To see whether the Pentium M would make a viable desktop solution, I tested the Aopen motherboard with the Intel 725 and 755 processors and Aopen’s supplied heatsink. To ensure memory wouldn’t be a bottleneck I fitted a pair of 512MB Kingston Hyper-X DDR modules, although it should be noted the 855 chipset has a single-channel memory controller, operating at a maximum of 333MHz.

To ensure quiet operation, the system was powered by a fanless Silentmaxx 423w PSU. Finally, Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 was installed on an 80GB Seagate hard disk. The Aopen Bios offers several fan control options under the ‘Silent Bios / HW Monitor’ section. Setting the Fan mode to ‘Smart Control’ leaves the fan switched off until the core has reached a user-defined critical temperature. At this point the fan automatically comes on until the temperature is reduced below the critical point. Intel’s specification sheets for the Pentium M state its maximum operating temperature is 100˚C, so I chose the highest offered in the Aopen Bios of 70˚C.