Pros: Powered by surplus laptop brick fanless 4 x SATA ports (2 x SATA2, 2 x SATA3) VGA, DVI, and HDMI video

Cons: None that I don't expect to be cured with updated alternative OS software

Overall Review: I bought this to make a fanless sealed box NAS server with 2 x 4 GB PC1333 laptop memory and 2 x 2TB NAS disks. Had to disable USB3 ports to boot FreeBSD 9.x as found in FreeNAS and NAS4Free. I could backport kernel patch and build from source, but I'll probably limp along without USB3 and keep playing until FreeNAS makes it to FreeBSD 10. FreeNAS bigots insist on ECC for ZFS, and these consumer Bay Trail-D boards don't have it. Buy a server board with an Avoton and 16+ GB ECC memory if you want to do things the "right" way. I am willing to experiment with this consumer board with a pair of mirrored ZFS disks. I hope ASRock sells a lot these fanless DC-powered Mini-ITX boards, and that other MB makers follow suit. ATX and even SFF power supplies are not good matches for these <100W systems (including disks). I know one can use the popular DC - DC converters to power ITX boards with 24 pin ATX interfaces, but I prefer to be able to use laptop bricks directly. Just for fun I installed Linux Mint 17 (xfce) on an SSD on this board, and it just worked. Boots in around 15 seconds with absolutely no fiddling. Result: instant desktop / browser computer. I'll probably try XBMCBuntu at some point to see how it might function as an HTPC Came out of the box with UEFI secure boot disabled, so no trouble booting non-Windows OS's. Didn't try any Windows OS's. Other things I plan to try are using the Serial and Parallel port headers for talking to various pieces of industrial gear.

Pros: Doesn't require external power (received power from HDMI interface) Works well as a wifi-connected audio streaming device (the main reason I bought this device)

Cons: None

Overall Review: I'm not sure if this is a shortcoming of this particular device or if it's a result of the Chromecast's (2013 version) configuration. The ancient Viewsonic LCD monitor I'm using this with is 1600x1200 format. The VGA output of the device is 1920x1080@60Hz. I was unable to see any video on the display (black screen) until I changed the monitor's configuration to display 1:1. The edges of the video are cut off. This is only a minor issue for me, as my intended use for the converter was audio only. No worries if your monitor can display the converter's/Chromecast's pixel format.

Pros: Excellent fit and finish Nice layout and design Attractive minimalist appearance quiet front fan interchangeable top and side panels

Cons: None for me

Overall Review: I really wanted a sealed fanless box for a small NAS with 2 to 4 x 3.5" HDD's. However, I was unable to find any suitable commercial enclosures that didn't cost 2x - 5x the cost of the 10W TDP ASRock Q1900DC-ITX Celeron J1900 + 8 Gb RAM I'm using for the server. I chose this cube as the best inexpensive alternative. I have 2 x 3.5" HDD's and 1 x 2.5" SSD mounted to the supplied drive caddies. Since the MB is DC input, supplied by a 60W laptop brick, the entire ATX power supply bay is empty. I'm thinking about building a UPS into the lower bay, capable of running the NAS, router, and cable modem for hours without AC power. This enclosure was clearly designed for building a mini-ITX gaming rig, but it's also a fine choice for a small server if you do not require hot swap and/or ODD drive bays. The included 200 mm 800 rpm front fan is very quiet, though I can hear it because the CPU and power supply is fanless. I do not think there is a better value mini-ITX enclosure.

Pros: Performance improved as expected over original 5400 rpm Seagate drive

Cons: One mounting screw hole seemed slightly out of whack. I didn't really check the screw to see if it was the screw or the threads. Since I'm not sure which was the case, and it mounted securely, I'm not going to dock it an egg.

Overall Review: I decided to do a clean Windows 7 Pro install by restoring the Factory Recovery image that I burned onto DVD from the original drive. I then used GParted live booted from a USB thumb drive to move and resize the partitions. Caught up on all Windows maintenance, and now the laptop runs better than new. None of my 3 other WD blacks have failed in 5 years

Pros: Attaches to computer with detachable / replaceable USB 3.0 male A/ male A cable. You can use a shorter or longer one as needed. There is also a mini-coaxial 5V jack if you need to feed your devices power, though it doesn't come with an external power supply

Cons: None so far

Overall Review: Haven't tried it with actual USB 3 devices. My wife uses it as a mini-dock for her keyboard, mouse, and printer for her Lenovo Thinkpad 530. It seems to work fine with USB 2 or USB 3 host ports

Pros: Worked on the first try in a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 0301J9U with no configuration or tweaking.

Cons: None

Overall Review: Replaced 2 GB DDR3 1066 module that came with the laptop. I don't know whether the system would work with both 2 GB 1066 and 4 GB 1333 memory modules installed. Perhaps I will try it when I have a few hours to mess around.