Pros: Replaced a broken ECS mobo and started vista right up without needing new drivers. Best onboard sound I've ever used. Great perfomance overall, much better than the old board (which was about 30$ cheaper to be fair).

Cons: Firewire, I suppose.

Overall Review: Minor issue with the network driver - probably due to the old ECS board being replaced without reinstalling vista - after using the driver CD problem is fixed. BIOS checksum error on first boot - simply needed to enter bios and save and it started right up.

Pros: The miniSD card works well and is quite cheap for its performance.

Cons: The miniSD to SD doesn't work. That adapter costed me another x which turned this into a not so good deal.

Pros: CIV 4 alone for this price is great. Cool holder for it all.

Cons: Lacks "Beyond the Sword". CIV 4 is on 2 CDs and not a DVD.

Overall Review: The card game seems pretty weak but I haven't tried it.

Pros: The position of the heat sink is unbeatable for some configurations. HDCP + h264 acceleration make it a great home theater card. Obviously the card is quiet. Low power consumption.

Cons: The heat pipes stick up just a little bit too high. The pipes touch the top of my case lid and actually push it up just a little - not enough to be noticed. Case is a Antec Fusion.

Overall Review: If you want ONLY a home theater card go with the 8600GT. If you want a little gaming ability as well - think about this card. I heard the card works fine without the power plugged in but I haven't tried it.