Unevenly Matched Mini-Trio: MSI vs. Shuttle vs. Saintsong

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MSI Hermes 845GV: Classic Desktop, Continued

The cooling system setup of the Hermes, which helps to keep operating noise low, is worthy of respect. On average, we were able to determine an extremely low noise level in our tests, between 36 and 38 dB(A), although at 7200 rpm, our test hard drive is not exactly quiet. In direct comparison with the Shuttle PC, the Hermes operates almost noiselessly - although a Pentium 4 with 3.06 GHz is used in both.

Covering the DVD/CD drive with a lid that can be opened as needed was a positive step. There is room for improvement in the product finish on the front panel. The manufacturer could set more of a trend by using metal keys and buttons. And there is another thing the Hermes has in common with Siemens' creations: the cover is hard to open, although the case is fitted very accurately. The customer will obviously have to decide for himself whether a 100 MB bandwidth network connection is adequate. After all, there are still two free PCI slots that offer room for expansions.