Images: Three motherboards for Intel and AMD CPUs

The newest Intel P35 chipset supports all current socket 775 CPUs as well as the upcoming Intel "Penryn" 45nm processors.

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Key features of the Gigabyte P35t-DQ6 are the 6-port SATA-300 Intel ICH9R RAID controller with eSATA expander, DDR2 as well as DDR3 memory support, 2 additional SATA-300 ports, , floppy, PATA UDMA-100, 2 IEEE 1394a, 8-channel audio, 4 USB 2.0 connectors with 8-ports, Gigabit Ethernet.

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The Gigabyte P35t-DQ6 box within the box.

Another box within a box to further protect the Gigabyte P35t-DQ6 motherboard. No packaging expense is spared for this mid- to high-end motherboard with a street price starting at $180.

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After removing the plastic cover and the paper/foam protector for the exotic heat pipes and fins, we can see some serious cooling capability for the north- and south-bridge chipsets. This allows for some hardcore overclocking because the chipset can stay cool while the motherboard clock speed is raised. The 3-series chipset motherboards all use passive chipset cooling whereas some older chipsets permitted noisy and unreliable fans.

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This is a detailed top view of the Gigabyte P35t-DQ6.

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This is a profile view of the Gigabyte P35t-DQ6 for a better look at the heat pipes.

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There's another box within the box for the Gigabyte P35t-DQ6 containing lots of cables, manuals and quick start guides. There is a 2-port eSATA with a Molex power connector for fast external storage.

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This is the newest Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R Micro-ATX motherboard based on the newest Intel G33 "3-series" chipset. It comes in a more conventional small box and has a street price starting at around $134 and the 3-Series chipset has very good energy efficiency.

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This is the contents of the Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R. It also has an Intel ICH9R 6-port RAID controller and a 2-port eSATA with a Molex power connector for fast external storage.

This is a detailed view of the Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R. It has an integrated Intel GMA 3100 graphics controller, 6-port SATA-300 Intel ICH9R RAID controller with eSATA expander, DDR2 (no DDR3) support, floppy, PATA UDMA-100, 2 IEEE 1394a, 8-channel audio, 4 USB 2.0 connectors with 8-ports, and Gigabit Ethernet.

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Not forgetting about AMD, this is an MSI K9AGM2 Micro-ATX motherboard based on the AMD (ATI) 690G motherboard with integrated HDMI graphics. Street price for this motherboard is a mere $73 and it even comes with an HDMI video output port making it an extremely attractive Media Center PC. It only has 4 SATA-300 ports unlike the 6 ports on the Intel G965 and G33 motherboards and it's missing RAID Level 5 functionality as well as an eSATA expander so its storage capability (especially when you're storing video) is a little lacking. However it may be good enough for many people and the 690G motherboard is substantially cheaper than the Intel-based boards.

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This shows the contents of the MSI K9AGM2 motherboard. It comes with a minimum set of cables but it's more than reasonable for such an inexpensive motherboard.

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Here's a close-up view of the MSI K9AGM2. It has an integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics chipset with VGA and HDMI out, 1 PATA UDMA connector, 4 SATA-300 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 8 channel audio, 4 USB 2.0 ports, and one IEEE 1394a firewire port.

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