Pros: Five times as fast as the Kingston 16 GB USB 3.0 Data Traveler that it replaced. I copied 38,000 files totaling 14 GB from an internal HD to this drive in 14 minutes---a gig a minute. I then copied the very same files back to the internal in 7 minutes, so reads are about twice as fast as writes. This corresponds to the manufacturer's specifications. Slider mechanism and overall build quality seems OK.

Cons: My only concern at this point is long-term durability and the possibility of controller failure, resulting in a RAW state from which I could not recover. Nothing I can do about it other than hope. Supposed to have a "lifetime limited" warranty that I hope I never have to use. Fingers crossed as with all storage media.

Overall Review: I was willing to buy only because of a $7 promotional discount code.

Pros: Exceptional price/performance ratio. Scans 87,000 files about 10 times as fast as the Samsung HDD it replaced. Price declining rapidly over the last 6 months and that may continue. I installed this on a SIIG NVMe/PCIe adapter card ($15) rather than directly into an NVMe port on my motherboard because I either lost or never had the proper screw to affix the drive to the native NVMe port. Unfortunately, those screws tend to be proprietary rather than an industry standard, so replacement is difficult to impossible. The SIIG card is working well. Sequential read and write speeds are above 1900 per Crystal Disk Mark. I am using the drive ONLY for data, not an operating system.

Cons: The standard complaint is that the write speed for very large files is relatively slow compared to top of the line NVMe drives---but how often do you do that? Very rarely in my case. My largest data file is about 20 GB.

Overall Review: I can't speak to longevity, but so far I have no issues at all. The 2 TB model is warrantied for 400 TB write endurance over the 5 year warranty period. That's over 200 GB per day. I don't expect to write anywhere near that number. My data grows at about 50 GB per year. The drive now has 822 GB on it and I expect to be using it for at least 10 years barring a failure and assuming the NVMe interface is still around on future motherboards. Temps: 37 typically, in a Lian-Li mATX case where fan speeds are 500 rpm and lower. I used the Intel Toolbox to do a "full diagnostic scan" as soon as I installed the drive. That thrashed the drive for about 6 hours and temps got up to 73 during the test. That test wrote over 3 TB to the drive. No errors at all.

Pros: Uses same mounting method as the larger U12S. I did not have to change brackets. All I did was remove the U12S, clean the CPU surface with alcohol, reapply thermal paste and attach the new U9S cooler. Performance noticeably superior to Noctua "down-blowing" coolers such as the L9i and L9x65, but the 125 mm height still lets it fit in most small tower cases.

Cons: None for me.

Overall Review: I downsized my case from a large ATX (Antec Solo II) to a much smaller mATX (Lian-Li A04) and therefore had to change from a Noctua U12S cooler to the shorter U9S due to the narrower Lian-Li. I'd been completely satisfied with the U12S, so decided to go with the U9S. I have no complaints at all. The rest of the hardware was unchanged: Intel 6600K processor, 3 hard drives, AsRock motherboard, 8 GB RAM, and NO video card. Intake fan Noctua NF-F12. Exhaust fan Noctua S12A. All fans PWM. All 3 fans set to "silent" mode in the motherboard BIOS. This is on Windows 10 Home. Below are some maximum CPU temperatures for this U9S cooler with the Lian-Li case, compared to the U12S/Antec Solo II combination in parentheses. All temps in a warm room (27 C, which is 81 F). The case fans stayed near 500 rpm for all tests. The U9S fan was always near 830 rpm. Not overclocked. Idling: hottest core maximum: 31 (28) Intel Extreme Tuning Utility CPU stress test: hottest core maximum: 54 (54) x264 stability test, 1 loop, hottest core maximum 58 (49) Prime 95, small FFTs, no AVX instructions, 20 minutes: hottest core maximum 59 (56) Prime 95, blend, no AVX instructions, 20 minutes: hottest core maximum 60 (55) So, you can see that the U9S performance is somewhat below the U12S, but temps were a long way from dangerous levels. This is about what I expected. I cannot say how much of the temp differences noted are due to the new smaller case rather than the new cooler. Noise levels for both coolers in silent mode are about the same--effectively silent from a distance of 3 or 4 feet. Go for it.

