "1'000'000" instead of "1000000"), which is a nice feature for big numbers. This calculator doesn't do that, it's no biggie.

More on the competition. The method of "mode-switching" that all Japanese calculators are famous for, is antiquated. The casio and sharp calculators literally forget everything that was done in one mode and switches to the next. If you solve for something in one mode, forget about it, you have to write it down on paper, because switching modes deletes history, so there's no way to look over it in the calculator itself. Casio 115ES is "amazing" in that it forgets all history when turned off! Say you're doing your homework, walk away to grab a snack, come back, your calculator auto-turned-off, and all your calculations are GONE! "Genius"! The history on both sharp and casio is annoying, you can recalculate the formula from the history, but you can NOT use it in your current formula, and you also can't grab the answers to use in your current calculation. After using TI's implementation, this limitation is simply a cripple.

If you have any q's, let me know; I have all 3 calculators, though maybe not for long :). If you're used to cas/graphing calculators, and your teacher doesn't allow one, this IS the calculator to get. It has the most universal (no mode switching) history/stack system, and it has the best copy/paste method. I almost don't miss my ti92 on the chem tests :).

98 of 102 people found the following review helpful.
Should have been released earlier!
By Gearhead Mania
TI-36X Pro calculator (A non-graphing scientific calculator)

I originally reviewed a TI-30XS Multi-View and a Casio FX-115ES when I took the Professional Engineer exam because they were the only ones available at the time that I could use without too much difficulty. I took 3-4 months before the exam to familiarize myself with the calculator before I took the actual exam. I felt the Casio FX-115ES was far superior, although the TI-30XS MV had a much cleaner interface and a sensible layout. But the FX-115ES was very easy to use once you got used to the menu/layout as Casio hasn't changed its scientific calculators very much over the years. Many of the features I favored in the FX-115ES were not available in the TI-30XS MV such as complex numbers and handling matrices, and even working with different base numbers.

The TI-36X Pro seems to have resolved many, if not all, of the TI-30XS MV shortcomings. Had the 36X Pro been available in late 2008, I would have most likely used it for the exam along with my FX-115ES as a backup calculator. The 36X Pro interface/layout is similar to the TI-30XS MV which makes it easy to use.

The answers default in approximations (decimals) versus exact numbers (fractions) with the FX-115ES. This makes it easier for engineers since I always had to press the convert key on the FX-115ES.

The TI-36X Pro treats complex numbers the same way as the FX-115ES, just make sure to set it in the Complex mode for polar or rectangular values. I still prefer the TI-89's treatment of complex numbers without having to deal with different modes (square root of -1 = i without going to any different modes), but it isn't too hard to change a few settings in the 36X Pro and it even has a key for i albeit it is a multi-tap key, but it works in the REAL mode.

Different number bases with the 36XP Pro require navigating more menu layers versus the FX-115ES. With the Casio, you could directly switch between DEC, HEX, BIN, etc... whereas the TI 36X Pro requires you to convert the values. Again, this isn't a big deal it is just a matter of a few extra seconds of time. The TI 36X Pro has a better menu, but the FX-115ES is more direct. I guess that is probably a Japanese trait as well!

The TI-36X Pro has lots of conversions and constants, and they are actually described in the menu which makes it very easy to use versus the cryptic FX-115ES. Again, the FX-115ES can be more direct - but that is the same for Microsoft DOS or Unix. They can be very quick and direct, but no one wants to use cryptic commands. A GUI or touch-screen is far more intuitive and that is where the TI-36X Pro shines. However, the TI-36X Pro conversions are very basic and limited to some common conversions. For exams, this isn't as big of a problem. For scientific or engineering work, I would prefer more conversions available on the spot.

The multi-tap keys on the 36X Pro are an excellent idea. TI probably had to do this because they ran out of room for more buttons or a "3rd" key. The multi-tap keys are easy to use, just repeatedly press them until you get the command you want.

The color scheme of the calculator itself is an improvement over the TI-30XS MV. The 30 was white with a teal/blue green color. The white has now turned yellow, and the 30 always looked like a kid's calculator. The TI-36X Pro is a black/dark gray motif and there are 7 keys coated with a metallic color. It makes it hard to read the symbols, but TI did etch the 6 keys with their commands. My only guess as to why they did this was that the keys tend to rub smooth with repeated use. I had my TI-86 for the longest time since 1996, and most of the keys were polished smooth by the time it started to malfunction and use up batteries in a few days. So the etching/molded keys aren't a bad idea - I just wish they used a more visible/contrasting scheme for those keys.

