What is the chipset responsible for? System board connectors. Basics of choosing the right motherboard.

So what do you need to pay attention to and what to consider when choosing motherboard?

Motherboard (system) board- one of the most important components system unit. It provides power, pairing and operation of all PC devices, from the processor to the mouse. Most computer components are inserted into connectors specially designed for them (processor socket, slots for expansion cards and memory) on the motherboard.

The key element of a computer is the processor.
We talked about this in previously written articles:

The processor has its own socket on motherboards (Socket).

The bulk of Motherboards are produced for platforms INTEL or AMD.
Accordingly, the socket on them is designed for an INTEL or AMD processor.
Intel and AMD processor sockets are not interchangeable.
For INTEL platforms processor only INTEL, for AMD - only AMD!!!

On this moment for modern processors Intel motherboards with sockets are produced - LGA 1155 (Socket 1155), LGA 2011 (Socket 2011) And LGA 1150 (Socket 1150).

Previously, Intel released LGA1366 (Socket 1366) or LGA1156 (Socket 1156); for older Intel processors, LGA775 (Land Grid Array, Socket 775), PGA478 (Socket 478) are used.
The numbers in the socket name indicate the number of contacts. The processor has an appropriate number of pads or pins.

For processors AMD other connectors are being produced, the newest one at the moment Socket FM1, FM2, FM2+, but are also produced on Socket AM3+. Before them, motherboards with Socket AM3, Socket AM2, AM2+ were released, “plus” meant compatibility of the socket with a newer processor. Socket 754 (754 contacts) and Socket 939 (939 contacts) have long been considered obsolete. But they are still found in households and office computers.

IMPORTANT! When choosing a motherboard, be sure to check its parameters; it must support the desired model and the required type and frequency.
You can check the list of supported processors on the official website of the motherboard manufacturer in the section CPU List Support, and recommended modules random access memory In chapter Memory QVL.
Trust data only from the official website of the manufacturer!

Motherboard chipset.

Chipset (set system logic) is a set of chips, previously consisting mainly of north and south bridges.
Now, the latest models of motherboards do not have a north bridge (since the FSB bus is removed, and the PCI-e x16 controller and RAM controller are located directly on the processor chip). The chipset is actually one bridge responsible for the operation of SATA, USB controllers and PCI devices.

The Northbridge is a set of logic that ensures data exchange between the processor and RAM via the system bus (FSB), between the processor and the video card.
At the moment, the north bridge remains only on LGA1366 platforms (X58 chipset) and is responsible only for communication between the processor and video card(s).

Southbridge is a chip that ensures interaction between the CPU and other computer components - hard drives, expansion cards, SATA, IDE, USB, PCI and other peripheral devices.
On new platforms, the chipset consists, in fact, only of the south bridge.

Chipsets Intel:
- the newest chipset under LGA1150: Z97, H97, Z87, H87, H81, B85 all chipsets support integrated graphics..
- currently produced under LGA1155: P67 without graphics support and H67, Q67, H77, Z68, Z77 with it.
- currently released chipset under LGA2011: X79 (and soon to be X99).
- outdated chipsets under LGA1156: P55 without graphics support and H55, H57, Q57 with support.
- outdated chipset under LGA1366: X58
- outdated chipsets for LGA775: P965, P31, P35, P43, P45 without a built-in video core, and G965, Q35, G31, G33, G35, G41, G43, G45 with it.

Chipsets series " X"(X38, X48, X58, X79) are positioned as productive platforms for gamers and overclocking enthusiasts.

We recommend purchasing the latest Socket1150 platform based on Z97, H97 chipset for Core processors i3, Core i5, Core i7 fourth (Haswell) and Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 fifth (Broadwell) generation.
Chipsets H81, H67, Q67, H77 with graphics support are perfect for office configurations.
You can also buy an s1155 motherboard on the Z77 chipset for Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 second () and third ( Ivy Bridge) generations.

Chipsets AMD:
- the latest chipsets for socket FM2, FM2+: A85X, A75, A55;
- also currently produced under socket FM1: A75, A55;
- outgoing chipsets for socket AM3 and AM3+: 990FX, 990X, 970, 890GX, 890FX, 880G, 870, 790GX, 785G, 780V, 780G, 770, 760G;
- outdated chipsets for socket AM2 and AM2+: 790GX, 785G, 780V, 780G, 770, 760G, 740, 740G, 690G, 690V.

Chipsets NVIDIA.
nForce chipsets manufactured by Nvidia have proven themselves to be “gluttonous” in terms of power consumption, too hot in terms of heat dissipation, and problematically unreliable due to the above factors.
Statistics show that swearing. boards based on nForce chipsets often fail.
Previously such swear words. The boards were purchased to build an SLI graphics configuration.
Now, SLI support has been added to all new Intel chipsets, so it is not advisable to buy a motherboard based on the NVIDIA chipset if you are not going to install two (three) in your computer NVIDIA video cards GeForce in SLI mode, as it is better to buy a motherboard Intel with SLI support.

Make your choice based on the amount of money you have. Naturally, the newer the chipset, the more productive the system will be, but motherboards on new chipsets are somewhat more expensive.

Type and number of RAM slots.

DDR and DDR2 memory are already obsolete, now DDR3 memory is used.

When purchasing a motherboard, you should consider what memory frequency the controller in the processor and the motherboard itself support, as well as what maximum volume memory can be installed in each slot, since there are restrictions on the volume of one stick in each slot.
DDR3 memory with frequencies of 1600 MHz is now common.
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that memory modules, for example, with a frequency of 1866 or 1600 MHz will work on a motherboard that supports memory with a frequency of 1333 MHz, but their operating frequency will drop to the maximum supported by the motherboard, i.e. instead of 1866, 1600 MHz the memory will produce 1333 MHz.
Only then, in order to achieve the required frequency (1600 or 1866), will you need to set the required frequency.
Also, when choosing a motherboard, you need to consider the number of RAM slots.
Typically, budget motherboards have only two slots, which limits the ability to increase the amount of RAM over time.
More productive boards have 4 or more slots for installing memory, this allows you to add the number of slots and, accordingly, the volume over time.

IMPORTANT! DDR3 memory cannot be installed on a board that only supports DDR2. And DDR2 will not be available on boards that only support DDR3. In DDR2 and DDR3 slots the "key" is in different places.
(click on the picture to enlarge)

You can read more about the types, types and modes of operation in the article on choosing RAM:

Number and type of PCI Express x16 slots for connecting video cards.

Previously, motherboards used a slot for connecting video cards. AGP, but it is outdated and now all the new and currently released mat. boards use only slot PCI Express X16.
Only the x16 slot versions change:
- PCI Express x16 v1.1
- PCI Express x16 v2.0
- PCI Express x16 v2.1
- PCI Express x16 v3.0
They differ from each other only in enlarged throughput. It is desirable (not necessary) that the video cards for these slots should be of the same version, although the manufacturers have left all versions backward compatible. That is, you can safely install a v2.0 or v2.1 video card into a PCI Express x16 v3.0 slot and it will work normally, and vice versa.
In theory, in new versions only the throughput of the interface itself has been increased, but in practice, if you install the same video card, for example, in a v2.1 and v3.0 slot, the difference in the performance of the video card itself will not exceed 2%.
Accordingly, when choosing a mat. It is desirable (but not critical) that the PCI Express x16 slots be v3.0.
Also, if you plan to use 2 or 3 video cards in a gaming configuration, then the board must have 2 or 3 PCI Express x16 slots, with support for dual video card mode (for SLI you need the latest generation Intel chipset or Nvidia chipset with SLI support, for Crossfire - AMD or Intel chipset with Crossfire mode support). You also need to consider the placement of these slots. Modern video cards, due to their large size and massive cooling system, block the slot adjacent to the video card! And when installing two or three video cards on some boards, all the slots overlap!

