Joined on 08/20/08
cheap and sturdy
Pros: Titanium case, DDR2, SATA-150, fingerprint/TPM, etc. Ships with very little bloatware out of the box (remove the biometric software if you aren't going to use it) .. just a copy of WinDVD and a CD burning program are the only two "extras" that aren't related to the hardware. I've bought 4. 2 of them had battery cycle counts in the 100-ish range, 2 had a count of 1 .. meaning brand new battery.
Cons: Older Core duo (32b) architecture. Only SATA-1 interface. Memory is tricker than usual (standard IBM "under the palmrest") to access.
Overall Review: Left 2 as-is (preinstalled XP) for friends. Put 64g Samsung SSD + 4gb memory + win7 on one .. it screams. Put Debian on an (otherwise stock) 4th unit and had no problems with any of the drivers.
Instructions by IKEA
Pros: Better than stock (don't care enough to measure). Once you figure it out, the mount is way sturdier than stock. Fits in my Antec 300 case.
Cons: Ever put together anything from IKEA? .. the instructions are just like that. 12 languages and about as many words. Basically it's 3 pictures. If your case doesn't have the rear-panel cutout for behind the CPU, it may press against the back of the case a slight bit.
NOT a "mid" tower
Pros: Really is a clever design .. long video cards would fit (I measure 14" to the drive bays, and those mount side/side so cable interference isn't an issue, lots of fans, pretty sleek looking.
Cons: Bloody enormous! .. this is the sasquatch of computer cases. Shipping back for RMA just isn't worth the bother/expense, so it'll sit as a expensive reminder of "measure twice.." ended up re-using my Antec 300 that is half as wide and 4" shorter and 3" less deep.
Overall Review: If you've got 8 drives and 4 video cards and don't mind sharing your desk with something the size of a compact car, might be right for you.