Hulk (I'm gonna call you that because of your profile pic, and sounds a lot cooler than NFAA),
The Auber PID controller is not required to make great Q. But, what it does is take a great smoker and make it exceptional. Having used 2 models of the Auber extensively, let me give you my "pros and cons:"
Pros:
1. Totally eliminates temperature swings of the analog controller, and allows you to maintain a "true" low-temp. While those swings average-out, I wanted consistency, especially at low-temps. For example, if I want to maintain exactly 140° for smoking jerky, I want 140! Not 120-170. I don't ever want to get to the range that cooks, vs. heats for drying. Many that smoke fish (especially salmon) also like the consistent temp. Also, I find the consistent temps, for regular smoking, give me more consistent times.
2. Programming. The units have 6-8 steps (depending on the model). So, if you want to automate temperature changes, based on a trigger of either time or internal temp, the Auber is great! Say you want to smoke something at 140 for 2 hours, then up the temp to 225 until the meat hits 150...you can easily do this. Want to "hold" a pork butt, at a safe 140° for 6 hours before it's served? Easy.
3. If you bypass the stock controller, by simply connecting the 2 power leads to each other, instead of the knob on top of the smoker, you can exceed 250°. Not that you use it that much, but if you want to run your smoker at 325°, you can! Again, flexibility!
4. Use of a wall-mount probe removes errors that you get tuning the Auber with a drop-in probe. It makes it very accurate, and simplifies setup.
Con:
1. It's a separate unit from the smoker, and has to be hooked-up each smoke. Having the Auber integrated into the smoker would eliminate this negative!
Other than that, I have no other "cons!" I love the Auber, and would never go back to the analog controller on the smokers again!