Pros: Clocked to 400/800 (gpu/mem) and runs stable without much increase in core temps (idles around 42C, load at 55C). Can clock at 450/800 but some games start to show minor artifacts after a while. Cost for performance is excellent (even w/o the $30 rebate).
Cons: Not DDR2 or DDR3 memory - not sure how big a difference this would make. Also... seriously - has anyone yet received a rebate back from EVGA? I'm going on my 9th week with my 7800GT's rebate, and I'm seriously pondering whether or not to waste the postage in sending this one..
Overall Review: If you're unwilling to pay the extra $50 for the DDR3 memory of the 6800GS, this is the card for you.
Pros: Affordable, firewire, overclocking options for CPU clock as well as HT and DRAM. decent on-board video. This was part of a low-cost system that i built for my son, and for the most part it does the job. The 4 rating is for the cons...
Cons: IDE (PATA) is not RAID. There should be a heatsink on the southbridge; it gets VERY hot. I put one on... The board is very unstable if you do not have a QUALITY power supply. I had a cheap 400-watt PS with a 20-pin ATX connector; system would reboot itself or fail to power on altogether. I bought a 20-to-24 pin adapter which fixed the reboot/power-on issues but I still could not use a PCI-e video card (gaming caused reboots). Finally purchased a quality 400-watt PS and it fixed all my problems.
Overall Review: Overall I think the board is decent for its price. However, if the target is the budget builder, they should know that this board will require purchase of a quality case or power supply. The board DOES work with a 20-pin ATX connector so long as the PS is good quality ($70+). The system with this board: --------------- Athlon64 3000+ 754pin @ 2.5GHz (stock HSF) This MB eVGA 6800 512 DDR400 GSkill RAM 160GB SATA ** All except the case/ps/hdd are from Newegg (used old parts) ** Newegg continues to exceed my expectations! 5/5 stars for Newegg!
Pros: Affordability and overclockability. I built two systems within the last month with this processor; one system I left running at stock speeds (for a relative), and the one I built for my son is running at 2.5GHz on stock heatsink/fan. Stable on all games and 3DMark05; idles at around 40C, load temps are around 47C-48C.
Cons: there are no cons - if you want a better processor, you spend more money.
Overall Review: I purchased one of the first 754 pin Athlon64s (130nm process?) over three years ago; the best overclocking I could do with that was to squeeze an extra 200MHz out of it. I'm mildly surprised at the overclockablily of the 90nm process.
Pros: Cannot beat Newegg pricing - this item costs 5 times as much locally. Runs quiet, and there is absolutely no heat produced.
Cons: None
Overall Review: Goes well with a modular PS with clear/silver round cables. For best effects: strip your case clean, spray paint the interior with a white or otherwise UV-reflective paint. Now put your stuff back in with two of these lights and relax in its glow. I just received my second set for my second PC - all from Newegg!
Pros: Puuuurrteeeee...
Cons: TBD
Overall Review: I just received 2 of these boards for 2 builds I'm doing for relatives. The 2 previous reviews - well, i'll just say they don't make me feel that good about this product, but hey... I'll be optimistic. Look for glowing or blowing reviews afer this weekend.
Pros: Excellent overclocking options. Came free with an Evga N517 7800GT card (note that Evga has another 7800GT card that's bundled with this board - that one costs $xx more than the one I got, but what I got was only a one day sale). Raid support for PATA and SATA. Power button and reset button on the board so you can power up and test the board/processor outside of the case. Nice touch.
Cons: Green with Blue and Yellow?!! The northbridge HSF is situated right next to the single PCI-E slot - a 7800GT's length will put its PCB and heatsink right on the northbridge fan. No Firewire.
Overall Review: I think that for what they're asking for this board, there are better options from other vendors (without promoting a particular one). I would have purchased an *S*S had this 7800GT/Mobo deal not come along.
Pros: This processor runs cool and fast. Overclocks without a sweat - minimal bump (.025v) in voltage, coupled with a Zalman HSF, and I'm running at 2.6GHz (I'm not even trying, trust me) with idle temps hovering around 32C. Stable on both SiS Sandra and 3dMark stress tests - I cut each test short after 1 hour.
Cons: Maybe I'll come up with one when the processor gets sooo outdated 10 years from now.
Overall Review: I received the CAB2E, and not the CABYE that everyone raves about. I'm not complaining at all. The first 64bit system I built was a 754 running at 2.0 and the best I could do was to get an additional 200MHz out of it after putting in a LOT of time tweaking the CPU and mem. This processor was running at 2.6 (using the mem from my old system) before I even put it inside the case. :) When I find more time I'll try to hit the 2.8-3.0 marks and post a follow up.
Pros: I ordered my card when Newegg had a one-day sale, and got a free Evga SLI MB with it - I would have been just as happy with the card alone. It brings games to LIFE! I'm playing all my games at 1280x1024x32 (limitation of my LCD monitor) and the card doesn't even break a sweat! And I haven't even looked into overclocking or SLI yet - there's no need.
Cons: The HSF is LOUD. So much for the thought of building a super quiet PC - they don't have a good water GPU block yet for this card (at least not ones that cover the mem chips as well) yet. If anyone knows of a good aftermarket product, recommendations will help the next person looking to pick up this card.
Overall Review: For any game that does not have AA and AS controls, use the Nvidia driver to turn it on (mine are at 8x and 16x, respectively) - you will love the effects. In fact, I let my driver control all aspects of AA and AS, even for games that have these options built in. This card can handle it. Last but not least - NEWEGG ROCKS!
Pros: Excellent visual appeal, tool-less, silent dual 120mm fans, great airflow, and the colorful CDRs are a bonus. This last point could be a pro or a con depending on what you prefer - the case is heavy. Empty, it is heavy, loaded, heavier. Quality aluminum used in making this case.
Cons: Hard drive bays leave something to be desired - very tight fit for power connectors if you have a nice power supply with sturdy, rounded cables. Be careful with those fragile SATA power connectors on your HDDs. All 3.5" and 5.25" bays are tight and combined with the mounting brackets makes for some frustrating moments.
Overall Review: Consider your PS carefully - the MB mounts upside down in this full ATX case, thereby the need for a long ATX power connector cable. Does not fit well with PS which has a heatsink extending out the back - XG Magnum/Thermaltake Purepower, etc. The only real gripe I have is the HDD bay/mounting brackets. Overall I love this case and would recommend it to anyone.
Pros: Able to handle every game currently on the market at above 40fps with full eye candy @ 1280x1024 (flatpanel's limitation).
Cons: Stock HSF is loud, and I'm finding that it is insufficient when overclocking the GPU/mem. Constantly hitting 60C at load, in a full tower case with good airflow. Falling behind the 7900GT in terms of price/performance. If I wasn't looking for SLI without having to revamp my build, I'd go 7900GT. I don't even play games enough to justify a second card for SLI, but oh well... :p
Overall Review: Note that eVGA's 7800GT/GT-CO cards stop the GPU/mem clock at 470/1100. This is the limit where you'll notice no glitches or artifacts - if you want more, get aftermarket cooling. Also, if you're going to OC your graphics card, program the ROM (use something like like Nibitor) instead of something like coolbits.