As expected, Nvidia this week launched its nForce 500 chipset series, mainly aimed at AMD’s socket AM2 processors. New features include LinkBoost, which increases PCI Express bandwidth when paired with compliant GPUs, and FirstPacket, which prioritizes network game traffic. The series also introduces native dual Gigabit connections (DualNet) and support for six SATA 3 Gb/s ports with RAID 5 (MediaShield). The 590 SLI, also available for Intel platforms, is the only “full” model. The nForce 570 SLI and 570 lack LinkBoost, while the 550 misses FirstPacket, DualNet and two SATA ports. Other common specs include ten USB ports, five PCI slots and high-definition audio.