The solar assist comes in handy for exams because you don't have to worry about changing your batteries too often. Although TI does mention this is just a solar assist to lengthen the battery life probably by using whatever photovoltaic source you can get via the cell but relying mainly on the CR2032 lithium coin cell. I removed the battery and the calculator refused to turn on even under direct sunlight. So apparently the calculator does run on the CR2032 battery and utilizes some assistance from the solar cells.

I am not a big fan of the hard case, as it clips at the bottom and top. I prefer the slide case of the TI graphing calculators although the 30XS/36X Pro case has better retention. It's not going to come apart in a backpack.

To sum it up, I'd recommend the TI 36X Pro in situations where you cannot use a graphing calculator. I am still split on the Casio FX-115ES and the TI-36X Pro, although I feel both are on-par in terms of features. The TI-36X Pro is definitely more user friendly.

Overall: 4/5 stars

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful.
Graphing calculator w/o the graphing
By Lking88
This calculator is allowed in the testing room for engineering and surveying exams and can be used in classes that ban graphing calculators. The most useful function for me is that it saves and displays previous entries just like a typical graphing calculator. It also has an exact mode that shows entries with stacked fractions, parentheses, powers, roots, etc. just like a TI-89 and TI-92 and requires the push of one button to toggle between the exact and approximate answer.

I bought this directly from Amazon; shipped fast in new condition.

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Apple Mac Pro MD878LL/A Desktop

Apple Mac Pro MD878LL/A Desktop..

Grab Now Apple Mac Pro MD878LL/A Desktop By Apple

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47 of 50 people found the following review helpful.
The 6 Core - D500 model is the "Goldilocks" of the Mac Pro Line... "Just Right"
By Joe Crescenzi
While most of the buyers of the Mac Pro line will be looking for a custom configuration, the 6 Core model with dual D500 GPUs will likely be the one that has the best mix of price and performance.

If you are unfamiliar with the new Mac Pro line, there are quite a few combinations of options that can produce a range of prices from $2999 to nearly $10,000.

Currently there are only TWO "Stock" configurations:

$2999 gets you a Quad Core Xeon with dual D300 GPUs, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of Solid State Storage

$3999 gets you a Six Core Xeon with dual D500 GPUs , 16 GB of RAM and the same 256 GB of Solid State Storage. This is truly the "Goldilocks" configuration... the middle of the road.

In a custom configuration, which you can only get directly from Apple (which takes time), each of those components can be upgraded, however only some can be "User Upgraded", so you must be aware of that when you buy, because you will not likely change them later.

Here are the things you CAN upgrade AFTER you purchase:

1. RAM - You can upgrade the RAM on all models, from 12 GB all the way to 64. There are 4 card slots, however you can't mix chip sizes. So, if you buy the 12 GB model, it uses 3 cards of 4 GB each leaving 1 slot open, so you can upgrade it to 16 by adding one more card. If you want to increase it beyond that, you will be removing all of the 4GB cards, and replacing them with 8's or 16's.

This means that the 16 GB model comes with 4 x 4 GB cards, so any increase in that configuration will involve getting rid of all 4 of the 4 GB cards and starting with 8's or 16s. I think it's a shame Apple doesn't start with 2 x 8GB cards, so you could keep your existing memory and add two more... or even better, if it had 1 x 16GB card, so you could add up to 3 more.

Anyhow, with this base model, if you want to upgrade to 32 or 64 later, just be prepared to toss out the old.

2. The Solid State Drive is upgradable too, however since this is new technology, it's not easy to find them right now. My guess is in a year or two, there will be plenty of third party SSDs out there. In particular OWC has already committed to making a line of Mac Pro friendly storage.

3. The CPU... oddly IS upgradable, however you will not likely change this for a long time, because the Xeon chips in these models are super expensive. The top of the line 12 core that fits this socket costs well over $3000. In either case, it's nice to know you can. So in a year or two, you may be able to double your CPU cores for $1000 or less as chip prices drop.

