SAPPHIRE 4H000-06-40G 1 x 204Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM AMD Radeon HD 6320 Black EDGE HD3 MINI PC - Barebone

Pros: It runs. It plays back high definition video flawlessly (Running XBMC on OpenELEC) It genuinely is a good setup, that had potential.

Cons: Don't get this unless you're prepared to use voltage, clocking, fan speed control (all of the above) tools. Forget about doing it with BIOS, you can't. This is twice as hard with a Linux-based solution. It's loud, hot, and quite frankly not a well designed machine. Blame it on Sapphire, blame it on an AMD technology not lending itself to the chosen form factor, I don't know (whatever).

"SMART" fan feature that puts heatsink RPM to the max when @60C. The thing doesn't even idle under 65C.

Not to mention getting inside this machine was not the most pleasant experience.

Other Thoughts: I bought this machine without looking too closely at reviews, not that there were many. However, I came across videos by a certain source on YouTube (I will not name here) who is fairly credible. The Sapphire Edge HD3 appeared to be legit.

I was excited to get this as an HTPC, based on my prior experience with Sapphire's products. I was expecting a great machine that required little effort to get going. It's been a big hassle.

Manufacturer Response:

Please can you check that you have properly installed the full AMD drivers.

If they are not installed then the system may not downclock properly which can result in higher temperatures and louder operation even when not under load.

Pros: Does exactly what you want it to do, with no driver issues whatsoever in Windows 8 or Ubuntu. 1080p HDMI w/ HDMI audio works perfectly, with a couple tweaks to Catalyst Control Center, specifically setting the over-scaling to 0% (Why does AMD auto-overscale!?). Works great for hulu, netflix, 1080p mkv's, you name it. Quiet (when I did what I mention in other thoughts).

Boot times are amazing. Windows 8 and Ubuntu both boot in < 10 seconds with a SSD.

Looks beautiful.

Cons: Like others have said, it runs a little hot.

Other Thoughts: Due to it running hot the fan was almost constantly on full blast (which isn't extremely loud, but noticeable). I found though that if I changed the fan settings in the bios to actually just let it run hot (run at only 15% up until 80c, then 50% until 90c), then the fan wasn't noticeable at all, and I didn't see any stability problems due to it. (I'm sure that this isn't recommended, but for me not hearing it was more important than the unnoticeable stability differences)

Pros: Inexpensive, compact, a draws little power.

Cons: The power supply works fine on 100-250 Volts, but my unit was packed with a German "Schuko" power cord instead of an American one. Luckily I had an adapter from a recent trip to Europe, so I was able to try it out right away. A quick trip to Radio Shack yielded the proper power cord, which i am using now.

One of the USB ports seems flaky, but that might be my external DVD drive.

Other Thoughts: I bought this as part of a Newegg package deal with a free OCZ SSD. It took a minute to figure out the instructions for opening the case, then the drive and RAM installed easily. Don't lose the screws -- they are tiny!

I installed the Preview version of Windows 8 and Windows Media Center, and it produces a perfect 1080 HD picture over HDMI. I also tried Ubuntu (Mythbuntu) and Fedora, and they worked fine too. I am using an HDHomerunPrime for a tuner, which is supported by both WMC and MythTV.

Overall, a unit with big computing and graphics power, that draws only a small amount of electrical power, just what you want for an HTPC.

Pros: just about invisible htpc
does what it says
wireless works well

Cons: does run very warm under load and fan noise is noticable
but acceptable

Other Thoughts: Good well rounded machine. Installed 4 gigs of ram and intel 60 gig ssd and so far impressed with the performance. Its my home theater box and its replacing my 3 year old shuttle.