Pros: Installed on stock Intel i5-2500 in Antec Solo II case. Ambient temps 27 C (81 F) BIOS fan controls set to quietest possible mode. I don't like noise. Cooler fan max speed under 900 rpm. Idle temps: CPU 34, motherboard 44, drives 34 to 37 Stress tests temps: Intel XTU: hottest core reaches 63 Prime 95 version 28.5.1.0: hottest core reaches 67 on all 3 tests Probably the best mounting system of any brand. Does not overhang RAM slots.

Cons: Some would say cost, but you get a tube of Noctua's excellent thermal paste, a low noise adapter, and a spare set of fan mounting clips if you want to use a second fan in push pull mode. I don't see any reason to use a second fan as all the review I've seen say it would reduce temps only 2 or 3 degrees.

Overall Review: One of the very best single tower air coolers out there. Not extremely heavy and not as tall as some competing coolers at 158 mm. My Antec case specs say it will accept coolers up to 160 mm in height and I had no clearance issues. So far, I see no need to use the low noise adapter. I can't hear the PC from a distance of 4 feet without it.

Pros: Totally silent from a distance of 6 inches and vented on 5 of 6 surfaces. I have this mounted in an Antec Solo II case in which the PSU mounts at the top. The case has a vent directly over the SilentNight's heat sink. The air radiating from the heatsink through the vent never feels warmer than room temp (27C/80F), even under a major load. CPU is stock Intel 2500; Noctua NH-U12S cooler with 120 mm PWM fan and 120 mm Noctua PWM intake fan, both connected to the same CPU fan port on a splitter; both at about 800 rpm; single 120 mm Antec exhaust at 450 rpm. SSD and 2 internal HDDs. No video card. Prime 95 peaks at 67 on the hottest core. Intel XTU peaks at 63. OCCT peaks at 65. Typical idle is about 36 degrees in this warm room. For kicks, I tested without any exhaust or intake fans: idle at about 46. PSU will be transferred to Skylake build late this year. I think the ports and cables are configured so that any cable can be used in any port. Was able to attach all 4 internal drives to a single cable. I got a substantial rebate check today, 10 weeks after filing. BIOS set to quietest fan profiles possible.

Cons: None to speak of. Gave off a mild odor for the first few hours of operation. High priced if you don't get it on a sale or with no rebate. I had to stash the non-detachable video card cable into an empty drive bay, but anyone who uses a video card won't have this issue. Cables are quite flexible, so it's an easy work-around. Rubber cable port covers aren't of much use. They tend to fall off easily and you might find them rattling around in your case. I left them off. One of the 4 mounting holes did not match my case, but I'm doing fine with the remaining 3 screws.

Overall Review: My goal was as near silence as I could get and I didn't want to take a chance on the coil whine often found on other well-known fanless brands. As configured, I can't hear this PC at all from a distance of 4 feet This PC can't use even 200 watts, so I didn't need a 500 watt PSU. However, the 80Plus.org verification test shows this PSU to be over 91% efficient at 112 watts, which is a typical load for me. .

Pros: Inexpensive due to 20 off coupon, high capacity, runs cool, faster than expected, only 3 platters, quick delivery, packing better than expected, quiet.

Cons: Fear and doubt based on lots of negative reviews, short warranty.

Overall Review: I had to buy something as I needed more storage for my backup plan. Reviews for pretty much all HDDs are shaky, but sooner or later you have to take a plunge. So I did. Packed in a box measuring 4 inches high, 6 wide, and 8 long, inside an air-filled clamshell that fit tight in the box so it couldn't move around. It's 50% faster than the 1.5 TB Western Digital Green that it replaced. It's about 10% faster than my primary data drive, a 3 year old Samsung 1 TB 103SJ 7200 RPM model. The density on these new platters really helps. Running at 32 degrees C in an 81 degree F room, about 2 degrees cooler than the Samsung. Ran WD Data Lifeguard Extended test before committing data. The test took 7 hours and showed no bad sectors. Did a drag and drop copy of all my data from my Samsung to this drive. 573 gigabytes, 93543 files, in 126 minutes. This is 4.5 gigs per minute; 273 gigs per hour. Full model number is WD30EZRX-00D8PB0. Made in Thailand, Feb 2014.