Pros: Very attractive. Nice build quality. Small. ITX case that uses standard ATX PSU and optical drive. Surprisingly easy to assemble, with two caveats below, if you pass the PSU wires into the case but leave the PSU outside until all the wiring is connected, and then slide it in. Can mount small PSUs without using the 1" extension bracket. One USB3 port on front panel if your mobo has a socket, as well as the standard USB2 (x2) and AV ports. I only installed one HD - went in without tools easy and secure. Did not use the other HD trays so no comment on them.

Cons: Easy to jam cpu fan or side case fan with a stray wire (I did both) when closing it up, so secure the wires (minor). Thumbscrews holding vid card in an awkward spot - makes it hard to get them into off-center brackets (minor). FP USB3 connector uses whole MB socket but provides only one port on the FP. High temps running Furmark (HD 5770) while driving 4 cores (i5 3570 @3.6GHz) at 100% for 30 minutes. Room temp 24C, GPU 86C, cores held 80C with max at 84C (with stock cooler running at 2700 rpm lol). Odd that the cpu kept the OC despite the temps :) Not too noisy doing all that though, a pleasant surprise. Cannot really add a decent cpu cooler because the PSU sits above the mobo. The CM Gemini (horizontal) cooler cannot be used without blocking the PCIe slot, and you probably don't need a cooler if you don't add a video card.

Overall Review: Despite the temps above, this case will game OK with modest vid cards, including my 5770. But make sure there's circulation around the case - would not advise a gamer using the small size to tuck the case inside a cabinet etc. Its certainly a very nice case for any PC using onboard graphics (or a low-power vid card) AND a standard ATX PSU. Anandtech has a thorough review that proved quite accurate in predicting my experience.

Pros: It works (mostly).

Cons: InstALL utility could not successfully load the four required "drivers", crashing on #1 and then taking nearly an hour to get mid-way through #3. Suspected BIOS issue. Turns out Board shipped 1/21/08 with BIOS 301; web site says 45nm (E8400) support began with BIOS 405. Couldn't go to web site to DL BIOS or use networked computers to help because NIC-driver is not loaded until step #3. After installing NIC-driver, Update would not DL BIOS update from web site (may have been user/Vista Ultimate issue). Asus web site frequently takes *forever* to access. NIC currently running at 100MB, not gigabit. Fan control options changed for the worse from BIOS 301 to 405.

Overall Review: Every step of the install was a struggle. Problems could have been exacerbated by user/Vista, but there's enough blame to go around. Finally got board working by first installing NIC driver (out of required sequence), manually DLing BIOS update, then re-installing Vista to completely eliminate bad driver carryover, and then installing each driver individually rather than using InstALL. Problems may have been worsened by Vista quietly DLing 47 updates/drivers on its own while this was going on, and preventing Asus software from working either due to UAC or firewall settings. I don't know, and frankly do not care - Asus software should guide the user through these issues better. Now if you will pardon me . . . I need to find out why I don't yet have a gigabit controller.

Pros: - mATX - Outstanding fan control, both quantity and quality. - Meets all of my needs

Cons: - A NH-D15 cooler forces the GTX1070 into the 8-lane PCIe slot. - Given my needs list, no others

Overall Review: I maintain 3 gaming rigs, grandfather, father, son. So when the "main" rig hits 4 or 5 years old it gets pushed down to the #2 slot and the old #3 rig, by then 12 years old, is discarded. The main rig sits in a huge Silverstone Fortress case, but the #2 and #3 rigs must be in mATX sized cases. So it's best for me to start out with an mATX mobo to avoid trying first to find and then to swap in an mATX mobo 4-5 years later. For this new gaming rig I chose the 6700K and an Asus Strix GTX 1070. The Asus Gene is of course an mATX mobo, and it can individually control the 6 fans used by the NH-D15 cooler and the Fortress case. The Gene easily handles the Samsung 950 Pro M.2 and slid into OC-XMP mode bringing the Corsair memory to 3733. Preferring headsets, I don't use the "advanced" audio. And I don't push the OC at all (sitting at 4.2gHz) because I prefer the longevity I need. So I can't really comment about them. All in all, a terrific board that would get 5 stars if it had 0.25" more room for the GTX 1070.

Pros: - Fast - Cool -Quiet at all fan sppeds

Cons: - Price. Would be better at $100 :) - Length. The 1070 is big, check your avaliable space.

Overall Review: Others will tell you about exactly how fast the Strix is or it isn't compared to other cards . . . but you're probably better off reading the reviews from RELIABLE test sites. Some folks will tell you "it barely gets over 50C", others say "just about 70C" but you have no idea what the real load or case is being referenced. And if they did, it wouldn't matter much because you don't have that case, or that load. So here's the thing: I wanted the GTX 1070 and specifically bought the Asus Strix because those RELIABLE reviews sites said it was not only fast, but also cool and quiet. And it is. I ran the Heaven benchmark in stress mode in a Silverstone Fortress case. Could not push the temp over 64C. YMMV depending on how well your case deals with graphics card heat. But you can depend on this card running as cool and quiet as any GTX 1070, and quite likely cooler and quieter than any other. Because that's what reliable testing sites say too.

Pros: - High quality, beautiful case. - Extremely build-friendly. Plenty of room, options. - Plenty of wire-management options. - Extreme cooling capacity (See "Other Thoughts"). - Quiet. - Positive-pressure case + filters on all intake fans = minimum dust inside case.

Cons: - No 3.5" external bay. Requires purchase of an add-on part to install, eg, the 3.5" USB3 front panel pod some Asus socket 1155 mobos provide. - No external access to the hot-swap bay(s); Access requires removal of the top and a side panel. - PSU strap isn't necessary and may not be usable depending on how far your psu fan protrudes from your psu. You may not be able to open/close the filter door. - The hole in the mobo tray does not align with the socket on the Asus P8P67 Deluxe, and probably other mobos as well. So you can't install a cooler (or at least the rear bracket) once the mobo is in the case. - The molex connector for the hot-swap bar is low-quality and would not mate with Corsair psu cables without removing most of the plastic shield to align the pins. - There are so many wire-routing options you can spend more than normal amounts of time here.

Overall Review: While there are several disappointing cons, the fact remains no case I've ever used cools as well and as quietly as this case. Using a Noctua NH-D14, my 2600k ran 8 threads of Prime95 at stock for an hour with no core temp ever exceeding 49C. The cpu actually turbo'd 1 step for the whole run. Auto-overclocked to 4.4GHz by an Asus P8P67 Deluxe, a one-hour 8-thread Prime95 run produced a max core temp of 60C. While the cpu and cooler obviously make it possible, the case gets rid of all that heat quietly.

Pros: Sturdy aluminum case also provides heat transfer for this fanless enclosure. Assembly is easy for the most part. It works. The LED cable is only as long as necessary, and is partially "glued" to the inside of the case. This keeps the cable out of the way and allows you to get the HD in without crushing the cable. The stand presses onto the enclosure without screws, and removes easily.

Cons: The connector for the LED is not idiot proof. It should be keyed to allow only proper insertion. This is *not* a big deal . . . after all, it can only be inserted two ways lol. Because the base is relatively small, the device has a high center of gravity when used on its stand.

Overall Review: Instantly recognized in both Vista and XP. Formatting a 1.5GB drive took around 7 hours. The case became very warm very quickly, but never became hot. The enclosure is so solid you may be tempted to think you can bang the HD around. Don't lol.