Read more about SLI and Crossfire modes in the article:

If you do not plan to install more than one video card, or generally work will be carried out on the built-in one, then one PCI-E x16 slot is enough to meet the needs of the system.

Availability of modern connectors for connecting hard drives and optical drives.

Such connectors are called SATA and are available on any modern motherboard. But their number and type may vary.
At the moment, swearing is widespread. boards with SATA II connectors with a data transfer speed of 3 Gb/s.
The new SATA III connector is being introduced en masse in the newest motherboards; outwardly it is no different, the only difference is the data transfer speed of SATA III - 6 Gb/s.
We recommend buying a motherboard equipped with SATA III connectors, due to the fact that all modern hard disks or made with support for the SATA III 6 Gb/s standard.
Although SATA II and SATA III are backward compatible - i.e. HDD SATA III is compatible with the SATA II connector, only the interface bandwidth will be reduced to 3 Gb/s.

The more hard drives (SSD or HDD) and optical drives (ODD) you plan to connect, the more SATA connectors you need should be on the motherboard.

Availability of built-in sound and network card.

At the moment, almost all modern motherboards have built-in sound and network cards. For the average user in a budget version they are quite enough.
But there are also PCI sound cards for more demanding music lovers, as well as PCI network cards for those who need an additional or faster network card or WI-FI wireless access.

Number of PCI or PCI Express x1 slots for connecting additional devices.

When choosing a motherboard, you must take into account the number of expansion cards (modem, network card, sound card, TV tuner, etc.) that you want or plan to install in your computer, and the number of PCI or PCI Express x1 slots available on the motherboard. Otherwise, you risk being left without a modem or something else due to a lack of slots. Also, do not forget about video card cooling systems, which, after installation, can overlap adjacent slots.

Cooling the power supply system (MOSFET) of the processor, as well as the north and south bridges (chipset).

The presence of a heatsink on the MOSFETs of the processor power stabilizer is a plus, and this is a distinctive feature of high-performance and high-quality motherboards from well-known manufacturers.

It is also worth paying attention to the cooling of the north bridge, in those boards where it is present, the larger the radiator on the north bridge, the better cooling. Manufacturers have redesigned the south bridges, as well as the new chipsets, where there is only one bridge, and reduced heat generation to a minimum. Accordingly, the cooling radiator now cools the chipset much better.
This is not the most important thing to consider when choosing a board, but it is recommended to take it into account, since the processor power systems and chipsets (which have a northbridge) of modern motherboards require high-quality cooling under loaded conditions.

Motherboard form factor.

Main form factors (standard sizes) of motherboards:

- ATX 30.5x24.4 cm - productive systems (for gamers, overclockers, workstations). Such motherboards have full processor power, a maximum number of connectors and ports, and additional boards (Wi-Fi, sound).

- mini-ATX 28.4x20.8 cm - budget home systems. Slightly stripped down versions of their full-fledged counterparts. They have fewer functions, ports, additional connectors and a simplified processor power system.

- micro-ATX 24.4x24.4 cm - office machines in the lower price segment. Stripped-down, compact versions of the motherboard with a minimum required set of connectors and ports, often with support for processor graphics (or an integrated video card) and a simple processor power supply.

- mini-ITX 17.0x17.0 cm - modern compact home multimedia systems. They have minimal dimensions, are made according to the All-in-One principle (sometimes the processor is built directly into the board), but have the maximum number of multimedia outputs/inputs and good functionality.

Motherboard manufacturers.

We recommend that you purchase motherboards from leading manufacturers: ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, XFX or MSI, since they use new technologies in the manufacture of their products, high-quality materials and components, for example, capacitors and chokes with ferrite cores. ASUS companies, Gigabyte, EVGA, XFX, MSI use solid capacitors leading Japanese manufacturers.

The service life of these capacitors is significantly longer than their electrolytic brothers, which after a few years may swell and require replacement.

Less popular (but does not mean that they are of low quality) are the following companies:
Foxconn, Elitegroup, Abit, ASRock.

At the end of the article, we’ll look at an example of how to decipher the specification indicated in the seller’s price lists:

Example: Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-M Z77, 1155, DDR3 2400(OC)*, 2 x PCIE3.0, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (4 mode), 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1 x PCI, 2 x Sata3, 4 x Sata2, RAID 0/1/0+1/5/10, 1x1Gb Lan, SB 8Ch, mATX, BOX

"ASUS"- manufacturer of mat. boards
P8Z77-M- model (manufacturer code), with the letter “M” indicating the form factor mat. boards, in this case micro-ATX.
"1155" - this indicates on which processor socket the mat is performed. pay
"Z77"- it is indicated which chipset the board is made on
"DDR3 2400(OC)*"- what type of memory and frequency does the mat support? board, and the designation (OS) means overclock, i.e. frequency 2400 is only available when overclocking the operating system. memory. The default frequency will be set according to the processor specification
"2 x PCIE3.0"- the number of slots for video cards is indicated, i.e. 2 pcs. PCI-E x16 version v3.0
"1 x PCIe 2.0"- and one PCI-E x16 slot version v2.0
"1 x PCI"- presence of one PCI slot for connecting additional devices (network, sound, TV tuner)
"2 x Sata3"- the number of SATA III connectors with a bandwidth of 6Gb/s is indicated
"4 x Sata2"- the number of SATA II connectors with a bandwidth of 3Gb/s is indicated
"RAID 0/1/0+1/5/10"- ability to build a RAID array
"1x1Gb Lan"- presence of a built-in network card with a speed of 1 Gbit/s
"SB 8Ch"- presence of a built-in 8-channel (7+1) sound card
"mATX"- form factor mat. fees.

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Literally translated, chipset means “chip set.” A chipset, also called a system logic set, is one or more often two microcircuits (chips) designed to organize interaction between the processor, memory, I/O ports and other computer components. At the dawn of development computer equipment To organize the interaction between individual PC elements, dozens of separate microcircuits were used, which, of course, was extremely inconvenient. And only with the advent of the i486 processor, individual microcircuits began to be combined into one or two large microcircuits, which were called a chipset.

With the creation of the PCI bus, individual chipset chips began to be called bridges; this is how the established terms appeared: North Bridge and South Bridge of the chipset, with the north bridge connected directly to the processor, and the south bridge to the north. In some cases, manufacturers combine the north and south bridges into one chip, and this solution is called a single-chip solution, and if there are two chips, then it is a dual-bridge circuit.

The northbridge of a chipset traditionally includes a memory controller (with the exception of chipsets for processors with AMD64 architecture), a graphics bus controller (AGP or PCI Express x16), an interface for interacting with the southbridge, and an interface for interacting with the processor. In some cases, the northbridge of the chipset may contain additional PCI Express x1 lanes to organize interaction with expansion cards that have the appropriate interface.

The south bridge of the chipset is responsible for organizing interaction with I/O devices. Southbridge contains controllers hard drives(SATA and/or PATA), USB controller, Network Controller(MAC level only), PCI bus and PCI-Express bus controller, interrupt controller and DMA controller. In addition, a sound controller is usually built into the southbridge, and in this case a codec chip external to the chipset is also required. In addition, the south bridge connects to two more important chips on the motherboard: the BIOS ROM memory chip and the Super I/O chip, which is responsible for the serial and parallel ports and the floppy drive.

