Pros: Recently purchased a new machine with Vista, only to learn that several programs are either not compatible with Vista or their "updated" versions don't offer the same functionality. Installed the old standby, XP Professional, and regained all that functionality. If you know how to set up a dual-boot system, you can have the best of both worlds.

Cons: MS will eventually stop selling it...buy your XP licenses now! Newer machines may require direct integration of drivers for installation - do your research, and run some test installations, before committing the dollars to a license.

Overall Review: If you want the option to install Vista on your computer someday, save some money in the long run and buy Vista Business OEM or Ultimate OEM. You will have downgrade rights to install XP Professional.

Pros: Cheap when I bought it. Sold it for a few bucks after the fan died. Ended up spending about $20 for one year's use.

Cons: Two huge cons - first, don't trust EVGA warranties - you basically have to prove, twice, that you're entitled to it. Make sure you keep a copy of everything you submit. Second - like the title said, the fan died after a year. It started out as an incredibly noisy whine, then it completely died. This was in a fairly dust-free house. I ended up buying a fanless model for a replacement.

Overall Review: Yeah, they are cheap. But you can either buy this card and replace it in a year, or spend a little more and get something that will last.

Pros: HDMI input; great picture - very clear and crisp, yet easy on the eyes.

Cons: There is NO VESA mount on this monitor. The specifications are incorrect. -1 egg for incorrect description. Consequently, the bottom of the viewable area of the monitor is about 3.5" above the desk surface.

Overall Review: I would buy again if I didn't need VESA.

Pros: I've burned about ten BD-R's so far, not a coaster in the bunch! Quieter than the DVD burner it replaced. Haven't tried out M-DISC yet, but will probably get some to create "permanent" archive of family photos and movies. (Keep in mind, "permanent" really only means "as long as there's a drive around to read the data" because even if the disk will last 1,000 years, the data on it is useless if it can't be read...and realistically, my grandchildren will probably use these disks as frisbees if the data can't be read in 30 years!)

Cons: Rip lock slows BD read speeds to about 3x. Can probably be flashed to a modded firmware, but I'm not ready to do that yet.

Overall Review: Another poster commented that this drive can also handle BDXL - can't confirm this through LG, however.

Pros: Great price when purchased as a combo. Burn at 8x in my LG WH12LS39 (ImgBurn reports possible burning speeds of 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x) with no errors so far.

Cons: None yet - haven't had a coaster yet out of ten burns, even with burning speed well above the rated 4x.

Overall Review: I've had these less than a week, so I can't speak to durability; also, YMMV based on your burner. Can definitely recommend to owners of the LG WH12LS39, however!

Pros: I have the 1090T paired with an Asus Crosshair IV Formula mobo, a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus cooler sealed down with Arctic Silver 5, sitting inside an Antec Three Hundred case with the wires routed for maximum cooling efficiency. (8 GB Corsair XMS DDR3 @ 1600 also.) Not overclocking at this time. With the case fans and CPU fans set for max cooling, the processor idles at about 27 C and never gets above 37 C - but the machine also sounds like it's getting ready for takeoff. Turning down the fans and enabling fan control in BIOS results in a silent computer that idles at 28 C and never goes above 41 C at full load - a good compromise between acoustics and heat. (Compared to my old Intel Core 2 Q6600 that idled at 45...)

Cons: None at this stage.

Overall Review: This was my first AMD build, and I'm very pleased. Good price-to-performance ratio. I'm looking forward to maxing out this rig over the next couple of years.