Among things you CAN'T change (easily).

1. The Dual GPUs. The GPUs in this model technically are not soldered in, so although upgrades are potentially possible, I don't think there will be any third party upgrades on the horizon. So, if you think you need ultra-high end 3D rendering or GPU intensive power for image processing or CAD, get the GPU card you want from the start. You won't be able to change it.

They don't have a "Stock" configuration with the top of the line GPUs, which are the D700s, but the "Goldilocks" configuration has the D500s, which are right in the middle, and they are super powerful. Years ago, that kind of horsepower could only be found in a super computer.

Although some people consider the Mac Pro to be expensive, the reality is the GPUs alone are based upon existing cards which actually cost just as much as the entire computer. These are not the run of the mill graphic cards you would find in a typical gaming computer. These are world class workstation grade powerhouses and they are NOT cheap.

Who should consider the low end package?

Anyone who would've considered the iMac or the Mac Mini, but wanted something more upgradable. Right now, those other models do not have anywhere near the expansion capabilities of this model. At best, you can upgrade the RAM in the Mini to 16, and the iMac to 32, the rest are literally locked in and not accessible, much less upgradable.

Also, the iMac and Mac Mini do not have Thunderbolt 2, which is the next generation in high speed expansion. Thunderbolt 2 is twice the speed of the prior generation and it is capable of speeds of up to 20 Gb/s, which is not only 4 times faster than USB 3.0, but it is also a direct path to the motherboard itself. Unlike USB which is just a communication protocol, Thunderbolt is actually more like the internal card bus in traditional PCs, except it's self contained in a cabling system. In fact, there are actually products made today that take the Thunderbolt bus, and give you traditional card slots, so in a sense, it's even more expandable than the older tower configuration.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
New Mac Pro
By Geek guy
Well thought I would write a review of this beast of a workstation. Note I bought from another another site to save on taxes.

I have a 2008 Mac Pro and felt it was time to upgrade to the latest model. I use the Mac Pro for everything from 3D art to work and some gaming and normal web and email.

For work I use the MS RDP client app to connect to the Microsoft world via Gateway and works perfectly.

Also I have three 55inch TVs that I connect to the Mac Pro and in this case is where the Mac Pro had issues. Connecting the TVs you need to have a Active dongle to make the third TV function. In the older Pro 2008 I added another video Card and had no issues, In this case you will rack your brain trying to find the answer. Oh and do not go to the Apple Geniuses for this as they have no clue nor does apple sell the Active dongle. Third party.

But other then the dongle issue its been flawless. A normal render of my 3D art on the old Mac was about 15min to complete at the highest level. The new Mac Pro less then a min big difference in my world.

Current game is Elder Scrolls online and they support both Windows and Mac OSX and works flawlessly as well.

The old Mac Pro has a lot of fans and you can hear it. Its was not as loud as normal Window workstation but still.. The new Mac Pro can not even tell if it is on. Even under load still can not hear it.

I have heard people trying to build a a system that is equal to the New Mac Pro then Hackintosh it.. I did this a five years ago and it worked but was not worth the time and money spent.

Been using Apple hardware for the last 10 years and everything that I have bought from Apple still works today.. Even that first Mac Mini. Yea the cost is much higher but the quality is much better. I also have used Vm-ware for Windows VM’s but I have not used it on the new Pro as I try to stay away from the windows world. I might have to support Windows OS for work but do not use it for my personal stuff.

If you are on the fence because of the price I understand I was too, but so far it is worth every dollar and the OSX is a much better OS then Windows ever could be.

Will be upgrading the memory very soon to the 64Gigs and max the system out. Note on memory I noticed this in all of my Macs that Run Maverick. I found that the Apps do not release the memory so like in my Macbook Pro 17 with 8gig I would run out after using several apps. Got a memory manager on the App store for 99 cents and fixed the issue. So its a OSX issue not a hardware problem.

Oh one more kind of issue for me was the plugs that hang off the new Mac Pro since they are in a tight area there are a ton of cables coming out the pro.. So cable management is differently needed here.