To connect the north and south bridges to each other, a special dedicated bus is used, and different manufacturers They use different buses (with different bandwidths) for this:

• Intel DMI (Direct Media Interface),
• ULi HyperTransport;
• VIA V-Link;
• SiS MuTIOL;
• ATI HyperTransport, PCI Express;
• NVIDIA HyperTransport.

As a rule, the name of the chipset coincides with the name of the north bridge, although it is more correct to indicate the combination of the north and south bridges, since in many cases the same north bridge of a chipset can be combined with different versions of the south bridges.

The chipset is the basis of any motherboard. In fact, the functionality of the motherboard and its performance are 90% determined by the chipset, which determines the supported processor type, memory type, as well as functionality for connecting peripheral devices.

The choice of chipsets today is very large. And if processors are produced by only two companies: Intel and AMD, then chipsets are produced by Intel, VIA, SiS, NVIDIA, ATI, and ULi.

Intel chipsets

Today Intel produces a very diverse range of chipsets for processors Intel Pentium D, Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron D. And if we talk about modern Intel chipsets, then we should start with the Intel 915 Express family.

Intel 915/925 Express chipset family

The chipsets of the Intel 915/925 Express family (Table 1) have several characteristic features.

First of all, the new chipsets are aimed at supporting Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) processors in the new LGA775 package, which means the presence of a new socket on motherboards and the inability to use older versions of processors designed for the Socket 478 socket. Another important point is that the new chipsets (though not all) are focused on supporting the new type of DDR2-533/400 memory. Intel Flex Memory Technology allows you to work with memory in both single-channel and dual-channel modes. The third important point is support for the new PCI Express bus. The new generation of motherboards provides a PCI Express x16 slot for a video card.

In addition, a number of models of the Intel 915/925 Express family have an integrated graphics controller Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 (IGMA 900).

North Bridge Intel chipsets The 915/925 Express is connected via a high-speed DMI (Direct Media Interface) bus, which is a modified version of PCI Express x4 (~2 GB/s), with an I/O hub (south bridge) ICH6. There are three types of south bridge: ICH6R (chip 82801FR), ICH6W (80801FW) and ICH6RW (80801RW).

The new version of the southbridge has a number of significant advantages compared to previous version ICH5, namely:

• new 8-channel Intel audio High Definition Audio (Intel HD Audio);
• eight USB 2.0 ports;
• PCI Express x1 bus;
• PCI bus;
• four SATA channels;
• one PATA channel;
• Intel Wireless Connect technology;
• Intel GbE gigabit network interface.

Let's start with the new Intel HD Audio, also known as Azalia. This joint development of Dolby Laboratories and Intel supports 8-channel audio (7.1 format) and provides 24-bit encoding at a 192 kHz sampling rate, ensuring high quality sound. In addition, Intel HD Audio works with all new audio formats: Dolby, DTS, DVD-Audio.

An important feature of the new ICH6 south bridge is support for the PCI Express x1 bus, which provides throughput up to 500 MB/s. In addition, this bus supports two-way traffic and has lower latency. All Intel 915/925 Express family chipsets support up to four PCI Express x1 lanes.

The ICH6 southbridge has a built-in four-channel SATA controller, and if it is a variant of the ICH6R or ICH6RW southbridge, then a SATA RAID controller is supported on all four channels. In this case, it is possible to organize RAID arrays of levels 0, 1 or 0+1. The SATA RAID controller integrated into the southbridge of the chipset supports command routing technology (Native Command Queuing, NCQ), which reduces latency and therefore increases performance.

In addition, the SATA RAID controller supports hot-plugging drives and an auto-healing function.

And the last feature that I would like to draw your attention to is Intel Wireless Connect technology, which is implemented in the ICH6W and ICH6RW versions of the south bridge. In fact, a wireless access point and a wireless network adapter compliant with the IEEE 802.11 b/g standard. In this case, the PC can be configured both as a client device and as an access point.

Intel 910GL Express

The Intel 910GL Express chipset is designed for mass-produced and inexpensive office PCs. In terms of functionality, it can be classified as a member of the Intel 915 chipset family, which will be discussed below, and thus considered as a “junior” model of the Intel 915 chipset family.

Intel 910GL Express supports Intel processors Pentium 4 (Prescott) and Intel Celeron D with Hyper-Threading technology, and its distinctive feature is support for a system bus with a frequency of only 533 MHz (bus bandwidth is 4.2 GB/s). Therefore, the optimal combination of this chipset with an Intel Celeron D processor is optimal.

The memory controller of the Intel 910GL Express chipset (chip 82910GL GMCH) is dual-channel and supports DDR333 and DDR400 memory (PC3100/2700 SDRAM)

In total, the chipset supports up to 2 GB of memory 1 GB for each channel. At the same time, one DIMM slot is provided in each channel for installing memory modules. That is why the Intel 910GL Express chipset is used exclusively in motherboards with the microATX form factor.

The memory controller allows the use of unbuffered 64-bit memory without ECC error correction.

Since the chipset is aimed at budget office solutions, then it integrates the Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 (IGMA 900) graphics controller, and does not provide an interface for installing an external graphics card.

Intel 915PL Express

The Intel 915PL Express chipset, designed for mass-produced and inexpensive office PCs, is in many ways similar to the already discussed Intel 910GL Express chipset, however, there are a number of nuances that allow us to talk about more high performance Intel 915PL Express chipset. First of all, the Intel 915PL Express chipset supports Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) and Intel Celeron D processors with Hyper-Threading technology. Unlike the Intel 910GL Express chipset, in addition to supporting a 533 MHz system bus, it supports an 800 MHz system bus. Thus, the best option would be to combine this chipset with an Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) processor.

The memory controller of the Intel 915PL Express chipset is dual-channel and supports DDR333 and DDR400 memory (PC3100/2700 SDRAM).

The chipset supports up to 2 GB of memory, that is, 1 GB for each channel, and each channel has one DIMM slot for installing memory modules. As a result, the Intel 915PL Express, like the previously reviewed Intel 910GL Express chipset, is used exclusively in motherboards with the microATX form factor.

Unlike the Intel 910GL Express, the 915PL Express chipset does not have an integrated graphics controller, but has a PCI Express x16 bus for installing an external graphics card.

Intel 915GL Express

The Intel 915GL Express chipset, aimed at mass-market and low-cost office PCs, is in many ways similar to the already reviewed Intel 910GL Express chipset and is designed for Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) and Intel Celeron D processors with Hyper-Threading technology, LGA775 case and 533 system bus frequency and 800 MHz.

The memory controller of this chipset is dual-channel and supports DDR333 and DDR400 memory (PC3100/2700 SDRAM). The chipset supports up to 4 GB of memory 2 GB per channel, and in each of these channels there are two DIMM slots for installing memory modules. Actually, if you don’t count the support for the system bus frequency of 800 MHz, this is precisely the main difference between this chipset and the Intel 910GL Express. Otherwise, this model completely replicates the Intel 910GL Express chipset.

Intel 915GV Express

The Intel 915GV Express, like all the Intel 915/925 Express family chipsets discussed above, is designed for low-cost mass-market PCs, however, unlike the chipsets discussed, the Intel 915GV Express is focused on the Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology and a system bus frequency 533 and 800 MHz.

The memory controller of this chipset is dual-channel and supports both DDR333 and DDR400 memory, as well as DDR2-533 and DDR2-400 memory. In total, the chipset supports up to 4 GB of memory, that is, 2 GB for each channel. At the same time, two DIMM slots are provided in each channel for installing memory modules.

