Joined on 02/13/04
Pros: An excellent MB. The adapters that MSI includes for the front panel audio and power/hdd led's and switches make installation fast and easy. My new favorite MB for ally my AM2 builds.
Cons: The copper tube to the south bridge heat sink is very close to the top PCI Express port. Using 2 HD 3870's in crossfire, the top card actually touches the tube. Not a real problem, but some of the newer cards (like the HD 4870x2) comming out are bigger which might lead to an issue later on. The front audio connectors are at the bottom near the back of the board, making it a stretch if you have a case where the audio panel is on the top of the case. Not really a con, but something to keep in mind when buying a case to fit this board.
Overall Review: I was a former Asus fan. I swore by their boards for a while, but their lack of Customer support left me looking elsewhere for this build. I was very happy with MSI and they have made a believer out of me. I will definitly be using them again in the future.
Hit or Miss
Pros: Great value for fast storage. Plug and play with no issues.
Cons: had one fail without warning after less than a year.
Overall Review: I bought several of these to speed up some older office computers at home. They worked great for a while, but just about a year in we had one fail without warning. It was working great one day and the next it was no longer recognized as a drive. The rest of the ones I bought seem to be going strong. They seem to be great when they're working. Maybe that one was just a fluke. They have a 5 year warrantee, so I am going to look into that. I will update with how that goes.
Affordable Mid Range Power
Pros: Last Gen means lower Pricing (most of the time) Good performance per $ compared to similar price ranged cards Pretty quiet, no coil whine or loud fans Not massive like some newer GPU's
Cons: The backing plate has a strange texture to it and looks and feels like it was 3D printed (it isn't). Definitely made of a plastic composite though and not metal like you would expect though. Fans run at 0% until it is under load. This can make it look like they are not functioning at first glance.
Overall Review: An excellent budget option for anyone looking for 1080p gaming. I don't get why the backing plate is made of plastic. That left me scratching my head. For what it is though, I have no real complaints so far.
You Get What You Pay For
Pros: Reasonable amount of power for the price. RGB Fan (see Cons below) Quiet
Cons: Cables were listed as having a Black fishnet coating. They actually have a black and blue intertwined. This might not fit the look you could be going for. I could not even get the RGB fan to light up with the Motherboard I was using (ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS), let alone adjust the colors. Thankfully it didn't even show because of the positioning in the case so it wasn't really an issue. Looking into it farther, apparently the RGB only works with specific software, so keep that in mind.
Overall Review: I normally avoid Bronze rated PS like the plague, but this was requested by a client who was on a budget. Aside from the above, it worked so far. We will see how long it lasts.
Great Case, Mediocre Fan Hub, Poor Wiring Options
Pros: Good Airflow with room for a large AIO or lots of fans. Come with 4 RGB fans (though see Cons below) Power Supply Shroud can hide a wire mess, even without a modular PS (if you are looking to save a bit on a budget).
Cons: Wiring Channels are almost non-existent. A couple of the slots to run wires through don't quite line up with where the plugs need to be on some MB's. RGB Fans have a proprietary 4 pin plug that requires the use of the included fan hub which uses a Molex connector for some awful reason. This also means that if you want to add more fans and connect them to the hub as well, you will need to buy their specific ones
Overall Review: For the price, it is an excellent case. It is a shame that the included fan hum is so annoying. It does work, but limits you as I mentioned above. Also thanks to the lack of channels to run wires though, you are severely limited as to what can go where. You can still make things look pretty good in the end, which may be enough for some, but not up to my usual standards.
Better than the Alternatives
Pros: Win 10 at a "reasonable" price
Cons: Wish that it would drop in price with Win 11 out there. No longer comes with the Serial decal to put on the new system, forcing you to hang onto the disc envelope and store it somewhere in case you need to reference it again (for a reinstall or something).
Overall Review: Not sure why they stopped putting the serial number on the decal. It was a nice way to keep it linked with the system that the copy goes to.
Terrible company from China
I can understand longer shipping times from China and I'm ok with that. Sketchy Tracking numbers that lead to blank pages with no info, even if you go to their specific pages they tell you to and manage to translate Chinese in order to read it. No communication, despite multiple e-mail attempts. Still no item after nearly a month. I will be getting a refund and be more careful to never buy from this company again.