Overall I’m very pleased and will keep the five star because even with the Monitor issue and the little things mentioned. The New Mac Pro is the king of workstations and the size amazes me. Its no taller then my IPAD so extremely small and a ton of power.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
A dream that is shaped like a can.
By Joshua Glowzinski
A few things before my review. First, I have had 5 computers in my 29 years of life. The first was a DOS system my godfather gave me. Then an HP with Windows 98 my grandparents got me. Then I got three more over the next decade or so. All but the DOS one had Windows. So, I am no expert of Macs or the OS that is on it. I read the Steve Jobs bio and decided to switch to Mac. I save my money for a little over two years. I was going to get the best last gen Mac Pro I could. After I saw the new one was coming out, I realized I would have enough to get the best one of the new generation. So I pre ordered. I got an email saying it would arrive from the 10th of March to the 12th. I got it on the 6th!

Now for the review. But first, a good laugh. When I first got the thing, I had no clue how the hell to turn it on. It took me 15 minutes to figure it out. Haha I actually almost broke the thing. I had it in the air. I hit a button and it was the button that unlocks the shell. If it had not been for the cables hooked into it, the entire computer would have fallen out onto my floor. I would have just looked and cried. Haha
Ok, so the tower itself feels solid. It is a good weight. The outside gets really cool. When I go to turn it on in the morning, it almost feels like it has been sitting outside. The power button is on the bottom left side of the back. When I first turned it on, I heard a sound. It came from the tower. I looked at my monitors and the freaking thing was on. It actually comes on faster than my iPad 3. I just sat here and stared at it. My PC I had been suing took like two minutes to come on.

After setting everything up, it was time to play. It is amazing. Nothing freezes or pops up randomly. No screen full of software that I've no need for. Just a simple clean look. The icons on the bottom tray are a nice thing. Instead of filling up my desktop with a thousand icons, they are nice and clean on the bottom. I did put a few things on my desktop, but I had the choice. Even for me, who has never really used Mac, though I do have a laptop, I never use it. I got it randomly one day, everything is easy to figure out. I LOVE the setup and look of the software. It actually almost reminds me of my iPad. Say you open your email. Well, unless you close it, you can mineralize it and when you get a new email, it pops up on the top right of your screen. The same thing happens when someone replies to something I write on facebook. Very cool. Everything is right there when you need it.

I have two monitors. One is a Cintiq 21 UX. I was worried it would not work. It is important to me because I am writing a series of kids books. I use it all the time. Well, I got two DVI to Thunderbolt two cables and they work fine. I was mad at first. The Cintiq, while working fine as a monitor, would not let me write on it. I realized that stupid me did not have the USB cable hooked in. haha But the monitors work great. The main software that I used in windows works with this OS. For that which does not, I got a program called Paralles. I had Windows 8 sitting here and installed it. Worked great.

The one thing that bothered me was the available storage. I got the most I could and it is 1tb. That is more than enough for some. Not for me though. I have almost 12,000 songs on my computer. Thousands of TV shows, hundreds of movies and books and thousands of Apps. The art I do takes up a good amount of space. I save it in Photoshop format as well as jpeg. I also do a lot of video stuff as well as music and some Flash. But, I found the solution. Western Digital. I found something called a My Cloud EX 4. It is a 12 tb external drive of sorts. Hooked it up and it worked right away. I've not even done anything with the Mac yet. I am just putting stuff onto that drive from Blu-Rays. But that was the only problem. Well, that and I could not get my TV tuner to work. But, I found the solution to that and got one from eBay.

As far as programs go, never have I had a system that loads things as fast as this. I mean, I click it and it opens right away. There is no wait time. I can have 10 things going at once and everything is just flowing like water through a stream. It is an amazing thing to see.

The Mac stays so quite. I cannot even hear it now and it is just below me. I had it one for hours and hours over the past few days and while it may feel a little warm, it never gets hot. It is just incredible.
What I now have is the fastest, most well balanced system I have ever had. It does what I need it to without problem. It is easy to set up and once you are all through with the set up, you can sit back and just look at the cool, relaxed look that the OS is. For anyone who has ever liked Apple, or for those who want to give it a try, this is the best system I've ever owned. It makes me mad only for the fact that it took me so long to give Mac a change.

Just a quick update.
I was transferring stuff from blu ray, to my Mad, then to my My Cloud EX 4. I had pictures. 17.5 gigs. I started at like 8pm. My Mac Pro had been on since about 5pm. It did not finish until 11 something in the morning. My Mac Pro did not feel hot. After being on for such a long time. Good to know.