Otherwise, the Intel 915GV Express chipset is completely identical to the Intel 915GL Express model. Thus, the Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 (IGMA 900) graphics controller is integrated here, but there is no interface for installing an external graphics card.

Intel 915P Express

The Intel 915P Express chipset is almost exactly the same as the Intel 915GV Express, with one exception - there is no built-in graphics controller, and instead a PCI Express x16 interface is provided for installing an external graphics card. In all other respects, the Intel 915P Express and Intel 915GV Express chipsets are identical.

Intel 915G Express

Intel 915G Express is the most functional and correspondingly expensive in the Intel 915 chipset line.

The only difference between this chipset and the Intel 915P Express is that the Intel 915G Express integrates an IGMA 900 graphics controller, and a PCI Express x16 interface is provided for installing an external graphics card. In all other respects, the Intel 915G Express and Intel 915P Express chipsets are exactly the same.

Intel 925X Express

Intel 925X Express is aimed at creating mass-market but high-performance PCs. This chipset supports the Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) processor, made using 90-nanometer technology, and the system bus frequency is 800 MHz. Accordingly, the maximum system bus bandwidth is 6.4 GB/s. The Intel 925X Express chipset is designed for Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors, and therefore does not have a 533 MHz system bus frequency.

The chipset memory controller (MCH) is dual-channel and only supports new memory DDR2-533/400. When using DDR2-533 memory in dual-channel mode, the maximum memory bus bandwidth is 8.5 GB/s.

In total, the memory controller, in accordance with the specification, supports up to 4 GB of memory and four DIMM slots (two for each channel). Note that, unlike all other chipsets of the Intel 915/925 Express family, the controller Intel memory The 925X Express supports ECC memory.

Since this chipset is intended for high-performance PCs, there is no integrated IGMA 900 graphics controller, but a PCI Express x16 interface for installing an external graphics card is naturally available.

Intel 925XE Express

Support for a system bus frequency of 1066 MHz, implemented in the Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor, also required the use of a new chipset, or rather a new revision of the already well-known Intel 925X Express chipset, which was called Intel 925XE Express. In fact, the only distinguishing property new version The chipset is to support the new FSB frequency 1066 MHz. Other Intel specifications The 925XE Express is unchanged, except that its memory controller does not support ECC memory.

The memory controller of this chipset supports DDR2-533 memory in dual-channel mode, and its memory bus has a bandwidth of 8.5 GB/s.

If in the Intel 925X Express chipset the processor bus has a bandwidth of 6.4 GB / s (800 MHz 64 bits = 6.4 GB / s), which makes it not completely balanced with the memory bus, then in the Intel 925XE Express the processor bus has a bandwidth 8.5 GB/s (1066 MHz/64 bits = 8.5 GB/s), that is, in this sense it is completely balanced with the memory bus.

But, in addition to balancing the bandwidth of the memory bus and processor bus, this model has another advantage - the transition to a system bus frequency (reference frequency) of 266 MHz. The fact is that in this case the DDR2-533 memory works in synchronization with processor bus mode, which minimizes delays in data transfer to the memory controller.

Intel 945/955 Express chipset family

Compared to the revolutionary changes in the capabilities of desktop platforms that were provided by the release of the Intel 915/925 Express chipsets, the new family of Intel 945/955 Express chipsets (Table 2) is more of a logical development of the Intel 915/925 Express family than something fundamentally new .

Minor improvements affected, in fact, only support for high interface speeds and support for new dual-core Intel processors. The south bridge of the chipsets has also undergone minor changes: in this family, an ICH7 or ICH7R I/O hub is used as a south bridge, which is connected to the north bridge via a DMI bus, which has a bandwidth of about 2 GB/s.

The main difference between the new south bridge and previous version ICH6 is to support the new SATA II standard (second generation standard) with a throughput of 300 MB/s. Thus, the ICH7 south bridge supports four SATA II channels with support for AHCI and NCQ functions. The ICH7R version allows the possibility of organizing a RAID array of levels 0, 1, 0+1 (10) and 5 from SATA drives.

Another small difference between ICH7 and ICH6 is that the ICH7R southbridge supports six PCI Express x1 lanes, while the ICH7 southbridge only supports four lanes. Otherwise, the southbridge in ICH7 is no different from that in ICH6.

Intel 945PL Express

Intel 945PL Express junior model in the Intel 945/955 Express chipset family, aimed at supporting dual-core processors of the Intel Pentium D family and single-core processors of the Intel Pentium 4 family. A distinctive feature of this chipset is support for system bus frequencies of 800 and 533 MHz. In addition, the dual-channel memory controller supports only DDR2-533 and DDR2-400 memory with a maximum capacity of up to 2 GB, and only two DIMM slots are provided for installing memory modules, one per channel.

The chipset does not have a built-in graphics controller, and a PCI Express x16 interface is provided for installing an external graphics card.

Intel 945P Express

The Intel 945P Express chipset differs from the previous one in that, in addition to the system bus frequencies of 80 and 533 MHz, it supports a system bus frequency of 1066 MHz. In addition, the dual-channel memory controller supports work not only with DDR2-533 and DDR2-400 memory, but also with DDR2-667 memory with a maximum capacity of up to 4 GB; in addition, there are already four DIMM slots for installing memory modules, that is two per channel. In all other respects, the Intel 945P Express is similar to the Intel 945PL Express chipset.

Intel 945G Express

Intel model The 945G Express differs from the Intel 945P Express only in the presence of a built-in IGMA 950 graphics controller (PCI Express x16 interface is also present). Compared to the previous version of the integrated graphics controller IGMA 900, the new version has a number of improvements. In particular, the core clock frequency has been increased (400 versus 333 MHz). The texture filling speed has increased accordingly (1.6 GT/s versus 1.3 GT/s). And the use of DDR2-667 memory allows you to increase the maximum video memory bandwidth to 10.6 GB/s.

The remaining parameters of the Intel 945G Express chipset are identical to the Intel 945P Express.

Intel 955X Express

The Intel 955X Express chipset is the senior model in the Intel 945/955 Express chipset family and is designed for high-performance PCs and graphics stations. Unlike all other chipsets in this family, it is designed to use the dual-core Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 processor, dual-core Intel Pentium D family processors, single-core Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition family processors and regular Intel Pentium 4 family processors.

This chipset supports system bus frequencies of 1066 and 800 MHz (the frequency of 533 MHz is not provided for in the specification). In addition, the memory controller of this chipset only supports DDR2-667 and DDR2-533 memory with a maximum capacity of up to 8 GB (ECC memory is supported). In all other respects, this chipset is the same as the Intel 945P Express.

NVIDIA chipsets

NVIDIA has a wide range of chipsets for both AMD and Intel processors. However, there is also a lot of confusion in NVIDIA chipsets, which is primarily contributed by NVIDIA itself. Technical information There is practically no information on the company’s website, and there is simply no mention of some chipsets there.

The story about the modern range of NVIDIA chipsets can begin with the NVIDIA nForce4 chipset family.

Chipsets of the NVIDIA nForce4 family

NVIDIA nForce4 chipsets (Table 3) replaced the NVIDIA nForce3 chipset family and differ from them in higher functionality. Their distinctive feature is support for the PCI Express bus. The NVIDIA nForce4 chipset family includes four models: NVIDIA nForce4, NVIDIA nForce4 SLI, NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra, NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition.

The functionality and characteristics of the NVIDIA nForce4 family of chipsets (with the exception of NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition) are close to each other, and their differences are minimal. Thus, the HyperTransport bus frequency for all chipsets of the NVIDIA nForce4 family is 1000 MHz, and the bit width is 16 bits (symmetrical bus), which, of course, is more than enough for modern AMD processors. Another general characteristic All chipsets in this family support the PCI Express x16 bus.

