Basically, there are four different chipset combinations, as nVIDIA offers two north bridge and two south bridge chips. The two north bridges both include the fancy memory interface, and differ by only one feature: the IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) comes with a powerful, integrated graphics engine that matches a GeForce4 MX 440. Performance users should go for the SPP (System Platform Processor), which does not include graphics and requires an AGP graphics card.

I already mentioned the two south bridge chips MCP and MCP-T. The T-version includes nVIDIA's APU (Audio Processing Unit), and is your first choice if you value sound and Firewire. The simpler version only has one network controller, instead of the MCP-T's twin interface.

Based on this information, two reasonable chipset combinations can be derived. One is for business machines with some, but little, demands for 3D. They would consist of the IGP and the MCP. Power users, rather, should go for the other combination, consisting of SPP and MCP-T. A mighty AGP graphics card would satisfy the thirst for performance, while the MCP-T offers excellent connectivity and audio features. The three boards we received for this review all target the performance market, and are based on SPP and MCP-T.

Athlon Chipsets: VIA, SiS, NVIDIA

This time, we did not include former chipset generations for comparison with nForce2. For one thing, most of them are no longer available. Also, most do not look particularly attractive when comparing features with nForce2.