Joined on 08/29/05
Solid budget PC.

Pros: Excellent value for the price - very full featured for it's size. Solid construction - You can feel the quality in the build, you could probably stand on it without worry. Almost completely silent - I have one being used as a HTPC/Emulation box and can't hear it at all when something is playing. Tiny footprint - built one for the in-laws to use as a primary PC. Works perfectly for their needs and they love that it doesn't take up any space while mounted to the back of the monitor. Multiple international adapters for the power supply - I'd never really considered traveling overseas with a full PC but this wouldn't be that bad. Would fit easily into a backpack or carryon.
Cons: I had some issues with the USB ports not playing nice with my thumb drives. A couple wouldn't boot to a Windows or Linux install. Also worth noting is that Windows 7 doesn't have native support for USB 3.0 ports which can lead to a headache when installing this or older OS's. There is a workaround tool provided by Intel that will inject the correct drivers into a Win 7 ISO. After that it was smooth sailing.
Overall Review: Link to the Intel USB 3.0 Windows 7 driver utility: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25476/Windows-7-USB-3-0-Creator-Utility
Excellent mid-range board for gaming or .

Pros: - Looks great, and the board feels like it was made well. - Has a number of features found on higher end boards at a lower price, dual NIC's, two full speed NVMe slots, plenty of USB headers, etc. - Backwards compatible with Z170 hardware (It is still a LGA1151. To the best of my knowledge all Z170 coolers still work also) - The board and BIOS are both easy to work with.
Cons: - Can't think of any at the moment. System has been up and stable for a couple of days now. I'll try and post an update with OC values, and update this if any issues are seen.
Overall Review: - The RGB isn't super bright but the colors and placement are good. Depending on your perspective this could be a negative or positive. - Not so much a negative, just something I didn't expect. The protective foam the board is packaged in is zip-tied to the board. There is also a cutout in the foam where the underside of the processor sits. When I was slotting in the RAM I noticed the board bowing a bit due to the force I was putting on it. Had I noticed it I would have pushed from a different angle. Just something to watch out for during installation. 6BM0XB307476
Excellent Monitor!

Pros: Great screen for the price. Color and contrast are amazing, I hadn't realized how dull my old monitor had gotten over the years. Double HDMI inputs is a plus. The screen is also very light weight making it perfect for arm mounting. No DVI input, but an HDMI to DVI cable is included. Also included is an MHL cable for connecting smart devices, though it looks like an adapter is needed for certain devices (like my Note 4).
Cons: Very minor, but if you have multiple inputs connected, the monitor will automatically switch to an active one if the monitor is put to sleep by the system currently being displayed. I have my main PC connected to two of these screens with an always on Raspberry Pi as the secondary input on one of them. If my main OS puts the monitors to sleep it will switch over to the Raspberry Pi which is always on. I didn't see a way in the monitor OSD to change this.
Overall Review: Built in speakers are exactly what you would expect. Fine for system sounds and watching Youtube but not well suited for much more.