The nForce4 SLI chipset additionally allows the system to use two NVIDIA video cards in SLI mode. To do this, the chipset distributes the PCI Express x16 bus lines onto two PCI Express x8 buses (accordingly, motherboards have two slots for installing video cards), and the rest is provided by video cards and their drivers.

Chipsets of the NVIDIA nForce4 family also support four PCI Express x1 channels, that is, there are a total of 20 PCI Express x1 channels (including PCI Express x16). And the number of USB 2.0 ports has been increased to 10. In addition to the traditional dual-channel ATA133 interface, the NVIDIA nForce4 family chipsets have a four-channel SATA controller, and it is possible to combine disks with different interfaces into a RAID array.

The difference between the chipsets of this family is that the NVIDIA nForce4 chipset uses a regular SATA controller (150 Mbit/s), while the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI/Ultra chipsets use a SATA II controller (300 Mbit/s) with hot-swappable drives and with support for reordering NCQ (Native Command Queuing) commands.

The chipsets of the NVIDIA nForce4 family integrate a gigabit Ethernet controller (MAC level), and in NVIDIA nForce4 SLI/Ultra models the network controller is supplemented with a software-hardware firewall function with a hardware accelerator for processing network packets ActiveArmor.

In all chipsets of the NVIDIA nForce4 family, the sound controller has been upgraded: AC’97 codecs are used, the number of S/PDIF channels has been doubled, support for a sampling rate of 96 kHz has been added, and other changes have been made. True, the controller still does not perform hardware audio processing.

NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition

Although formally the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset belongs to the nForce4 family, it is fundamentally different from all other models in this family. As the name suggests, this chipset is designed for Intel processors and also supports SLI mode. Note that at the moment this is the only chipset with full support for SLI mode for Intel processors. And although there are options for motherboards based on chipsets of the Intel 945/955 Express family with two PCI Express x16 slots that support the simultaneous operation of two video cards, there is no need to talk about a full-fledged SLI mode in this case. The fact is that in these motherboards, in reality, one slot uses the PCI Express x16 bus, and the second slot uses PCI Express x4 by combining four PCI Express x1 lines. Thus, we are talking about a configuration asymmetric in terms of bandwidth, and if the first video card, using the PCI Express x16 bus, communicates directly with the north bridge, then the second video card, using the PCI Express x4 bus, communicates with the north bridge through the south bridge. And if we remember that the south bridge is connected to the north bridge via the DMI bus with a bandwidth of 2 GB/s and that the bandwidth of the PCI Express x4 interface is also 2 GB/s, then it becomes clear that in reality the second video card is allocated less bandwidth, than even the interface bandwidth. It is clear that calling this mode of operation SLI mode is only a stretch.

As with the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset for AMD 64 processors, the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset is designed for use in the highest-end gaming PCs and graphics workstations. 3D graphics. The main thing that distinguishes it from all other NVIDIA chipsets is its dual-chip design. The nForce4 SLI Intel Edition northbridge, called the System Platform Processor (SPP), combines a dual-channel DDR2 memory controller, a processor interface, a PCI Express bus controller, and a southbridge interface. The south bridge, called the Media and Communication Processor (MCP), is essentially an I/O hub.

The connection between SPP and MCP is provided using a HyperTransport bus with a frequency of 800 MHz and a throughput of 1.6 GB/s in each direction.

The nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset allows you to use any Intel processor with an LGA775 socket and FSB frequencies of 533, 800 and 1066 MHz. In addition, the chipset supports Hyper-Threading technology. The chipset memory controller allows you to use DDR2-400/533/667 memory in dual-channel operating mode.

An important feature of the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition memory controller is that it has a dedicated address and command bus for each memory module, which reduces the load on each of these buses by half, which ultimately reduces the response time of memory modules to commands controller. The memory controller supports 1T Memory Timing mode, due to which memory modules receive commands and addresses during the same clock cycle during which they were transmitted from the controller. Chipsets that do not use a dedicated address and command bus for each module are often forced to operate in 2T Memory Timing mode, which is necessary when this bus is heavily loaded. In this mode, addresses and commands are understood by memory modules only in the next clock cycle after they are issued.

In addition, the memory controller used in the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition uses a specialized DASP (Dynamic Adaptive Speculative Preprocessor) version 3.0 processor. This processor prefetches from memory those data that can be requested by the central processor in the near future, which helps reduce CPU downtime caused by a lack of data to process. DASP 3.0 processor supports Hyper-Threading technology and dual core processors Intel, that is, is able to recognize memory accesses of each of the cores (physical or logical).

As for others functionality chipset NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition, then they are completely similar to the capabilities of the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset for AMD64 processors. SLI mode is achieved by using two PCI Express x8 buses. Like the NVIDIA nForce4 chipset, the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition model has a dual-channel ATA133 controller and two dual-channel SATA II controllers with NCQ support and hot-pluggable drives. In addition, it is possible to combine disks with different interfaces into RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 0+1 and 5.

Of course, the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset, like the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI, integrates a gigabit network controller with built-in ActiveArmor network protection function.

NVIDIA GeForce 6100 IGP chipset family

In September of this year, NVIDIA expanded the lineup chipsets for processors AMD Athlon 64 and Sempron, introducing a chipset codenamed C51, which includes the GeForce 61xx IGP graphics processor (based on the GeForce 6 engine) and the nForce 400 series media communications processor (MCP).

There are currently two versions available GPU GeForce 6100 IGP and GeForce 6150 IGP, as well as two versions of the MCP processor nForce 410 and nForce 430, and three combinations of IGP and MCP processors are possible: GeForce 6150 IGP / nForce 430, GeForce 6100 IGP / nForce 430, GeForce 6100 IGP/ nForce 410.

Processors of the GeForce 61xx IGP series use the HyperTransport bus with clock frequency 2000 MHz, and for communication with MCP processors HyperTransport bus with a clock frequency of 1600 MHz. In addition, the GeForce 61xx IGP series processors have a PCI Express x16 interface for installing an external video card, and also support PCI Express x1 lanes; the GeForce 6150 IGP processor has two such lines, and the GeForce 6100 IGP has one.

The GeForce 61xx IGP GPU supports DirectX 9.0c API (shader version 3.0). The difference between GeForce 6100 IGP and GeForce 6150 IGP is that the GeForce 6150 IGP graphics core operates at a clock frequency of 475 MHz, and the GeForce 6100 IGP graphics core operates at 425 MHz. In addition, the GeForce 6150 IGP core has a TV encoder, but the GeForce 6100 IGP core does not. Detailed technical characteristics of GeForce 61xx IGP processors are shown in table. 4.

nForce 4xx MCP processors support an 8-channel Intel High Definition Audio controller and have built-in SATA II controllers with the ability to combine disks into RAID arrays. The difference between the nForce 410 and nForce 430 is that the nForce 410 MCP processor uses a dual-channel SATA II controller, while the nForce 430 uses a four-channel controller. In addition, the nForce 430 version has a gigabit network interface.

From technical characteristics chipsets presented in table. 4, the purpose of each of the three modifications is obvious: option GeForce 6150/nForce 430 designed for multimedia computers, GeForce 6100/nForce 430 for general purpose PCs, GeForce 6100/nForce 410 for office or budget PCs. Combination GeForce 6150/nForce 430 can be an excellent basis for set-top boxes like TIVO or multimedia PCs for Windows control Media Center with support for HDTV and high-quality audio.

