[VectorRoll]

I had done some reviews on Razer products for use with the BF2142 game and in general. So I thought that I would share them them with everyone as well.
These are just my opinions from my point of view; and not that of other people.

Sorry ahead of time about the length of this review. The AC-1 sound-card takes up most of it because their is a lot too it.

Razer Product Reviews.:

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Razer Copperhead:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...zerPics004.jpg

This was my first Mouse that I have had from Razer. A 2000DPI laser mouse. It has a 32KB on-board memory. I have had many problems with mice throughout the years. When I came across this one; I feel in love with it. All my problems seem to have vanished. It has a very comfortable feel to it. It is very precise and accurate. The programing software for it is very easy to understand and it works quite well. It has 7 programmable buttons and a scroll wheel. It also has the ability to set your Polling Rate (125Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz) and DPI (400DPI, 800DPI, 1600DPI, 2000DPI). It has an on-the-fly sensitivity that you can set up for a button to switch in game. You can also set up buttons to help with switching DPI settings. You have the ability to setup your own profiles (up too 5 separate ones) depending on what you need. You even have the ability to setup macros for it which can come in handy for other style of games like MMORPG's. Updating the driver and firmware is very easy. The drivers quality is great.

All in all; I have too say that Razer has to be the best gaming mice builders to date. This product has given me a new look on the gaming life. The improvement of my game-play in BF2142 that came with the using this mouse; is very noticeable to me. I would recommend this mouse to anyone. A must have in your computer gaming arsenal.

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Razer Lachesis:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...zerPics001.jpg

This is the second mouse that I have purchased from Razer. A 4000DPI 3G Laser. It has a 32KB on-board memory. I liked the first one (Razer Copperhead) so much that I had decided to purchase this one. Besides the design being a bit lower profile than that of the copperhead; it is basically the same as the above but with a few more improvements. It has 9 programmable buttons. The Polling Rates are (125Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz) with a DPI Switcher presets are (500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 4000). The DPI switcher is a bit different from the Copperhead. It has a slider underneath it that allows you to sit it at increments of 25 from as low as 125DPI up to 4000DPI. You also have the ability to set two buttons to switch your profiles, DPI, and the On-the-Fly senativity.

All in all; it is just as good if not better than the Copperhead. Some people might have to get use to the feel of it because it has a lower footprint than most mice; but once you get use too it their should be no problem. It took me about two days to get use too it; so it does not take long at all. I would definitely suggest this mouse for anyone to get.

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Razer eXactMat:
Control Side (http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...azerMat001.jpg)
Speed Side (http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...azerMat002.jpg)

This mat is made of an anodized aluminum metal that has a black coating on it that is anti-reflective with non-slip rubber pads at each coroner on both sides. One side is geared for Control; while the other side is geared for speed. In conjunction with a cushioned rubber pad the lays underneath it and I had picked up the custom anti-slip rubber pad with gel filled wrist rest area that goes underneath it. This pad allows for a good response for the laser. You will not have to worry about trying to find a surface that will pickup the laser and not defuse it. It can come in a bundle with both the Mat and wrist-rest Pad; or separate. I got the bundle kit.

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Razer HP-1 Headphones: http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...zerPics008.jpg

These headphones are awesome. They are very comfortable and have a unique connector that is made for the Razer AC-1 Barracuda sound card. It also come with an adapter that allows you to plug it into the standard audio jacks. It is a 5.1 @ 8 channel set of headphones with a control section between the headphones and audio jack that you can use to adjust the Front, Rear, Center, and Bass volumes and also the master volume. It has a Mic on the left side of the headset that can be easily removed. The Mic is a bit small but it picks up your voice quite good. The sound from these headphones are superb. I would suggest this for anyone to try out. At least go to a store and see how you like the feel of them. If you have the AC-1 you should definitely get a pair.

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Razer AC-1 Sound Card:


This sound card is great. After having so many problems with the Creative sound cards; I have too say that this card from Razer wipes the floor with the Creative cards. Now this is just my opinion and not the views of others. The sound quality from this card is distinctly different from the XF-i cards. I could never had imagined that it would be so much better.

I should first start of with explaining about it and what it has. When you first look at the card; you get this sense of wow. It is a slick and solid looking card. It is black which goes universally with many things; for those that like to have their hardware looking good within your computer. The top rim of it has a green Razer logo that lights up when turned on. The card it self has a cover on it that covers most of the card which also has a Razer Barracuda logo picture designed on it; which looks alright. This cover is also an EMI shield which I will explain later on below. This cover provides great protection for the parts on the card. The inside end of the card has three connections (CD-In, Aux-In, and Front Panel Out). Having them on that end is good for wiring purposes. On the outside end you notice right away that their is a DVI style connection that they call an HD-HDI (High Definition-Dedicated Audio Interface). For a more convenient understanding I will just call by DVI through this review to make it easier for others to understand what I might be talking about. This is exclusively made for the HP-1 headsets that Razer makes. You can hook the headsets directly up to the DVI port or use the adapter from the HP-1 along with the adapter that is supplied with AC-1.

Now sense I mentioned the adapter for the AC-1; I might as well dive into it as well. This adapter is nice and solid. Each DVI connection on the adapters and HP-1 headphones have screws that lock them down to the card. With the adapter for the AC-1 you notice that each plug is color coordinated. (Pink = Mic In, Green = Front Speaker out, Black = Surround out, Orange = Center Speaker/Sub-woofer out, Yellow = Side Speakers out, Blue = Line In). The Blue catches your attention but makes sense. It makes sense because the only other connections are two Optical connections. One for Optical In and the other for an Optical Out; which is good for those that like running media devices that use them.
AC-1 Adapter (http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...zerPics009.jpg)
HP-1 Adapter (http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...zerPics011.jpg)

When you insert the card you will notice that the DVI sits close too one side where you might have to slightly push down on it as you slide on the DVI connector all the way; but not by very much at all. Not enough to worry about any ways. It fits snuggly in the PCI slot.

