CyberPower Infinity Hercules SE review

It’s hard to make a bad PC if you start with one of Intel’s new ‘Sandy Bridge’ Core i5 processors, simply because of their sheer power. CyberPower has done just that, opting for a 3.1GHz Core i5-2400. Unlike the i5-2500K, it’s not possible to massively overclock this processor, but it’s already powerful enough to make mincemeat of just about any application you can think of.

In our intensive benchmark tests, the Infinity Hercules SE managed an overall score of 164: less than overclocked Sandy Bridge Core i5 processors, but extremely fast nonetheless. The rest of the specification is what we’d expect: 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard disk. CyberPower has opted for an Asus P8H67-M LX microATX motherboard. It’s not exactly brimming over with features or upgrade potential. There are just two memory slots, both of which are occupied by 2GB sticks. Both of the board’s SATA3 ports are occupied by cables to the hard disk and DVD writer, but there are four spare SATA2 ports and plenty of empty drive bays for more disks. The motherboard has two PCI slots, but one is blocked by the graphics card. Unusually there’s also a PCI-e x4 slot, which can take any x4 or x1 expansion card.

At the back of the PC, there are six USB ports, a PS/2 port, a Gigabit network port and little else. There are just three 3.5mm stereo audio outputs, which can be configured for analogue surround sound. If you want to use a mic as well, you’ll need to plug it in to the front connector. The front panel also has a headphone output and two more USB ports.

For graphics, CyberPower has installed a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 430 graphics card. It’ll just about do the job for older 3D games, as indicated by 28fps in Call of Duty 4, but our more demanding Crysis test chugged along at just 14fps and Stalker at 13fps. The LG Flatron E2240 monitor also has a distinct limitation in that it lacks a digital video input – you’re stuck with an analogue VGA connection. That said, it’s still a 22in widescreen display with a resolution of 1,920×1,080. Its image quality is great, too, with even backlighting, a non-reflective matt screen and warm, vibrant colours. The keyboard and mouse are a basic, but decent Logitech set.

Although the Infinity Hercules SE is a great PC that we wouldn’t be sorry to own, there are others which are better value for your money. For example, the better-balanced combination of 3D gaming performance and processor power from the Chillblast Fusion Aurora, make it a better choice for most people.