The SiS656 chipset supports the PCI Express x16 bus, which allows it to be considered as the basis for building modern high-performance PCs. In addition, a dual-channel DDR2 memory controller is integrated into the northbridge of the SiS656 chipset, providing operation with DDR2-667/533/400 memory. In addition to this, the chipset also supports DDR400/333/266 memory. The maximum amount of memory that can be installed in the system is 4 GB.

The supported FSB frequency is 800/533/400 MHz, that is, the chipset supports Intel Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology and dual-core processors of the Intel Pentium D family.

The north bridge of the SiS656 chipset is connected to the south bridge of the SiS965 chip via the MuTIOL bus with a bandwidth of 1 GB/s.

The SiS965 south bridge, in addition to traditional functions (dual-channel ATA133 controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel audio, six PCI slots), has a four-channel SATA controller with the ability to combine disks into a RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0+ 1. In addition, a dual-channel PCI Express x1 controller and a gigabit network controller (MAC level) are integrated into the southbridge.

The SiS649 chipset model, the north bridge of which is used together with the SiS965L south bridge, is a kind of lightweight, stripped-down version of the SiS965. This leads to the conclusion that this chipset is aimed at entry-level budget solutions.

The Northbridge supports FSB frequencies of 800/533/400 MHz, therefore, the chipset supports Intel Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology and dual-core processors of the Intel Pentium D family.

Like the SiS656 chipset, the PCI Express x16 bus is supported for installing a video card. As a matter of fact, the only difference between the northbridges of the SiS649 and SiS656 chipsets is that the SiS649 uses a single-channel memory controller. It supports DDR2-533/400 memory, as well as DDR400/333 memory with a maximum capacity of up to 2 GB.

South bridge SiS965L is also a lightweight version of the SiS965 bridge. The only difference is that a two-channel rather than a four-channel SATA controller is used and that there is no gigabit network controller (MAC layer).

SiS649FX

SiS649FX is an improved version of the SiS649 chipset, although there are only two improvements to the northbridge. Firstly, support for FSB frequency 1066 MHz has been added, and secondly, the single-channel memory controller supports DDR2-667 memory. In all other respects, the north bridge of the SiS649FX chipset is completely identical to that of the SiS649 model.

The SiS649FX chipset uses the SiS966L chip as the south bridge, but it differs from the SiS965L south bridge in one detail: the new version uses an 8-channel audio controller of the High Definition Audio v1.0 (HDA) standard.

SiS656FX

At the moment, SiS656FX is the most functional and productive SiS chipset for processors of the Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Pentium D family, which means that this chipset is aimed at use in high-performance platforms.

The north bridge of the chipset is used in conjunction with the SiS966 south bridge.

The SiS656FX northbridge supports FSB frequencies of 1066/800/533/400 MHz, and the dual-channel memory controller allows the use of DDR2-667/533/400 and DDR400/333/266 memory. The maximum amount of memory supported by the memory controller is 4 GB. In addition, the north bridge contains a PCI Express x16 interface controller for installing a video card, as well as a MuTIOL bus interface, through which it is connected to the SiS966 south bridge.

The SiS966 southbridge differs from the SiS966L in that it uses a four-channel SATA controller with the ability to combine disks into a RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0+1, as well as the addition of a gigabit network controller (MAC level).

SiS chipsets for AMD64 processors

For processors with AMD64 architecture, the range of SiS chipsets (Table 6) includes models such as SiS760, SiS760GX, SiS755FX, SiS756, SiS761GL, SiS761FX, however, modern models that support the PCI Express interface include only SiS756, SiS761GL and SiS761FX.

Let us recall that in processors with the AMD 64 architecture, the memory controller is integrated into the processor itself, and it is this circumstance that allowed NVIDIA to produce single-chip solutions for AMD 64 processors. The SiS company produces chipsets with traditional north and south bridges, and thanks to the use of the universal MuTIOL bus , same south bridges can be used for both AMD platforms, and for Intel platforms.

SiS756 was the first SiS chipset for AMD processors to support the PCI Espress x16 interface. This chipset also supports the HyperTransport bus with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz, that is this model designed primarily for AMD 64 processors with a dual-channel memory controller and support for the HyperTransport bus with a frequency of 2000 MHz.

This consideration allows us to position the SiS756 chipset as a chipset for performance solutions.

In conjunction with the SiS755FX north bridge, the SiS965 south bridge is used, which also supports two PCI Express x1 channels. In addition, the south bridge has a built-in four-channel SATA controller with the ability to combine disks into a RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0+1, a dual-channel ATA133 controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel audio, a gigabit network controller and supports up to six PCI slots.

SiS761GL

SiS761GL can be positioned as a chipset for budget entry-level and mid-level PCs with a built-in graphics controller, since the SiS761GL northbridge has a built-in Mirage graphics controller (SiS315), which is only suitable for 2D graphics, and the PCI Express x16 bus is not supported at all.

In addition, the HyperTransport bus frequency is 1600 MHz, therefore, despite the stated support for AMD Athlon 64, AMD Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processors, the combination of this chipset only with AMD processor Sempron.

The SiS761GL northbridge is paired with the SiS965L southbridge, which supports two PCI Express x1 lanes. In addition, in some cases, an AGP interface can be implemented through the south bridge for installing an external video card. However, it is worth noting that this is not an AGP8X interface, but a kind of pseudo-AGP, since the PCI bus is used for this.

Chipset SiS761GХ

Despite the integrated Mirage graphics controller, the SiS761GX chipset can be positioned as a solution for high-performance systems. The optimal combination of this chipset with AMD Athlon 64 FX and AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core processors.

Indeed, the northbridge of the chipset supports the PCI Express x16 bus, and the HyperTransport bus frequency is 2000 MHz. In addition, this chipset uses a SiS966 chip as a south bridge, supporting two PCI Express x1 channels, a gigabit network controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, a four-channel SATA controller with the ability to combine disks into a RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0+1 . In addition, the SiS969 has an integrated dual-channel ATA133 controller, supports up to six PCI slots and has an 8-channel HDA v1.0 audio controller.

The range of chipsets for Intel processors (Table 7) includes the following models: P4M800 Pro, PM800, PT880, PT880 Pro, PT880 Ultra, PT894, PT894 Pro, but only two of them support the PCI Express x16 PT894 and PT894 Pro interface.

VIA PT894

The VIA PT894 chipset became the first chipset from VIA with full support for the PCI Express x16 interface. The northbridge of this chipset supports FSB frequencies of 1066/533/800 MHz, and a dual-channel memory controller that supports VIA StepUp technology allows the use of memory standard DDR2-667/533/400 or DDR400/333/266, and slots for memory of different standards can be used installed on the motherboard at the same time. In addition to the PCI Express x16 bus, the north bridge of the VIA PT894 chipset supports two more PCI Express x1 channels. The VIA PT894 north bridge is designed to work with the VT8237 south bridge, for communication with which an Ultra V-Link bus with a throughput of 1066 MB/s is used.

Since we are talking about the interaction of north and south bridge chips, it is worth mentioning the V-MAP (VIA Modular Architecture Platform) technology implemented by VIA for the specified system logic chipset, which means that, in principle, the place of the VT8237 chip can Another version of the south bridge, made in accordance with V-MAP technology, will also be successful. True, this is only a theoretical possibility, but in practice, a combination of VIA PT894 and VT8237 chips is currently traditional. Speaking about the capabilities of the PT894 northbridge chip, it is necessary to mention the VIA FastStream64 Technology implemented in this chip and designed to reduce the latency of the memory controller, for which an increased prefetch buffer is used. Thus, according to the manufacturer, it is possible to achieve increased performance with fewer north bridge transistors than when implementing dual-channel memory access.

