Joined on 03/02/07
Great for a small, low-power desktop.
Pros: Low power, cool running, dual Ethernet, takes desktop RAM.
Cons: Still no USB 3.0.
Overall Review: I also have an older version of this motherboard (the one with the Celeron 847). It's pretty much identical with the exception of the more recent CPU. All the same great things apply. Low power consumption, cool operation, enough grunt for a basic workstation, and it's reliable enough for 24x7 operation. The dual ethernet ports make this a great basis for a router. I run Mint Linux on this one, and it's driving a 24" 1920x1200 monitor without any problems. All the hardware was supported. The one fault is that Gigabyte still hasn't bothered to put USB 3.0 on this motherboard, despite upgrading the CPU twice now.
Thoughtful design, but built to a price.
Pros: This is an extremely flexible case to work with. Horizontal orientation, vertical, or upside down, you can build it however you want because the four side panels all cleverly can be put on any side of the case. This also gives you tons of access during the build process. There's good room inside, and you can put an absolutely insane amount of fans in this if you really wanted to. The 200mm fan up front is also a very nice addition.
Cons: This case was clearly designed to hit a price point. Things like the stamped motherboard standoffs (which caused a clearance issue with the mobo I was using, which required bending the EMI shield's attachment point), the janky power supply support, and no rear fan. Also very little in the way of anti-vibration anything. Finishing is also a bit on the low quality side, with paint already missing from the edges of some panels on my unit.
Overall Review: Despite the cons I mentioned, they can be overlooked considering this case clearly had some thought put in to its design, and for the lower price point. The flexibility to orient the system any way you want is unmatched in any other case I know of, and was the primary reason I went for this case. I was specifically looking for a horizontal orientation case that could fit a Micro-ATX mobo, and there aren't many options in that space. This came to the top of my list, and I have no regrets on the purchase. Maybe just spend the extra few bucks per case to change the standoffs to standard threaded pieces, Thermaltake.
Does what RAM is supposed to do.
Pros: It's RAM that works.
Cons: None.
Overall Review: I bought this for an HP Chromebox. Popped in it, booted on the first try, and has been working perfectly ever since. Par for the course for Corsair RAM.
Quiet, cool, efficient.
Pros: It's nearly silent, runs very cool, and is decently efficient.
Cons: None.
Overall Review: I've got two of these running in very different setups. One is a VMWare ESXi server running on a hex core AMD X6 1075T. The other is running Windows 7 as an HTPC with an AMD A4 and Ceton's InfiniTV4. Neither has ever given me a problem. They run quiet, cool, and stable.
Rich sound, small footprint
Pros: Rich, detailed sound, footprint is quite small, separate bass and treble controls, aux input
Cons: Won't match a 2.1 system for bass you can feel, sleep function is slightly annoying
Overall Review: I've really got very little that isn't positive to say about these speakers. The sound is rich and crisply detailed. Yes, you won't get the thumping bass of a dedicated subwoofer, but most 2.1 systems just go for raw bass with little attention to quality. With these speakers you don't feel it, but you can hear every detail that you'd otherwise miss with a cheap 2.1 system. The emphasis on sound quality over raw power is really growing on me. If I had one gripe, it's the sleep mode the speakers will go into after about 5-10 minutes without any sound input. It takes the amp a few seconds to turn back on when a sound plays again. There's no way I can find to disable this.
Great for a home router
Pros: Small, quiet, pretty good looking.
Cons: Very cramped, but this is an ITX case, what did you expect?
Overall Review: I combined this case with Gigabyte's GA-C847N-D motherboard to make a custom router. It works quite well for this task. It's very quiet, and keeps the low power Celeron 847 at reasonable temperatures. Two things you should note before buying this case: it only accepts 2.5" hard drives, and it won't take a full size 5.25" optical drive. Antec made some concessions in order to make the power supply internal and keep the size small. Also, it's quite cramped inside, but it's an ITX case. That comes with the territory. The 847's heatsink was made to fit in low profile cases, so it had no clearance issues. Larger heatsinks may have issues, though.