Joined on 03/26/06
Great features!
Pros: Micro ATX, Remote Management, i3 support. I was sold on the remote management support(download Supermicro IPMIview). I used this for a Windows Home Server build and was able to install WHS onto the system remotely using the X8SIL-F-O's virtual media support. Works great with the Core i3 530 and Crucial CT2KIT12872BA1067 RAM.
Cons: Remote management did not work through my web browser. Searching Supermicro's site I found it was an issue with Java and there was an unreleased BIOS update to fix it that tech support would provide per email request. I never got a reply back from them. I eventually came across IPMIview, and it works great. Other than that I have no complaints with this board so far.
Impossible to recover WHS
Pros: The small form factor, low power use, and 4 drive bays is what drew me to the easyStore. WHS worked great for backing up all my PCs on the network and restoring those PCs.
Cons: I was having issues connecting to it over the network and it would just randomly reboot. It's impossible to troubleshoot yourself, so I called Acer. Their tech support basically consists of you sending the unit in for them to check it(You pay for shipping it to them), so I did. They sent it back saying no issues were found with it. I checked the OS drive(I received a Hitachi drive) with Hitachi Drive Fitness Test and no sector errors were found. So I decided to attempt to do a factory default install. Same issue of connecting to it over the network. I would get to various stages of the install and it would always fail. Thinking it was an issue with my router, I bought a new router and connected the easyStore and my laptop to it and attempted recovery that way and it still fails. I'm not sure what the issue is with this thing, but it's been useless for a few months now.
Overall Review: Works great until it fails. I did recover my data from the disks that were in the system. I ended up building my own WHS using: Supermicro X8SIL-F-O, Intel Core i3, and 3 x 2TB Hitachi DeskStars, MegaRAID SAS 8708ELP. The price of the easyStore is great, but if you rely on having access to your data I wouldn't trust it. I may look into putting FreeNAS onto it in the future, but for now it's just a giant paper weight.
Mic problems and horrible support
Pros: Decent 5.1 surround if you don't want to disturb others. Being able to adjust each set of speakers was handy. All the cables and connections that you could need and a Dolby Digital decoder.
Cons: Don't be surprised if your microphone quits working on you. You'll be lucky if it's the microphone itself that breaks. In my case, its something on the headset itself. So now it's just an expensive pair of headphones. Email support was slow to respond. After 1 month of emailing them over and over I finally received a replacement mic to try. They claimed "shipping" problems as the reason for the delay. The replacement mic did not work on the headset. Turns out both work great when plugged directly into the microphone jack on the back of my PC. I feel like I wasted my money.
Overall Review: I wish I knew about the quality problems on these beforehand, I would have never bought them.
Amazing
Pros: Quiet, no louder than my 7600GS. Stays cooler than my 7600GS. Maxes out everything with full AA, bloom, etc at 1400x1050. Ran Crysis with no AA at 1024x768 with frames around 20-40 which is still very playable and looks amazing. All this right out of the box, I have no need to mess with fan settings or anything else.
Cons: None that I can think of, I've had no problems at all with it.
Overall Review: I replaced my EVGA 7600GS with this and it was completely worth it. I'm also running this on an older socket 939 Asus A8N5X motherboard and AMD Athlon X2 3800+ with an Antec Truepower II power supply.
Great
Pros: It's a great game, not that demanding on requirements, and it never gets old.
Cons: Registering the booster packs may be a problem, you'll most likely need to contact EA customer service. Singleplayer game modes could be better, but they're still fun
Awesome
Pros: Big, no dead pixels, works great with games like BF2, Oblivion, HL2, etc.
Cons: The base seems flimsy but it works, plugging in the DVI cable was a little tricky but no big deal.
Overall Review: I'm using it with an EVGA 7600GS and it plays most games at 1400 x 1050 just fine. You can tilt it back. I haven't needed to adjust any of the settings and it looks great coming from a Viewsonic 19" LCD.