The South Bridge has a built-in two-channel IDE controller that supports IDE devices with ATA33/66/100/133 or ATAPI interfaces, as well as a SATA controller that supports two SATA 1.0 ports and the SATALite interface, which when using an additional controller with the SATALite interface allows you to support two more SATA ports. The built-in V-RAID controller makes it possible to organize SATA drives into a RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0+1 (the latter mode is only possible when four SATA devices are connected).

We also note the presence of a built-in Fast Ethernet network controller, a USB 2.0 controller with support for eight ports and support for up to six PCI slots. The AC'97 digital controller with Vinyl Audio technology provides the ability to implement both 5.1 audio when using a 6-channel AC'97 codec, and eight-channel 7.1 audio, which requires a VIA Vinyl Gold Audio 7.1 controller.

VIA PT894 Pro

The difference between the VIA PT894 Pro chipset and the VIA PT894 is that the VIA PT894 Pro chipset supports DualGFX Express technology. The essence of this technology is as follows: the VIA PT894 Pro model has 20 PCI Express x1 channels, of which 16 are used for the PCI Express x16 interface, and another 4 are used for the PCI Express x4 interface, but in the PCI Express x16 form factor. Thus, motherboards based on the VIA PT894 Pro chipset have two PCI Express x16 slots, which allows you to simultaneously install two video cards with the ability to organize a mode like SLI, but according to the PCI Express x16+ PCI Express x4 scheme.

In all other respects, the VIA PT894 Pro chipset is identical to the VIA PT894.

VIA chipsets for AMD processors

The modern range of chipsets for processors with AMD64 architecture (Table 8) includes four models: VIA K8M800, VIA K8T800, VIA K8T800 Pro and VIA K8T890, but only two models (K8T890 and K8M890) support the PCI Express x16 interface.

It is characteristic that VIA chipsets for processors with AMD 64 architecture use the same south bridge (VIA VT8237) as chipsets for Intel processors, and this became possible due to the use of a universal bus V-Link connections north and south bridges, as well as the use of V-Map technology.

VIA K8T890

Today, the VIA K8T890 chipset is the only solution from VIA for AMD64 processors with support for the PCI Express bus, that is, the chipset can be positioned for the most productive systems, gaming PCs and graphics stations. The optimal combination of this chipset with AMD Athlon 64 FX and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processors.

The northbridge of the VIA K8T890 chipset combines a HyperTransport bus interface with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz for communication with the processor, as well as an Ultra V-Link bus interface with a bandwidth of 1066 MB/s; Interaction with the south bridge is carried out through this bus.

In addition, the VIA K8T890 northbridge supports the PCI Express x16 bus for installing an external video card, as well as four more PCI Express x1 lanes.

VIA K8M890

Chipset VIA K8M890 the newest chipset reviewed here with an integrated graphics core (Integrated Graphics Processor, IGP) for processors with AMD64 architecture. Unlike the VIA K8M800 chipset, the VIA K8M890 uses the new generation S3 Graphics DeltaChrome graphics core, which implements hardware support for DirectX 9, supports pixel shaders version 2.0 and has two pixel pipelines. The core clock frequency is 250 MHz. In addition, S3 Graphics DeltaChrome supports all HDTV formats, including 1920x1080.

The VIA K8M890 chip communicates with the processor using a high-speed HyperTransport interface with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz.

For the purpose of installing an external video card, the VIA K8M890 chip provides a PCI Express x16 interface, and to support expansion cards there are two more PCI Express x1 lines.

The VIA K8M890 north bridge is used in conjunction with the new VT8251 south bridge, and the Ultra V-Link bus with a throughput of 1066 MB/s is used to connect the north and south bridges.

The VIA VT8251 southbridge is superior in functionality to its predecessor, the VT8237 chip. Firstly, a four-channel SATA II controller has been added with the ability to combine disks into RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 0+1 and 5, and secondly, two PCI Express x1 lanes and a gigabit network controller (MAC level) have been added.

ATI chipsets

Compared to such market leaders as Intel, VIA, SiS and NVIDIA, ATI can hardly be considered a major player in the desktop chipset market. As a matter of fact, the range of chipsets produced by ATI is still quite modest, and motherboard manufacturers are in no hurry to announce models based on ATI chipsets.

The current lineup of ATI chipsets is not very large at the moment and includes only a few chipsets from the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 series, but in two versions: for AMD and Intel processors.

ATI chipsets for Intel processors

The range of ATI chipsets for Intel processors is still quite small, and if we talk about modern chipsets, there are only two of them ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor(codenamed RS400) and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor (RD400).

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor

The very name of the chipset (for Intel Processor) indicates that this chipset is intended for Intel processors. Actually, the differences in functionality between the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor are minimal, but the north bridges of these chipsets differ significantly from each other.

The northbridge of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset combines an FSB bus interface with a clock frequency of 533/800 MHz (unofficially, a frequency of 1066 MHz is also supported). Accordingly, the chipset supports processors of the Intel Celeron D, Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition family of processors (dual-core Intel Pentium D processors are not supported).

The dual-channel controller integrated into the northbridge supports DDR2 400/533/667 memory with a maximum capacity of up to 4 GB. In addition, the north bridge of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor supports the PCI Express x16 bus for installing an external graphics card and has four PCI Express x1 lanes. Naturally, the ATI Radeon X300 graphics core is integrated into the northbridge of the chipset. However, support for HyperMemory technology is not implemented in the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset, that is, there is no dedicated frame buffer in the form of a separate chip on the motherboard.

The IXP400 south bridge of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset is exactly the same as in the version for AMD64 processors, and includes support for up to seven PCI slots, up to four SATA devices with the ability to organize two independent RAID arrays of levels 0 and 1, up to eight USB 2.0 ports and up to four devices (two channels) ATA133. In addition, the AC’97 audio controller is integrated into the southbridge.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor, codenamed RD400, a variant of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset, but with support for CrossFire technology, which implies the ability to combine two video cards for increased performance. Systems based on the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor chipset have two PCI Express x16 slots, but each of them uses the PCI Express x8 bus. Thus, in the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor chipset, one PCI Express x16 bus is divided into two PCI Express x8 buses.

There is one more minor difference between the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor chipsets: the latter of them uses the IXP450 south bridge, which is fully compatible in interface and wiring with the IXP400 bridge.

The difference between the IXP400 and IXP450 is that the IXP450 adds support for High Definition Audio instead of the obsolete AC’97 interface.

ATI chipsets for AMD processors

The lineup of ATI chipsets for AMD processors (Table 9) is also still quite modest and is represented by only three models of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 family.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200P (RS480)

ATI Radeon Xpress 200P (codenamed RS480) is a modern chipset of the classic dual-bridge structure with an integrated graphics controller for platforms based on AMD64 processor architecture.

The RS480 northbridge combines a 2000 MHz HyperTransport bus interface for interaction with the processor, a PCI Express x16 bus interface for installing an external video card, four separate PCI Express x1 lanes, and a northbridge and southbridge bus interface. Note that in this case the PCI Express x2 bus is also used.

The Radeon Xpress 200 graphics core is based on the ATI Radeon X300 core (a version of the Radeon 9600 for PCI Express), that is, it supports DirectX 9 in hardware, including vertex/pixel programs 2.0. The core has two pixel pipelines with one texture unit each, as well as four vertex units. The graphics core frequency is 350 MHz.

