Joined on 05/30/03
Extremely Flexible MOBO!
Pros: You name it, you can tweak it in the BIOS - or set the Dynamic Energy controller and let the board tweak itself on the fly. Great build quality.
Cons: Hey Gigabyte - your HD4870 X2 video card blocks the SATA ports for numbers 2 & 3. Why didn't you use a right angle port set like that on port numbers 0 & 1??? BUYERS BE ADVISED - if you want to make use of all of the on-board SATA ports, you cannot install an x2 GPU card. You either give up the ports or the card. Moving the card to the next PCIe slot reduces the bus from 16x to 8x which really defeats the purpose of having a card of that type.
Overall Review: Other than the SATA port issue mentioned above - love it!
This thing SCREAMS - literally
Pros: Construction is top notch - aluminum body & back-plate with plastic faceplate. The drive trays work well. Automatic RAID 1 config went well with two 1 TB WD drives.
Cons: LOUD is an understatement for this thing. It has TWO high speed fans - one in and one out to keep it and the drives cool - and they do their job well. HOWEVER - I purchased this for my home theater DVR and suffice it to say - it is unacceptably noisy. It is BY FAR the loudest computing device I have ever owned - including laser-jet printers. It will now be used as a USB connected backup for my Buffalo TeraStation - in the basement (and I will probably still be able to hear the fans from my office). The drive mounting screws supplied are low-quality - you might want to use others.
Overall Review: Documentation is somewhat limited and cryptic. It walks you through the display menus but fails to mention you can only go through the menus while the drive is not connected to any computer or device - seems that would be an important note to make. AVERAGE rating based on noise issue.
HOT HOT HOT
Pros: FAST. REALLY REALLY FAST.
Cons: You could cook dinner on this thing (and heat your room at the same time). So big it interferes with two of my MOBO SATA port plugs rendering them un-usable. Driver software still needs refinements to fully realize the power of this card. Need to use a modified profile to adjust the fan speed to get the temps down to a reasonable level.
Overall Review: Still shaking this card out on my new rig. Hopefully the drivers get better. And Vista Ultimate keeps wanting to install a driver for the PCI to PCI Bridge on the card - and of course it can't find one.
Awsome power in a compact case
Pros: 1200W in a case not much bigger than a 750W PSU. Has modular cables that are sleeved with mesh for accessories and drives. The fan is quiet.
Cons: The latch on the ATX connector broke off on the first use. Not a big deal as it is a snug fit already and the connector isn't going anywhere soon.
Overall Review: The only improvement would be to make the ATX and the AUX board power cords modular as well - they are direct wired to the PSU now.
Great Case!
Pros: Good build quality and BIG. REALLY REALLY BIG. Excellent airflow and plenty of room for the new monster sized GPU cards and/or liquid cooling.
Cons: BIG. REALLY REALLY BIG.
Overall Review: Wanted a large case to accommodate liquid cooling and a large (ATI 4870 x2) video card. Would definitely buy again.