The graphics specialist nVIDIA still offers the fastest platform for the Athlon XP. With an FSB clock rate of up to 200 MHz, the latest version, which goes by the name of nForce2 Ultra 400, can serve even the fastest Athlon XP 3200+. We ran a total of ten motherboards through our tests. The Shuttle XPC Mini-PC was also there at the starting line.

We asked the leading motherboard makers to send us their best and brightest for a no-holds bar price/performance test. We received boards with Intel's 875, 865, 845; VIA's P4X400 and P4M266A; and SiS' SiS648FX chipsets, which we promptly put to the test. We determine who offers top-of-the-line features and performance at a reasonable price.

The Athlon 64 FX has been out for only a few weeks, but the 64-bit contender has already made a name for itself. But because of the few unit counts in the market and the uncertainty factor over a new technology, many boardmakers remain hesitant about jumping in. We tested Athlon 64-bit boards from the big three that have taken the plunge: Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. - thus divide up the market between them. Here is what we found.