Product Listing

AOpen i915GMm-HFS (Intel 915GM Express)

By Zachary Chan - 9 Feb 2006

Conclusion

Conclusion

The AOpen i915GMm-HFS takes everything good about the older i855GMEm-LFS (rich features, small footprint, decent performance per watt) and makes it better. Performance with a 533MHz Dothan core Pentium M is impressive enough with a 25% increase over the 400MHz variant. While we did stress that processor speed isn't so much important in a HTPC setup, the overall FSB boost, increased memory and subsystem bandwidth plus PCI Express/SDVO interfaces give the i915GMm-HFS its modern edge. AOpen then takes the desktop mobile further by designing the board with a media PC concept in mind. Not only does the i915GMm-HFS come with dual Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire and SATA II controllers, AOpen crammed in a high resolution HDTV encoder complete with component output.

Video options aplenty make the i915GMm-HFS unique.

The i915GMm-HFS isn't without its flaws when you're looking at it from an enthusiasts point of view with its limited overclocking and proprietary cooling. AOpen also had to compromise in some areas though, as we see the departure of certain legacy components and then there is the need to mess around with jumpers to switch between onboard graphics and a discreet graphics card on a PCIe x16 slot.

Of course, the biggest problem with the board is its own onboard graphics interface. The Intel GMA 900 is overshadowed by both ATI and NVIDIA's latest IGP chipsets. It is however still powerful enough for high resolution DVI output up to 1600x1200 and with the Chrontel encoder, you get HDTV output as well with native 16:9 formats. DVD motion compensation is available but sadly no HD decoding acceleration. With the beefed up FSB and Pentium M combo, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but if needed, there is always the PCIe x16 slot for discreet graphics.

Thankfully, these are all superficial problems. The board ran like a charm throughout our benchmarks, completing SPEC CPU2000 without any undue problems. There were also no hardware compatibility issues noted during our PCI torture tests either. The combination of a matured Intel 915GM chipset along with the Pentium M is as safe a bet for a low power, quiet PC as you'd get today. What's more, Intel's Core Duo initiative is bound to push the prices of the Pentium M to more affordable levels and we can foresee many a HTPC running on extremely efficient systems with boards such as the AOpen i915GMm-HFS.

An great little HTPC-centric motherboard. We just wish the onboard graphics had better hardware decoding features.

If you're an enthusiast looking for the next modding champion, you'd not be too interested in the AOpen i915GMm-HFS, but the PC DIY-er with his sights on a great motherboard clearly geared towards a HTPC design should not miss this one, even if you're a little late getting on the bandwagon.

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