The card it self has uses the Razer Fidelity technology. This is supposed to optimize the audio signals using algorithms and sequences to help in the processing of sound without tag or delay. I am no genius and can not explain in detail much as to what this really is; but as for the quality of sound; I must say that everything from the sound of the effects, music and everything else; it is surely the best that I have heard too date.

It also has the enhanced sonic perception; also know as Razer ESP. This is supposed to expand the range of hearing in the game for better accuracy in order to pinpoint the sounds exact location. I must say that it does seem to work better than I could have ever imagined. Yet this needs further testing but I have to give this part of the card a thumbs up. I have already been able to identify targets better by using this.

It utilizes a thing called Razer 3D [720 degree] positional gaming audio engine. This basically helps you hear the sounds all around you like foot steps behind you or things that drive by you. It is basically an enhancement to the surround sound. It seems to increase the accuracy of these sounds. I have noticed it in the game and how it improves the feel of my position relative to the sounds of my environment.

It has a passive EMI shield which helps in the electromagnetic interference from other PC components. This is the cover that I talked about above; saying that I would explain a little more on. This helps eliminates the static sounds that you can get from other devices like video cards, etc., etc.,. It basically shield the components of the card for the components of other hardware.

When it comes to the software I am quite impressed with it. If you just sit back and look at it; you can see exactly what you are looking for and how easy it actually is to understand it.

The basic design of the Control Panel is a classic Razer look, with expandable consoles that come out from the side and bottom by clicking on the the little arrows for them. You can see the Audio System Status in the upper right corner. This is basically a graphically display EQ display that fluctuates when sound is playing and shows what output device you are using and the mode that you have. Under that is the sound play back or control mixer. It controls the levels of the devices that you have like the Mic's and the main volume, etc.,. Under that is an area that controls the 360 degree hearing range. In the upper right is the analog output section that you use to select the speaker type. Under that is two areas to select the format (or S/PDIF output) and source channels. Under that you have an area to control the db levels of each speaker. In the XP version; their is supposed to be a test but their as well; but for Vista it does not show up. To do that test you have to use the one in Vista's speaker configuration area. The speaker setup also changes depending on the output that you select. Under that is also a control for speaker time delay.

Now at the bottom of the control panel is the drop down EQ. Self explanatory. It also shows the info for the card such as driver version, codec, etc.,. Their is also a section for preset EQ setting and a place to save custom presets as well. This is the list of presets.: (Default, Dance Bass, Treble, Live, Rock, Soft-Rock, Jazz, Metal, Rap, Classic, Vocal)
On the right of the control panel is a pop out panel that controls the modes for the Razer 3D 720 degree audio engine. Things like the Dobly Digital, Dolby Digital II, and the DTS. The options will change depending on the analog output you select. Also the environmental effects are located here at the bottom. Their is a wide range of environments to select from. This is the list of environmental effects.: (Padded Cell, Room, Living Room, Stone Room, Auditorium, Cave, Arena, Hanger, Carpeted Hallway, Hallway, Stone Corridor, Alley, Forest, City, Mountains Quarry, Plain Parking Lot, Sewer Pipe, Drugged, Dizzy, Psychotic, Bathroom, Concert Hall, Under Water, Music Pub). You also have three environmental sizes too choose from.

Now I will discuss the experience.:

I have too comment again on the WOW factor of this card brings. I thought that XF-i cards were good. But the sound from this card just blows them out of they water.

On too the BF2142 experience. The first noise that I heard from the game was the sound from the opening movie of BF2142. It sounded pretty good. It had a good surround sound feeling going on during it. I had the Dolby Digital turned on with some effects; not sure which ones; but everything seemed perfect. Sounds from the weapons are just pure awesome. The VOIP and the tutorial voice even had a different feeling to it. Like the people where not right next to you but off in a separate room. The sounds of the vehicles and other effects seem to be better enhanced. The environmental effects are just fun to mess around with. Some of them can get annoying after a while with the echo but for a short period it is fun to play with. Others seem to enhance the feeling of the game. I still have to go through them all in detail but I like what I have seen so far. The EQ is also pretty good at making the game feel a lot better with some more realistic feeling. I still need to also mess around with this a bit as well to just get it the way I like it.

The music from CD's and the hard-drive play-list are sweet. Having the EQ really helps with them.

I have yet to try the movies with this and that part mayl be updated later.

The whole experience with this card since I got it; has been great. It has brought a new life to my game and improved all aspects of using sound for anything on this computer. I have yet to see anything wrong with it.

I also have just been using the HP-1 headphones. These headphones are perfect for this system. The sound is just awesome when using them with this card. I have yet to try this with my regular surround sound system. But from what I have experienced so far; I bet it will just be off the hook. I say this because it is off the hook with these headphones.

Conclusion for the AC-1 Sound-card:

The best card that I have used too date. I would definitely suggest some one picking this card up. The price is a little more that the XF-i cards but it is well worth it. Beside if you shop around you can find places that sell them for the same price as the XF-i Fatal1ty cards. That is what I did. I even paid extra for the over night shipping. I doubt that I will be buying any other card for some time too come. I will even be buying another one for my next build for sure. Razer sure did an excellent job on this card. Just like they do with the mice and other products. The card is good for gaming and multi-media. A definite must have. So if you have the time and money again suggest picking this card up. A definite replacement for those that have had a lot of problems with the other brands like Creative. Cheers Razer for delivering a quality sound-card.

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Driver download page for razer products.: Razer Support
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Updates and pics to this may be added later.