Pros: Inexpensive and has a digital optical output

Cons: Being cheap, previous reviewers may have legitimate gripes

Overall Review: I needed a quick fix for my "temporary" HTPC (under WinXP Pro) so I could reliably feed my AV Pre. Dropped in, detected, fed it the included drivers and got instant gratification. It DOES pass DTS as well. I can understand due to a mix of QA and skill sets that others may have had issues, but it worked instantly and perfectly for me, solving my short term needs!

Pros: When they work, they perform well, but two failed within 30 days and the third looks like it's going...

Cons: This is my second failed Hitachi HDS722020ALA330 and it looks like my 3rd may be heading south also (but it is out of Newegg's 30 day warranty exchange). These are all different production batches going back to last April. Of the seven 2Tb drives I have purchased through Newegg, only these Hitachi's have been dying out compared to the WD's, Seagate and Samsungs. They also seem to run on average about 10c hotter than the other brands as well. Not happy with Hitachi or the time and costs involved!

Overall Review: These drives just don't seem reliable - three different production batches in a 6+ month span. They are in different positions in a well ventilated Antec P-180 case. They are used for .iso media storage and do not get "hammered on" either... Not worth the hassle and costs to return!

Pros: Quiet, fast, decent price.

Cons: Failed in under one month (according to three -different- S.M.A.R.T. alarms.

Overall Review: I have 2 of these, one month apart - this may just have been a bad drive, but we shall see... Does ANYONE make really reliable 1.5-2 TB drives that are affordable? I'm starting to doubt that with my current history. Temps are NOT at issue, and my failure drives are storage oriented versus being "hammered on".

Pros: Great card - dropped right in, does everything it's supposed to.

Cons: Never did receive my rebate (11 months after the fact).

Overall Review: Purchased for my HTPC build to feed an "old school" CRT projector, which it does quite well. My entire HTPC costs less than a decent video scaler with all of the other benefits of an HTPC tossed in.

Pros: IF you get a good one, and if it remains stable it's quite the bang for the buck! Small profile, metal case, powered 7 ports.

Cons: I read the reviews and took a risk. In my case, it first detected and then re-detected back-n-forth between USB 1/2. I also had it drop devices, lock up when power was added and all of the similar issues reported by others. Tried different PC's/OS's with similar results. Set it up for RMA, but w/restocking and shipping I decided to take a "deeper" look at the item, and in my case solved the issue. MY FIX - and this may help others; my problem as odd as it seems was that the manufacturer has mounted the mini USB connector about 1mm too far back relative to the case faceplate. I took a razor knife and cut back the plastic shoulder of the USB cable about 2mm and bingo - the cable seats properly relative to the PCB socket. Everything became "stable" and has remained so for a couple months now, with all ports working fine/as they should.

Overall Review: If you are a tinkerer and cheap, it could be a worthwhile purchase. The comments about the undersized wall wart versus full port power x7 are valid. If you use this for light duty/self powered USB devices I doubt you will have any failed ports over time and it will perform quite well! I would not recommend this for multiple self-powered disk drives or other high current devices, but for cameras, BlackBerry's, printers, wireless and Bluetooh adapters and the like, it works just fine! If I hadn't had to modify the cable to make it work properly, I'd give it "4 eggs".

Pros: If you get a -good- one, from an "authorized" dealer, not too bad for the price.

Cons: Lasted 4 days and died. Prior to that the fan while not too noisy was NOT speed-to-load controlled, but at full output all of the time. Despite the fact this was a new sealed unit with a "date valid" serial #, Cooler Master would not honor the warranty since it was purchased from a "non-authorized" reseller.

Overall Review: Since it was now "non-warranty" and being a 30+ year electronics service tech, I opened it up...Many "add-ins" (jumpers, addt'l hardwire reinforcements) poor solder flow with many cold joints, etc. This product does not represent the Cooler Master quality I've dealt with in the past and was a big disappointment! And the lack of factory support? Never again; they've lost me as a customer.