Pros: Compact size, 6x SATA ports (2x SATA III and 4x SATA II) make it great for a small home server. It has a ton of functionality built in, so you won't miss having only one expansion slot. WHS 2011 runs on it just fine. Paired with a Lian Li PC-Q08 case, you can have a lot of computer in a very small space. Add a discrete graphics card and you can even have a great gaming machine!

Cons: For the price, I expected a little bit more. Others have pointed out the poor quality of the wireless adapter, though I don't have any experience with it (don't use it). BIOS also leaves a bit to be desired, as tweaking functionality is somewhat limited. I have low voltage DDR3 RAM (1.3v) and I can't lower the voltage of the board enough to match that specification. Also, according to the posted updates, the USB3 controller will cause the computer not to sleep properly without a BIOS update (can't be done via Windows).

Overall Review: I've been waiting for this board to come out ever since I saw the announcement for my new Home Server. The 6 on-board SATA ports were a must for my configuration and drove my decision to wait for release. For the price, it may have been possible to get one of the other boards and add a SATA card, however having the expansion slot free is a bonus.

Pros: The board itself functions great. The built in audio, form factor, and features are great.

Cons: Gigabyte support is terrible. I've been having issues with the PCIe 3.0 slot not being able to recognize my GPU when it's set to 3.0 mode. I've been through 2 boards and 3 GPUs, and none of them will work properly. If I set the slot to 2.0, it will boot. Setting the slot to "auto" or "gen3" will default it to the integrated graphics. To add insult to injury, the support experience is terrible. The exchange with the support technician(s) is laughable, with there seemingly only be 5 responses to choose from: 1. Change the PSU 2. We've tested the board with a Radeon 7870 and it works 3. Set the BIOS to init PEG first 4. Update the BIOS 5. RMA the board In my exchange with support, I've received each of these responses at least twice, despite very detailed documentation of the steps I provided on how I've been trying to troubleshoot this issue. It almost looks like the support person answering these questions isn't even reading any of my responses. I've even gone out of my way to get a second board to test with and getting the same results.

Overall Review: If Gigabyte can address the problems with their support staff and actually read what their customers are telling them, I would be more satisfied with this purchase. I would also appreciate more intelligent responses to questions, instead of something that is copied and pasted from a manual. I've found other users with similar issues on this board, and the only "solution" I've been able to come across is buying a Gigabyte branded Radeon 7870.

Pros: This is a great small case that can hold very high end components. So far, I've built two different computers in 250Ds and have had great experience with both. Almost every GPU on the market will fit, room for a standard PSU, and H100i, there are really few compromises. Things I really like: 1. Dust filters EVERYWHERE 2. Room for an H100i, as long as you mount it correctly (not to the fan mounts, but rather a set of holes that are slightly offset) and you have a board with a gap behind the rear panel slot to run the hose. 3. Top window is nice for seeing inside, especially if you put some lighting in. It's not extremely tacky like some cases. 4. Clean exterior look

Cons: I do have a few small complaints about this case. First, the HDD LED lead isn't color coded or labeled, so I had to figure out the direction it needed to go by trial and error. This can be very difficult on standard mITX boards that don't have some sort of extension. Second, is the graphics card support. I have an XFX R9 290DD card and it was a large undertaking trying to squeeze the card in there. I ended up removing the sliding piece above the card slots to get the extra 1 mm of clearance so I could slot the card in. Third, if you're using a large GPU, then there isn't room in the front of the case to install a larger fan. I originally purchased a 200mm fan to go in the front of the case, but discovered that the GPU would not fit with it installed. Fourth, the 5.25 drive bay is pretty much useless, as installing a DVD drive ruins the look of the case. Lian Li solves this in all of their cases by having a fold-down drive door so that you can install a drive and have it hidden. Finally, the front USB ports are mounted upside down from every other device I've ever owned. While this isn't usually a problem, it means that flash drives with an access LED is usually plugged in upside down and the LED is not always visible.

Overall Review: I really enjoyed building in this case. Overall, it's well thought out, can hold high end components, and makes very few sacrifices. Like any other case of this size, you really do have to plan out your build and do cable management as you go. Even with a modular PSU, you'll have a tough time cramming all of the excess cable in the front of the case (I really wish modular PSUs had option for shorter cables). My build: Corsair 250D Intel Core i7-4790k Asus Maximus VI Impact Corsair H100i XFX R9 290 DD Black Edition 2x 8GB Patriot Gamer Series RAM 2x Samsung 840 Pro 128GB

Comments: I got one of these last time and I haven't had a chance to play with it until recently. I bought a 2.4 Prescott for it and then proceeded to fight with it for about 2 hours to get XP installed on it (with SP2 slipstreamed into it). <font>u</font>pdate the Bios! After I got it running, I brought it to a LAN party to give it a spin. It held it's own on UT2k4 as well as some other games. As a temporary measure, I had a ti4200 installed, 512mb RAM, and a SATA hard drive. I'm pretty impressed so far, and it seems like it would be a good start for a mid-range desktop machine. The Prescott wasn't too expensive, helping cost.