Pros: Excellent cooler, any fan noise is consistent and not annoying. For the size it's actually lightweight, my old SP-94 for my northwood intel platform was far far smaller and weighed nearly the same with the fan attached.

Cons: Fan at full speed is louder than it should be, but use the included fan controller and set it as low as possible. Still, if you're about hardcore silent computing the fan will not do. The heatsink is capable of passive cooling so long as you're not running a hot processor or overclocking too much.

Overall Review: I had accidentally disconnected the fan for a few months without realizing it and the HSF was running 100% passive (e6600), temps ran about the same as stock Intel before I realized it was disconnected, turning the fan back on and an instantly it dropped big time. This is a good heatsink, it's probably not the best out there but its an excellent performner and a rewarding choice. Just understand this heatsink is big.

Pros: DDL and DTS connect are fantastic. Excellent positional audio (5.1 to 2 channel downmixing) with Alchemy. Top notch for gaming.

Cons: Tons of software installation issues with Win 7 for me. Eventually I came across Daniel_K's X-Fi Support Pack 2.0 , which solved all my software issues without me lifting a finger. His package includes all the official Creative drivers, but fixes some installation glitches that are impossible to get around if the standard Creative installers aren't working. No +20db mic boost option anymore, so I'm using my onboard audio for my microphone until they enable this feature again. Won't allow downmixing of 5.1 to 2 channel with Alchemy via the digital out anymore, you're forced to use the analog output if you want 2 channel downmixing.

Overall Review: I had the original X-Fi xtrememusic when it was released (PCI version). Cracking issues have been gone for years. I loved that card, it broke earlier this year, and I needed to get my positional audio back. I would have given it 4 stars (for the lack of 20db boost and 2-channel digital out limitations), but the driver install issues knock it down to 3 stars. Those issues aside, it's a fantastic sound card. Thanks to Daniel_K's X-Fi Support Pack 2.0 , it's a savior if you have any driver install issues (and Driver Sweeper as always).

Pros: It gets the job done, a bit more modern looking than the old surfboard.

Cons: AC plug is at the top of the device on the rear side, would rather have it at the bottom for cable management purposes..

Overall Review: Had a love letter written from my cable company that I needed to update to a DOCSIS 3.0 compliant cable modem, this was one of them on their list. Looked at the reviews of this vs the Arris ones, did not hesitate to chose this Motorola. Works like a champ. Now I need to upgrade my cable speeds to take advantage of this thing :p.

Pros: Gigabit wired speeds. No hassle or headaches setting up. Fantastic Price. Great wi-fi connectivity inside the house and in the yard (~1/3rd acre).

Cons: Looks, depending on your tastes. I like how it looks, my wife does not. It's hidden behind the monitor anyhow.

Overall Review: Really nice router in this price range. Unless you have good reason to look at the $150+ home routers, this thing gets the job done nicely.

Pros: Spreads easy, included spreader is great, price, non-conductive, works as good as the more expensive thermal compounds.

Cons: None

Overall Review: My Ceramique was getting old and a little hard, so I picked up a tube of this. Much easier to spread than Ceramique, and still is non-conductive.

Pros: Excellent cooling, my 6850 load temps dropped from 81°C to 52°C in FurMark. This is with the fans spinning at ~1200RPM, set via my motherboard software. The fans at full speed are quieter than stock cooling, lower their speed do to 1200RPM and they are near silent. The memory coolers STICK. This is a huge plus, I've had to deal with heatsinks that fall off the memory in the past.

Cons: The 3m thermal pads for the ramsinks are a little tricky to get the protective paper off, but it's nothing major.

Overall Review: Installation is on par with other VGA coolers I've installed. They never have the best instructions but it's pretty straight forward. This cools a 6850 with ease, I highly recommend this cooler. If your mobo doesn't offer fan speed controls, pick up one of those little fan controllers.