Chipset

• Chipset


  A collection of microcontroller chips that provides a high-speed communications interface between the main system components and carries out many of the low-level hardware control functions
• Peripheral devices

  • Integrated graphics and sound cards
  • Ethernet and wireless network adapters
• Core logic


  Two chips that encompass many of the most important communications and control functions provided by the motherboard
• Southbridge


  Otherwise known as the I/O Controller Hub
• Main drivers of chipset development


  • Cost
  • Compact desktop systems and mobile computing solutions
• Chipset

  • Designed to work with a particular processor or range of processors
  • Increased number of features over the past decade
  • Many integrated peripherals now included as standard
• Northbridge


  Also referred to as the memory controller hub
• Chipset


  Often taken to refer specifically to just the northbridge and southbridge components
• types of chipset

  • Northbridge Chip
  • Southbridge Chip
• The NorthBridge (also called the memory controller) is in charge of controlling transfers between the processor and the RAM, which is why it is located physically near the processor. It is sometimes called the GMCH, for Graphic and Memory Controller Hub. Function (MEMORY, PCI & AGP.
• Northbridge

  Chipset that ties the southbridge to the CPU
• The southbridge

  Not directly connected to the CPU
• Southbridge in Intel chipsets

  I/O Controller Hub (ICH)
• Southbridge in AMD chipsets

  Fusion Controller Hub (FCH)
• Southbridge

  Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate with PCI slots, PCI-Express x1 slots (expansion cards), SATA connectors (hard drives, Optical drives), USB ports (USB devices), Ethernet ports and on-board audio
• The southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture
• Controller Integrated channel circuitry

  Allows the northbridge to directly link signals from the I/O units to the CPU for data control and access