Learning Objectives

a) Didn’t follow standards

b) Difficult to support

BTX: Balanced Technology eXtended

Chipset

• Chipset varieties

1. The chipset defines many aspects of the motherboard, including the processor type, the type and capacity of RAM, and the kinds of internal and external devices it can support.

2. Modern chipsets consist of two primary chips, the Northbridge and the Southbridge, plus a Super I/O chip to provide legacy support.

a) The Northbridge chip on Intel-based motherboards connects the CPU with RAM. On AMD-based motherboards, the Northbridge provides the communication with the video card, but the CPU has an onboard MCC (memory chip controller) chip that communicates with RAM. Northbridge is called memory controller hub (MCH) on some Intel-based systems.

Chip Set

• The PC has become so complex that even the most recent, powerful processors can 't do the entire job of managing the flow of data by themselves.
• The CPU has been given help in the form of the chip set, located nearby on the motherboard.
• The chip set consists of two microchips, often referred to as the North Bridge and the South Bridge, that act as the administrators to the CPU, or chief executive.
• The chip set bridges logical and physical gaps between the CPU and other chips, all the time watching and controlling the input and output of specific components.

Chip Set

Many processor architectures have moved the Northbridge into the CPU package or chip itself
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface

Chip Set

• The exact function of the chip set is constantly changing. But in all cases, the bridges determine what kinds of memory, processors, and other components can work with that particular motherboard.
• There is an unfortunate trend to replace the names North Bridge and South Bridge with less elegant terms such as Graphics Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) and the I/O Controller Hub (ICH), even though their basic purpose is the same.