The End User Pays: 13 Boards With Intel 845GE/PE

A Naked Candidate: QDI Platinix 2E/ 333

Matter-of-fact design of the QDI packaging - the OEM look all the way.

There's not much to complain about when it comes to features, as hardly any have been integrated. The classic QDI customer looks for stability and price.

The QDI Platinix 2E/ 333 is by far the most Spartan board of all. Never mind that the layout of the board was designed for a Gigabit network controller; the board is not equipped with the corresponding chip. What's remarkable is the three-phase voltage control that ensures stable operation while at the same time maintaining low temperatures. The board addresses a different target group than most test candidates anyway - the classic OEM customer who places much more emphasis on a solid foundation than on a great variety of features. The customer has the option to get the Platinix 2E/ 333 with an ISA slot, for, for example, integrating rare measuring cards in a current system. This feature alone, which none of the other test candidates offer, puts it in a class of its own. Five green LEDs signal the status of the diagnosis. The bottom line is that this is an extremely inexpensive board, one that attracts only a very special group of customers due to its utter lack of features. Still, all the cables for USB 2.0 and Sound SP/ DIF ship with the board. This makes you wonder if the QDI couldn't be offered as a special retail board with mega features. The potential is definitely there.

The components included with the QDI Platinix 2E/ 333.