Pros: Plenty fast for pretty much anybody. Programs load noticeably faster, games run much much better.

Cons: Generates a lot of heat which causes the stock fan to spin at louder levels. Not as loud as some reviews claim it to be, but it does have a slightly irritating whine.

Overall Review: My old Phenom 2 X4 810 processor was pretty much the sweet spot for Windows 7. This new 965 processor doesn't make Windows 7 seem much quicker, but once you start putting stress on it like games and encoding, you will notice a huge difference.

Pros: Stable, good drivers, and very fast paired with a good CPU and memory. BIOS updates are easy, but always risky, as with any motherboard.

Cons: Onboard sound is mediocre quality, but then again, so is pretty much all onboard sound. Onboard graphics are not good enough for gaming.

Overall Review: I bought this motherboard 2 months ago and it has been great. I added a Radeon HD 4770 that was used with the old motherboard for this computer which I killed with a BIOS update flaw, which is why I bought this motherboard. I also added the ASUS Xonar Essence ST audio card I had on hand as well. In my opinion, onboard sound and onboard graphics are a cheap and easy solution for computer novices and/or a tight budget. I highly recommend this motherboard, though you may want a seperate add-on graphics card and sound card. Onboard solutions are not the answer for any motherboard.

Pros: Copper a'plenty in this motherboard, and you can tell just by picking it up. So far no crashes, errors, hiccups, or unpleasant surprises of any kind whatsoever.

Cons: Couldn't install my huge aftermarket heatsink as the onboard graphics heatsink is in the way. Had to resort to the stock heatsink that came with the processor I ordered.

Overall Review: This is heavy enough to be a weapon.