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HP Laserjet Pro 400 Color MFP M475DW Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax

HP Laserjet Pro 400 Color MFP M475DW Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax..

Buy HP Laserjet Pro 400 Color MFP M475DW Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax By HP

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156 of 158 people found the following review helpful.
Overall excellent choice for the SOHO/Workgroup
By K. Smith
Not perfect, but I'm very pleased overall. You are paying a premium to have a truly all-in-one device, but the M475dw is a well rounded duplex color laser MFP, and a strong competitor in its class. You do get some very nice features not available in less expensive printers. Build quality is generally very good but some of the internals show signs of a few cut corners.

Pros:
- Extremely simple install. Place it on your table, remove the protective tape and film, and power it on. The printer automatically registers itself on the network and you can download the drivers direct from its web interface - no CDs required.
- Print quality is better than expected. Brochures print in vivid colors and negligable banding. Photos are a bit on the soft side, but better than expected color gradience provides overall impressive results for a laser printer of this class.
- Negligable paper curl (some curl is expected in any laser printer)
- HP's ePrint service is superb, and allows printing via the internet, including from smart phones and via a large selection of free subscription publications (standard forms, daily news digests, comics, etc).
- Airprint support allows printing from Apple Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc (print only - no scan to iPad)
- Touch screen is intuitive and responsive

Cons (only the last item is of legitimate concern):
- Color saturation is consistent but the substrate fuses to a fairly flat, almost blotchy texture. In the end, the flat surface is better for photos and readability, but text and clipart graphics lack the 'pizzaz' of a high gloss (embossing) toner.
- print speed is slower than expected. I haven't clocked it but I estimate around 12-14 PPM - not the advertised 21 PPM.
- Extremely loud and annoying electronic whine when the system goes into sleep mode. I may someday call support about that but my immediate response was to just disable sleep mode - problem solved.
- scan quality is OK (600 dpi hardware, 1200 dpi interpolated), but "copy" quality is mediocre at best (300 dpi and very soft)
- touch screen is on a swivel mount and seems sturdy for what it is, but wasn't designed to stand up to the riggers of a family room with energetic kids.
- small toner cartridges, and toner is expensive. As a simplified cost projection, based on 2.6K page yield for the color toner, 4 cartridges (CMYK), and list price $114 per cartridge, that's approximately 17.5 cents per page. That's on the high end for a color laser, but that's why discount aftermarket toner suppliers exist.
- mixed build quality; the only point of legitimate concern. External components appear sturdy, but some of the internal components include some very thin plastic pieces. It should be fine as long as you're not opening the case several times each day, but if you're in a high volume operation and performing a lot of maintenance this could become an issue.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Printer is Great, Scanner Jams
By Robert E. Slattery
I run a business that requires me to print both legal and letter sized documents in each print job, so I researched dual tray printers and decided on the HP LaserJet Pro 475dw with the optional second drawer. The printer itself works extremely well. Unfortunately, the page feeder for the scanner is unreliable and jams frequently. It doesn't matter if it's loaded with three sheets of paper or 30, it will start scanning and more often than not jam while feeding pages through the scanner. When scanning multiple pages, it will cancel the scan job when a jam occurs (instead of allowing you to fix the jam and resuming scanning). Also, the scanner frequently feeds pages in askew, so they don't scan straight. I've been using Brother MFC machines for the past eight years and never had as many scanning problems with those machines as I do with this new HP. I love the printer, but am sorely disappointed with the scanning feature. If you need to scan large sets of documents, I encourage you to consider a Brother MFC machine, or a separate page scanner.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Flawless Performance
By mbw
Have had this multi-function printer since November 2012 and have nothing but good things to say about it. It replaces both a really old HP4 black and white laser and a Xerox Phaser that uses the waxy ink chunks to produce very professional color images..until the ink jets clog up, (and the repair costs exceeds the cost of a new printer).

