Pros: True hardware RAID, lower CPU usage; onboard processor/cache. Ease of installation and configuration. Firmware update program updates on the fly in WinXP. I was able to plug the card in, boot windows, update the firmware, install the drivers, and configure the arrays in minutes. The BIOS is easy to use to configure the array. Web server application can monitor errors, verify and rebuild units, and control most options of the controller remotely. Unit order can be modified in the BIOS, staggered spinup available, NCQ supported and can be disabled if needed. Even though it is pretty expensive, the peace of mind is worth it. It works flawlessly once configured properly, and is extremely fast compared to the motherboard RAID I was using before.

Cons: Price is somewhat prohibitive. WinXP still requires a floppy drive to add drivers for the card (F6 prompt when installing. It's really that big of a deal, just annoying.) On a side note, I used to run the 6 drives I use with 4 on the NVIDIA SATA controller on the motherboard and 2 on the Sil3114. The Sil3114 is junk, I am sure you have seen that written elsewhere. Many corrupted files and lockups due to the Sil3114.

Overall Review: I have the Asus A8N-SLI Premium motherboard in which I had planned to use the X4 slot to install this card. It functions, but if you look closer in the controller BIOS information, it shows PCIE X1, which the card is capable of. It should be running PCIE X4 at 1000MBps to achieve full transfer potential. (X1 runs at only 250MBps or 250MBps per lane.) Next I plugged into the X16 slot (second SLI slot which I was not using for video.) The card would not initialize. Although I couldn't find any documentation stating this, I had to switch the motherboard bios to Dual Video Cards, then the 9650 was recognized, and showed X4 in the information page of the BIOS (4 lane in the 3DM2 web application.) I am using 009 BIOS revision for the A8N-SLI Premium, for reference. This card is an excellent upgrade if you can afford it. Tom's hardware even says so: ml

Pros: I bought 5 of these for RAID5 on a 9690SA 3Ware controller. I have had no issues. Samsung is the key to reliable RAID. Also, these drives are very quiet. The only sound that I hear is when all 5 spinup at the same time on initialization. It actually sounds kind of cool... They run about 85 to 90 DegF even after hours of use in an iStarUSA BPU-350 Backplane Raid Cage.

Cons: None so far.

Overall Review: I have had 9 Samsung drives prior to these, all used for a RAID5 array with a 3Ware 9650SE controller, and over the course of 3 years of service, only 1 has shown signs of failure and been replaced.

Pros: Looks good, has individual activity LED per drive, and is made of metal for better cooling. Full HDD load for several hours yields ~85 DegF.

Cons: A petty gripe is that the LEDs are green and red, and I would prefer blue and red.

Overall Review: I have been running this with 5x 2TB Samsung drives for 3 weeks or so connected to a 3Ware 9690SA-8i in RAID5. The individual LED activity lights are very useful. I fit this, on it's side, in a Thermaltake Bach HTPC case by removing the drive bay door. It sticks out a bit because it hits my MB, but it looks ok. I am happy with the quality metal construction.

Pros: I have been running this card continuously in my HTPC and Media server since 1/2007 and upgraded the OS from XP to Vista Ultimate x64 (a couple of years ago) with no issues. Like others have said, it always just works. It is extremely fast. I have been using 2x10K Raptors @ RAID 0 for OS and 6x Samsung 750GB drives @ RAID5 nearly the entire time with NO ISSUES. Impressive.

Cons: None. I take back my previous con of price. I agree that saying price is a con is really not appropriate.

Overall Review: I really like this card, especially with Samsung drives! My new HTPC Includes the 9690SA card (8 Port) running a Crucial SSD and working up the courage to drop $1000 or more on 7x 2TB Samsung drives. The 9690 seems flawless so far as well.

Pros: This laptop is awesome! I was looking for something to play 1080 video files yet be ultra-portable. Using Media Player Classic Home Cinema 64-bit I can play every 1080 video that I have tried. HDMI has worked flawlessly on a Sony Bravia 1080 LCD. If you can get a Win7 Home Premium 64 bit installation, you can use the serial that shipped with the unit to activate it. It comes up invalid upon install, but calling the support number listed in the activation GUI will correct this and properly re-activate the serial to 64 bit. The case is very nice looking, and feels adequately sturdy. The screen is VERY bright. No dead pixels on mine.

Cons: Comes with WIN7 32-bit. I installed 4GB and wanted to utilize it all, as well as start with a fresh install minus the "bloatware." As mentioned above, if you have the installation disk you can install 64-bit using the 32-bit serial. Some 64-bit mobile drivers don't exist, but search "1201N Win7 64 bit drivers" in Google and you'll find a post in the ASUS forum listing the latest working drivers. Some will be the desktop drivers, but they work fine on my machine so far. The coprocessor driver is in the NVIDIA bundle; run the install but cancel after it expands the drivers. Find the driver in the SMU directory (c:\NVIDIA\*.) I have heard that the battery life is weak, but I haven't experimented with this yet.

Overall Review: I am really impressed with the performance of this machine for HD video. I replaced the 2GB RAM with 4GB, and Windows 7 64 seems more responsive. I am very happy with the purchase. I may upgrade to SSD someday, but you have to split the case to do it.

Pros: Reasonably competitive price and excellent performance. Arrived in working order and run hard for 30+ days now. Silent and cool running compared to Raptors. Arrived with 1819 firmware before Christmas.

Cons: This is a 2.5" drive so it needs an adapter to fit a PC case. I used the Icydock, which works fine.

Overall Review: I am using this with a new 3WARE 9690 controller and I am always amazed at the transfer rates read and write. My old HTPC has a pair of 10K/76GB Raptors with a 9650SE controller, and the new rig blows that away. I see the averages exceeding 200 MB/s read and write consistently. Seeking in 1080 movies is instant. All applications load instantly now. (Core i7-920; P6T Deluxe; Crucial CT128M225 with Firmware updated to 1916; 6GB Corsair)