ATI Platform: DFI ICFX3200-T2R/G

AMD's purchase of ATI made platform selection easy, since the merger scared most of ATI's motherboard partners into canceling plans for its new Intel chipset. Standing firmly in its commitment to ATI enthusiasts is DFI, a company frequently praised for its innovation.

The CrossFire Xpress 3200 has become the black sheep of the performance industry, first praised then ignored by Intel after rumors of the potential rivaling merger began to look realistic. This chipset's market may finally blossom when AMD releases its long-awaited R600-based graphics cards, but until then the formerly-named "RD600" chipset is usually seen as nothing more than a slightly more modern alternative to Intel's aging 975X.

One of the few things missing from TG Publishing's earlier ICFX3200-T2R/G examination is a picture of the installation kit. Included are a quick installation guide, full manual, driver CD and windows RAID installation driver floppy, warranty card, round Ultra ATA and Floppy Disk Drive cables, six Serial ATA cables, two single-Molex to dual-SATA power adapters, the Karajan audio module with retaining clip, a port panel shield, a square case badge and a clear LanParty window decal.

Nvidia Platform: ECS PN2 SLI2+

Several Nvidia marketing partners have chosen the company's reference motherboard, from high-end graphics card brands like BFG and ECS to budget-conscious motherboard brands like Biostar and yes, ECS. With so many brands selling the same product, picking one was as easy as grabbing the part located closest to the bench.