Joined on 01/20/07
Great card
Pros: - Have not found a game yet it can't handle - Works like a charm - Relatively quiet - Moderately overclocked out of the box
Cons: None
Stay away
Pros: Cheap, somewhat okay looking
Cons: Cheap power supply died on me within 2 months, busted side panel, difficult to work on
Overall Review: At first the case arrived with a cracked side panel. Contacting the manufacturer did not help, no response. Newegg wanted me to ship the case on my dime to California. Considering the price of the case, not worth it. So I ended up going to home depot and replacing the side panel with some plexiglass I bought there. The included PSU is junk. It is running very hot. And now after about 2 month, the PSU went out with a loud bang while I was playing a game. I hope it did not damage any of my other components. Now I got to invest another $50 in a decent PSU. There are numerous other negatives: the case does not come with spacers for the motherboard, it is difficult to work on, airflow could be better, no SATA connectors or card readers on the front panel, etc. So don't cheap out on the case, invest some money in a decent case and PSU, it will save you money and trouble in the long run.
Works well, overclocks to 1500 Mhz
Pros: - Works without a hitch, stable - Was able to overclock at default timings to 1500Mhz by raising the voltage to 1.6V - Quality product at a great price
Cons: - Not 1600 Mhz, but the difference is so small to 1500 Mhz, can't notice it - Can't really tighten up the timings much, even at default clock speed
Great PSU
Pros: - Quiet - Solid - Fully sleeved, long cables - Plenty of connectors - Affordable quality
Cons: None yet
Overall Review: Bought this one as a replacement for a cheap no-name PSU that blew up while playing a game. What a difference. This one is much more quiet. I though my CPU fan was loud in my PC, but now I know it was the PSU that was loud. It's seem solidly built, and the cables are long and fully sleeved. Got it for $35 after MIR, which I think is a good deal for a Corsair PSU.
Great board, but only buy if you need advanced features
Pros: - Great board, no issues so far. Put it in and out the PC multiple time already to change some components and install a new CPU cooler. Seems rugged and durable. - Many features: USB 3.0, RAID chip, CrossFire, etc. - BIOS offers many adjustements and tuning capabilities - Gigabyte quality - Fast and stable
Cons: - Only buy if you need the advanced features. I don't use CrossFire, and don't have a RAID, and there are not many USB 3.0 devices yet. If you don't need that, you can get something cheaper. - One spacer was missing in my package, not a big deal though - Only comes with two SATA cables and 1 IDE cable - Does not seem to read the RPMs of one PWM system fan I installed. Could be the fan's fault though. - Included manual somewhat short, need to download pdf manual to get more info.
Good CPU
Pros: - Fast - Unlocked multiplier makes overclocking easy - Good performance for money - Cooler included
Cons: - Hits the wall relatively quickly regarding overclocking. Got mine only stable at 3.7 Ghz with an aftermarket air cooler. I was hoping for 4 Ghz, but as soon as I add more voltage it gets too hot under prime95. - When you select multiplier >18x, Cool & Quiet stops working - Stock cooler somewhat weak. Max temp of 62 degrees is reached quickly with this cooler and the CPU shuts down.