Color and b/w copies on this HP MFP are so close to the original that I can't tell the difference, the feeder works without a hitch, and the scanner works well enough to use for depositing checks, (which considering some of the finicky OCR programs banks use for this purpose is saying something). The print function software is not overly complex but does provide options for adjusting color pallate, resolution, paper size, etc. Speed is as advertised which compared to my old HP4 is quick. I print a number of pictures for brochures which can be memory intensive so the first thing I did after taking delivery and setting it up was to buy the additional 256MB Memory for HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color MFP M475 Printer (PARTS-QUICK BRAND). Installation was a breeze; remove the plastic side door on the printer and snap it in (one dimm only). You will need to get into the printers 'set-up' to make sure it recognizes the additional memory but the large downloadable manual explains this procedure very well.

Set up was a breeze (through a wired network connection) on both my computers, running Windows 7 and XP (UPDATE, and on Windows 8). Once a network connection has been made, obtain the printers IP address from the printers LCD control pannel. "At the computer, open a web browser and type the IP address in the URL address bar to access the HP Embedded Web Server. Click the HP Smart Install tab and follow the onscreen instructions" (from the install manual).

There are at least a couple of features I don't use like the print anywhere app for iPhones and the fax so I can't address the functionality of these features but as Multi Funtion Duplex Printer that prints and scans through a network and copies, it may be my last printer.

Caveat: it's not a photo printer and doesn't advertise itself as one, though images are very good. While all functions work and the printer appears to be built well, I do not recommend it for use in a busy office environment...it just doesn't exude a 'kick me, I can take it' feel. Ex: the auto feeder is mechanically light weight when compared to a stand alone machine. But then again, I didn't pay $3k (or more) for it either. In a small or home office where use can be controlled and where people tend to take care of their machines it should last a very long time.

I will continue to update this review as time goes on...4 weeks ownership isn't really long enough for me to judge durability which in my experience with printers has been an issue, good and bad.

**Update, 20 November**
two months now and still trouble free. quality of scans and copies has not deteriorated.

**Update, 17 March 2013**
6 months and still works like new. Major issue: it seems to go through ink really quickly. HP sells a higher capacity black ink cartridge and I will be buying these from now on. Cartridge change out is very simple and I like how HP provide a pre-paid UPS label to send back the spent cartridge.

**Update, 30 April 2013**
Can't scan checks for deposit in Windows 8. I'm 99% certain this is a Windows 8 problem. The bank recognizes the scanner but errors out when I actually try to perform the scan. The good news is that I still have the Windows XP computer and check scans with this OS are without issue. I don't remember having problems in Windows 7 either.

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HP LaserJet Pro 400 MFP M425dn Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer - CF286A#BGJ

HP LaserJet Pro 400 MFP M425dn Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer - CF286A#BGJ..

Buy HP LaserJet Pro 400 MFP M425dn Monochrome Laser Multifunction Printer - CF286A#BGJ By HP

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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Very Happy!
By David G. Franklin
For new home based insurance agency, did a marathon online research on AOI printers (still have a 7 year old HP 7300 AIO for backup and color). Bought the m425dn 2 weeks ago.

Was initially swayed by some negative reviews (mostly from late 2012 before firmware release), but decided to buy this unit vs. lower cost HP 8600 Plus Inkjet AIO and other highly rated AIO Lasers because:
- did not need or want to mess with color ink cartridges
- duplex scanning
- very fast scanning (and printing)
- recommended up to 3,000 pages per mo. (50k monthly duty cycle)
- widely available non-oem toner cartridges at 25% HP toner cost for VERY LOW costs per page /
- high toner print page capacity (6700 pages with "x" toner)
- gigabit network speed nice
- ePrint / print to cloud / network
- color scanning
- 2nd tray for envelopes / other paper - 50 pages
- Expandable 250 page input tray option

So far VERY happy. Setup was a breeze! Lightning fast scan / print sped esp. for non-pdf files. It's good looking to boot! Named Black beauty. I did buy locally (read pay taxes) so could return / exchange if any problems).

The only cons I can think of is that it is not real quiet and the wattage use is quite high when printing, though I did not spec this against other printers with similar speeds / printing capacity.

If the above factors are important to you, go for it.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent printer, works with Linux
By R. McDonald
I am using this printer over the network with machines running Ubuntu 12.04 and 12.10. It works very well (although I have not printed to fax). Printing is fast --- the first page typically takes just a few seconds --- and scanning over the network works on both machines.