A special feature of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200P is its proprietary HyperMemory technology: this is the ability to organize a frame buffer in a dedicated area of ​​system memory (the traditional approach for integrated graphics controllers) or allocate special memory (up to 128 MB) for the frame buffer, which is integrated as a separate chip or chips on the motherboard.

Additional features of the integrated graphics core include support for image output on two independent monitors, and together with an external graphics card, output to three monitors is supported.

In combination with the RS480 northbridge, the IXP 400 southbridge is used, which supports up to seven PCI slots, up to four SATA devices with the ability to organize two independent RAID arrays of levels 0 and 1, up to 8 USB 2.0 ports and up to four devices (two channels) ATA133 . In addition, the AC’97 audio controller is integrated into the southbridge.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (RX480)

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (RX480) is an analogue of the already reviewed ATI Radeon Xpress 200P chipset, but does not have a built-in graphics core.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition (RD480)

The ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition, known as the RD480, is a variant of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipset, but with CrossFire support. In fact, the difference between the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipsets is the same as between the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI and NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipsets.

In systems based on the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition chipset, the PCI Express x16 bus is divided into two PCI Express x8 buses, but the slots for installing video cards have a PCI Express x16 interface.

There is one more minor difference between the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition chipsets: the latter uses the IXP450 south bridge, which is fully compatible in interface and wiring with the IXP400 bridge.

ULi chipsets

ULi ipsets are found very rarely, and mainly in budget motherboards for PCs or laptops. In addition, although the range of these chipsets is not very large, there are chipsets for both AMD64 and Intel processors. A characteristic feature of ULi chipsets is the ability to use the north bridge with various south bridge options, which is ensured by a universal bus interface connecting the south and north bridges. In addition, the north bridges of Intel and AMD processors are combined with the same south bridges. You can often find a combination (a kind of hybrid chipset) of an ATI north bridge with a ULi south bridge.

ULi Chipsets for AMD Processors

The modern range of ULi chipsets for processors with AMD64 architecture consists of only two models: ULi M1689 and ULi M1695.

ULi M1689

ULi M1689 is a single-chip solution for platforms based on processors with AMD64 architecture (Socket 940/745/939). The ULi M1689 chip integrates AGP 8x controllers, a dual-channel ATA133 IDE controller, a USB 2.0 controller with support for up to eight ports, an Ethernet 10/100 network controller (MAC level), as well as a dual-channel SATA controller and a HyperTransport bus controller that connects the chip with processor. Note that the HyperTransport bus supports a clock frequency of 2000 MHz, which allows you to use the ULi M1689 chip with the most modern processors AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon 64 FX families with a dual-channel memory controller. However, given the positioning of the ULi M1689 chip, its combination with an AMD Sempron processor can be considered optimal.

The audio subsystem integrated into the ULi M1689 chip is 6-channel and based on the AC’97 controller.

ULi M1695

The ULi M1695 model, which, unfortunately, has not yet become widespread, is a unique chipset of its kind and has no competitive analogues. The ULi M1695 chipset is designed for high-performance processors of the Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon 64 FX families (Socket 754/940/939) with a dual-channel memory controller.

The northbridge of the ULi M1695 chipset, which in ULi terminology is called HyperTransport PCI Express Tunnel Chip, combines a PCI Express x16 bus controller, which can be configured as PCI Express x16 or as two PCI Express x8 buses with the ability to combine two video cards (analogous to NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ). In addition, the ULi M1695 supports four more PCI Express x1 lanes, which can be configured as two PCI Express x2 buses or as one PCI Express x4 bus.

The ULi M1695 communicates with the processor using a standard HyperTransport bus with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz. In addition, exactly the same universal bus is used to connect the north bridge with the south bridge or with any other chip that supports this interface.

Thus, the ULi M1695 provides motherboard manufacturers with fairly flexible configuration options. various options chipset usage.

Typical combination: ULi M1695 northbridge and ULi M1567 southbridge. Besides standard interfaces(two ATA133 ports, two SATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, AC’97 audio, 32-bit PCI bus and Ethernet controller) the ULi M1567 south bridge contains a full AGP8x interface. Note that there are solutions that simultaneously support both the PCI Express x16 interface and the AGP interface. However, as a rule, we are talking about pseudo-AGP, which is implemented via the PCI bus and has low bandwidth. In this sense, the ULi M1695/M1567 solution has no analogues.

ULi chipsets for Intel processors

Today's lineup of Uli chipsets for Intel processors consists of two models: ULi M1683 and ULi M1685, built using a classic dual-bridge design.

ULi M1683

The ULi M1683 chipset is designed for systems based on Intel Pentium 4 family processors, as well as for mobile Intel Pentium M family processors.

The ULi M1683 Northbridge contains a single-channel memory controller that supports DDR266/333/400 or PC133 SDRAM with a maximum capacity of 4 GB. The system bus controller supports FSB frequencies of 800/533/400 MHz. In addition, for installing an external video card, the ULi M1683 has an AGP8x/4x interface.

To communicate with the southbridge, a universal HyperTransport bus (800 MHz, 8/8 bits) with a throughput of 1.6 GB/s is used. The Uli M1563 chip can be used as a south bridge in combination with the ULi M1683, which integrates a dual-channel ATA133 controller, a USB 2.0 controller with support for up to six ports, a 32-bit PCI bus controller, an Ethernet network controller and a traditional AC-based audio controller '97.

ULi M1685

The ULi M1685 model is aimed at budget solution processors of the Intel Pentium 4 family and mobile processors Intel Pentium M.

The ULi M1685 northbridge includes a single-channel memory controller that supports DDR266/333/400 or DDR2-400/533/667 memory with a maximum capacity of up to 3.5 GB. The system bus controller supports FSB frequencies of 800/533/400 MHz.

It should be noted that the ULi M1685 Northbridge supports GUI PCI Express x16, allowing this chipset to be positioned as the basis for mid-range systems.

To communicate with the southbridge, the ULi M1685 chipset uses a universal HyperTransport bus with a clock frequency of 1600 MHz and a bandwidth of 1.6 GB/s. Any chip from the ULi M15xx family can be used as a south bridge, but the optimal combination is ULi M1685 with ULi M1566. The functionality of the ULi M1566 south bridge is distinguished by support for the PCI Express bus (one PCI Express x4 port or two PCI Express x1 ports), as well as the presence of a dual-channel SATA controller.

South bridges ULi M1573/M1575

Unlike other chipset companies, ULi produces universal southbridges that are compatible with northbridges from other manufacturers. In particular, the ULi M1566 southbridge was apparently the last chip to use the HyperTransport bus to connect to the northbridge. The new generation of ULi south bridges (ULi M1573/M1575 chips) uses a more universal PCI Express bus for this purpose. Replacing the HyperTransport connection with PCI Express opens up greater possibilities for combining ULi M1573/M1575 south bridges with north bridges from other manufacturers. In particular, ATI integrated chipsets can be complemented with these south bridges.

In terms of functionality, the ULi M1573/M1575 south bridges exceed the capabilities of the M1563 and M1566 chips. Thus, the ULi M1573 chip integrates a four-channel SATA controller with the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0, 1 and 0+1, supports eight USB 2.0 ports, and also integrates a High Definition Audio sound controller. To communicate with the northbridge, the ULi M1573 chip uses the PCI Express x2 bus.

The ULi M1575 chip is slightly superior in functionality to the ULi M1573. For example, the PCI Express x4 bus is used to communicate with the northbridge. In addition, the ULi M1575 chip is equipped with a four-channel SATA II controller with the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 0+1 and 5.

In addition, ULi M1573/M1575 chips are characterized by reduced power consumption, which creates prerequisites for their use in mobile platforms.