Joined on 11/14/17
Sturdy and Slick-Looking Motherboard
Pros: - Backing plate is very sturdy - Includes LED diagnosis lights on the board near the RAM slots to help troubleshoot components that aren't working properly. There are 4 lights (CPU, RAM, VGA, MB) that light up when an issue is encountered.
Cons: - I/O shield felt rather flimsy.
Overall Review: - With the backing plate being aluminum it'll be interesting to see if it gets brittle over time. - Has some red LEDs to light up case. - Board is designed to have RAM inserted into the A2/B2 slots first (per installation guide).
1 of 2 Died After 8 Months of Non-OC Use
Pros: - Does a good job cooling - Default fan profile is pretty quiet
Cons: - Questionable quality.
Overall Review: I bought two of these 280mm AIOs and the second one has failed after only 8 months of use. The motherboard's AIO pump header is showing a N/A RPM, but the fans are running at max RPMs before the CPU shutdowns from overheating. I use AIOs for aesthetics, so I am surprised to see the pump is dead from just regular, non-overclocked usage and having the pump being the lowest part of the CPU cooling system.
Bluetooth Upgrade
Pros: + Bluetooth device recognized by Windows 11
Cons: - Requires a free USB header on your MB for bluetooth capability
Overall Review: I originally bought this device because Windows 11 stopped recognizing my Insignia Bluetooth USB dongle for bluetooth connectivity. The only thing I dislike about this device is the requirement of a free USB 2.0 header on your motherboard. Depending on your board size and system configuration, you may not have a free header. I got around this using a NZXT USB 2.0 hub. If all you need is wifi functionality, the PCIe power is sufficient. The wifi works, but I don't need it for a home desktop that's right next to a router. It came with a driver disk, but I didn't need it as Windows update pulled the updated drivers. After updating and restarting the device has been working flawlessly. Despite my issues, the device works as advertised with little to no fuss from the OS so 5 stars
Good RAM
Pros: - Decent looking metal heat plate.
Cons: - Was worried I was going to damage the sticks getting them out of the packaging. Package didn't want to let go.
Overall Review: - Designed for Intel Z170 platform, but it seems to work on the Z370 platform. Not really sure if there's a major performance difference or not since I'm running off a SSD.
Modular PSU with "Short" CPU Power Cable
Pros: - Easy to install - Fully modular
Cons: - CPU power cable is too short to route behind motherboard on cases with PSUs being mounted on the bottom.
Overall Review: - Aside from the CPU cable being too short for "neat" wiring it's a pretty solid unit. - Comes with attachable rubber edges to make the PSU flush with the case. The PSU has rounded edges.