My only complaint (the reason I have docked a star) is that it took me a while to figure out installation for 12.04. What ultimately worked was downloading and running the hplip install script from hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/downloads.html. This was necessary even though hplip was already installed. I do appreciate HP's Linux support, but it's disappointing that they are moving in the direction of using closed-source binary blobs. My Office Jet Pro 8600 at home (also an MFP) did not require a driver plug-in and scanning etc works fine.

You can see the level of linux support for all HP's printers at this page: hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/supported_devices/combined.html. Very informative. Thank you HP.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Slow Scanning, Large PDF Sizes.
By Amazon Customer
My company purchases two of these for remote offices to replace similar Brother products.

About the only thing that works well is the printer and copier features. The scanning however is extremely slow and part of that reason is the file size of the PDFs this thing generates are HUGE compared to what other devices we have on our network. Even scanning at the lowest DPI setting a one page scan to PDF was multiple Megabytes. (Both scan to folder and scan to email)

Updating to the newest firmware didn't solve the problem at all. HP's solution was to use the HP software for scanning, but we bought these so we can direct scan to folder and to email, not to install extra software on each workstation and train staff how to use.

I replaced the M42dn with a RICOH of similar make and haven't had a problem since.

I didn't see many comments about this issue when I purchased, however I've gone back and really scoured comments on different websites and sure enough a few people have this same problem. I don't know if it's a fluke or what, but I had two bought at different times from different vendors with the exact same problem.

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Genuine 60W MagSafe Power Adapter for Apple MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro

Genuine 60W MagSafe Power Adapter for Apple MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro..

Buy Genuine 60W MagSafe Power Adapter for Apple MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro By Apple

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Seems to be the genuine article.
By Ehm
My charger has been on its last legs for over a year now, I've just been too cheap to spend the $75 to replace it. I saw this listing and figured it couldn't hurt - worst comes to worst, I send it back.

Immediately after receiving the package, I opened it and compared the charger to my old one. The only difference I can see is that the serial numbers are printed in a different size - everything else is absolutely the same - and it's possible that they're different because they were made four years apart. I plugged it in, and it works. I'll update the review once I get a feel for how well it works.

(Product only receives 5 stars because it seems to be an actual Apple charger. The MagSafe chargers seem to be built to fail, so I wouldn't normally give them 5 stars.)

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Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2

Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2..

Buy Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 By Microsoft

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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful.
Best Fit Among Surface Pro Compatible Docks (with Caveats for Owners of the First Gen Devices)
By Shopper
Bottom Line: Very easy to set up and use. Designed for Surface Pro tablets. Not compatible with Surface RT tablets. Additional equipment is required to support multiple monitors when used with a first generation Surface Pro, unless they are USB monitors. Recommended, but test all ports after purchase and check for driver updates.

Full Review: Overall the user experience is quite good. On a tabletop the viewing angle is about the same as when using the kickstand, so no issues there. The Surface tablet rests in a stable position if the clamps are in the open position, so the tablet can be set in the dock without it being charged or connected to accessories. The keyboard covers can still be used when docked, or the new wireless adapter is also handy if the dock location precludes comfortable typing while docked. The Docking Station for Surface Pro is going to be the nicest fitting docking station you are going to find on the market, since it was manufactured to be an exact match for the form factor of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet PC. The slider mechanism for locking the two bracket arms into place on either side of the tablet operate smoothly, and again are an exact fit for the different ports on the Surface Pro it replicates and for the power charger.

For the owner of a second generation Surface Pro, the Surface Pro 2, there is significant upside seemingly without negatives compared with competing products. It could probably use another USB 3.0 port, since 3 out of 4 ports are USB 2.0, but that can be overlooked. If you are an owner of the original MS Surface Pro, however, the value proposition is a little more challenging. To add one additional monitor, that can be accomplished easily by way of the single included mini DisplayPort. If you would like to add more than a single monitor, you are then looking at DisplayLink USB drivers (and likely an additional docking station to add since there are no other video outs built in). The Surface Pro 2 can support more than one monitor using a single DisplayPort. Still, I am marking the docking station down to four stars for a design decision to only have one video out on a $200 device. There is no option provided by Microsoft to support a dual monitor feature that most competitors offer below that price point, which reduces the benefit of being backward compatible with first generation Surface Pro tablets.

