Features and performance examination
Much like in our EPIA reviews, we shan't be concentrating on our regular benchmarks. The Hermes' integrated graphics and the lack of dedicated AGP slot will conspire against it in a pure performance perspective. We'll have a look at what's available from a multimedia point of view.
Intel's own i82845G on-board graphics controller is often advertised as a 3D solution. If we're being honest here, that's an optimistic assessment of its potential. The graphics component of the i845GV chipset shares its bandwidth with system memory. That's why the i82865G does comparatively well, as dual-channel DDR-400 support affords it ample bandwidth. That's not the case with the Hermes. It will have to encroach on the single-channel memory architecture of the i845x chipset. You should be able to visualise what kind of effect this will have on overall performance. To give you some idea of its 3D potential with a 2.4GHz 533FSB CPU powering the system, it scored 1506 marks in 3DMark 2001SE and 31.3FPS in Quake III 1024x768x32 HQ.
We're more concerned with how it fares in 2D, for that will be far more critical in the Hermes' intended market. Sadly, and we've said this before on a number of occasions, the Intel integrated graphics produce mediocre 2D at anything above 1024x768x32. You may find the initial quality reasonable, but if you look at just what kind of 2D other integrated systems can produce, most notably the S3 integrated video on the EPIA, you'll be left with a feeling of disappointment. There's very little excuse for having poor 2D now.
It shares its internal bandwidth from system memory, and can dynamically allocate up to 64MB of RAM. Of course, 3D performance is highly sensitive to the host CPU and system RAM's properties. But no matter which way you approach it, the integrated graphics aren't up to handling today's games with any kind of smoothness.
The handy Chrontel CH7009A encoder can output to a range of sources. These include CRT, DVI, and HD15, naturally. A maximum output resolution of 1024x768 is more than fine for today's TVs. TV-Out quality was more than passable, and DVI was sharp, as always. Having a number of video out options is important for a base unit in the Hermes' class.
A number of useful ports on both the front and the back adds to the ease of use, and with the majority of connections covered (bar Gigabit networking), users will find the port locations useful. The other pleasing aspect was the noise, or lack of it, from the CPU's fan. Quietness is a big selling point for barebones PCs, we imagine. The MSI scores well here.
