Joined on 06/19/09
quality motherboard
Pros: Good layout for a microATX. Lots of sata connectors and bios are easy to use. Overclocking options are good for a beginner and allow for most options aside from deep down tweaks such as memory timings.
Cons: again, because of form factor, the pci-e slot can block off other slots and ports. no room for massive upgrades but you should be aware of this looking at details and pictures alone. bios take some time to boot through but it doesn't cause much of an issue unless 2 extra seconds is critical to use.
Overall Review: This Mobo, Celeron e3200 OC@ 3.6 Ghz 1.26vcore cooled with OCZ vendetta , xms2 2gb 675 @ 800MHZ, spinpoint F3 500gb, HIS Radeon 5750 TT TR@ 430w. Runs stable and is snappy.
Awesome Hdd
Pros: Actually whisper quiet unlike the majority of other mechanical hard drives. I've heard 5400 rpm hdd's make much more noise. The read rates are nothing spectacular but they are very high and write rates are very high.
Cons: none
Overall Review: 5 year warranty is awesome. i remember hd tune reported read rates around 120-130mb/s and writes were a bit higher
Good cooler
Pros: Quiet and cools cpu well
Cons: Intel push pin design is hard to work with. Fixed that with a bolt, washer, and nut assembly from hardware store.
Overall Review: Keeps an overclocked Celeron e3200 @ 3.6Ghz 1.26v cooled at 58c max.