The issue for the original Surface Pro is Microsoft's design decision on what to support in the dock configuration. There is only one native port for display, which is a replicated mini DisplayPort. According to Microsoft release notes, the concept is that DisplayPort 1.2 can be used to daisy chain monitors. What is not clearly mentioned is that since the docking station replicates the DisplayPort of the docked machine, if the Surface Pro port does not support the 1.2 specficiation then the dock also will not. As mentioned above, the original Surface Pro has a 1.1a port, so anyone wanting to daisy chain monitors using DisplayPort 1.2 would need to have an MS Surface Pro 2 model of tablet.

The item used for this review is a production copy purchased directly from Microsft during an early sales opportunity. Included in the box was the docking station and AC adapter with no additional cables. For reference, the products listed below can be used with the Docking Station for Surface Pro to set up a triple display work station:
- Anker USB 3.0 Dual Display Universal Docking Station with DVI/HDMI, Audio, Gigabit Ethernet, and 6 USB ports (2 USB 3.0 + 4 USB 2.0) for Windows (for first generation Pro owners)
- Acer T232HL bmidz 23-Inch Touch Screen LCD Display (no bezel around border - fully compatible with Windows 8)
- Rosewill Direct USB 3.0 External Slim Aluminum 6x Blu-Ray Writer RDED-12001 (low cost R/W option for BDXL)
- USB3.0 portable Blu-ray drive with BDXL writing - LBD-PME6U3LBK (lower cost R/W option for BDXL)

Update 1: If you use a third party USB-to-Ethernet Adapter (I have the Plugable USB 3.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter), the device driver(s) may interfere with ethernet connectivity via the Surface Pro Docking Station. Since I have another dock running off the USB 3.0 port, when I plugged the network cable into it the connection worked fine and I am leaving it as-is. On travel I'll still be using the Pluggable adapter and don't really have the time to debug given a work around of comparable performance. If I pick up the MS-branded adapter that might justify uninstalling third party networking drivers to toubleshoot, but for now the ethernet port on the dock has a link light but the cable is not recognized by Windows 8.1 on the Surface Pro.

Update 2: Added a Surface Power Cover to my configuration, and can confirm the dock accommodates that accessory attached to the Surface Pro with no problem.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
MS Surface Pro docking station - good build, but disapointing
By James H. Hansen
I am very pleased with the ease of use and build quality of this docking station, but am very disappointed in the performance.

My biggest disappointment was that the Ethernet speed is only 10/100 Mbps. With a USB 3.0 link they could easily have included a built-n hub with a gigabit Ethernet port. My second issue is that there is only one USB 3.0 port with the other three USB ports rated 2.0. An extra USB 3.0 port would have been appreciated My solution to these problems will be to buy an external USB 3.0 hub with a built in Ethernet adapter for (more or less) $30. The third problem is the mini-display port adapter. I would prefer a sturdier full-size display port. Since the video output is capable of supporting dual monitors on my desktop, a built-in splitter with two ports would also have been nice. As it is I will have to buy another adapter to support my desktop displays.

As best I can tell this is more of a port replicator than a true docking station. The USB 3.0 and display connectors seem to simply be passed through connectors that automatically plug into the ports on either side of the Surface carrying the signals to the ports on the back of this device and the power passed through to the Surface. Although I haven't disassembled anything to find out, I suspect the USB 2.0 and Ethernet ports are passed through connectors on the lower edge of the Surface to the ports on the back. (The Core i5-4200U and Core i5-4300U CPU's used by the Surface Pro models provides USB signalling and the Ethernet support probably is provided by the WiFi chip.) There appear to be no "smarts" in the device to justify the price or the designation "docking station". By the way, I certainly would not pay more than the MSRP of $200. It is available for that price and is not worth more.

As a port replicator, it is a convenient and well built unit, albeit overpriced, and is a better unit than any other I have yet found. As a docking station it falls short. However I don't regret buying it under the circumstances.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
My Surface Is Now My Desktop!
By BillP
With the addition of a hard Ethernet connection, a mini-hdmi to vga cable, a nice big monitor, and a dongle to run a wireless keyboard and mouse, the docking station lets me use my Surface Pro as a pretty much a full-blown desktop. Worked immediately with no fuss. Easy to dock and undock. The toughest part (and it wasn't that tough) was setting up the Surface to stay active with the lid closed. Working like a charm so far.

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