Motherboard: ATI RADEON 9100 IGP(MSI RS3M 7003) :: Conclusion

From a OEM's point of view, a motherboard that has as many integrated components as possible is an excellent thing. With motherboards based upon the RS300 chipset targeted at retailing in the $65 price range the features of the RS300 chip set make this a compelling buy for the OEM market. Put a $200 P4 2.8 GHz and a $80 120GB HDD, and 512 MB of DDR RAM and you have a killer rig for under $500.

The integrated graphics chip set of the RADEON 9100 IGP adds an excellent added bonus. No other integrated chip set today fully supports DirectX 8.1 programmable pixel and vertex shaders. Today, most motherboards sold are with Intel "Extreme Graphics 2". As shown by the performance versus the 9100 IGP, the "Extreme Graphics 2" is a misnomer. No current DirectX 8.0 or 8.1 game can be played with every effect turned on, on the EG2. On the other hand, the integrated graphics on the 9100 IGP rock.

For the hardcore gamer, adding a ATI 9800 Pro or XT will give the same performance as the competition with the cards attached. This is a good thing. You can build a barebones system with a fast CPU and add a new graphics card later if you want to. Or if you're a casual gamer, the integrated graphics of the RADEON 9100 IGP is just fine for most.

ATI has done an excellent job with their new chip set, offering the features we need, and enough performance to play games with some modicum of image quality, just not offered by the competition. I wish this board came with Gigabit LAN, but that's another model on MSI's product line-up. It would also have been nice to have seen drivers on MSI's web site, but that'll have to wait till MSI officially releases the board.

Boards based upon this chip set will be released from every major OEM. Asus, Abit, MSI, Tyan, Gigabyte, and all of the top-tier OEMs from Taiwan will have at least one board based upon this chip. If it's as successful as it has every possibility of being, ATI should have a winner on it's hands. I can't wait to see what they bring out next.