Chipset system board. What is chipset (chipset), north and southern bridge, types of chipsets. Choosing a manufacturer of motherboard

The view about how the computer starts, each user has its own. Someone prefers to build a system "around" monitor, picking up components in such a way that they give comfortable performance in the desired screen resolution. Someone puts the performance of the video card at the head of the angle, choosing the desired model of the graphics accelerator first, and then the power supply of suitable power and the case with sufficient cooling. Finally, for someone more important than the highest speed of working with data, and the computer is essentially going around the central processor and the pair of Raid arrays from SSD and hard disks.

But when the user has already decided on the model of the most priority devices, it has to choose what will allow them to collect them in unified systemcorresponding to the initial ideas of the user about the appearance and characteristics of the PC.

And, as you already guessed, we will talk about choosing today motherboard.

What you do not need to pay attention when choosing.

Board manufacturer.

The design and production of motherboards is engaged in high a large number of Companies, and not all of them are presented in the assortment of the DNS. Moreover, the most famous vendors are already familiar to you on video cards and other computer components. ASUS., Gigabyte. and MSI - "Big Troika", from which the products most often have to choose users.

The paradox is that the performance of the system in games from the motherboard does not depend. At all. From it may depend on the efficiency of the acceleration of the central processor, if such a function is available - this is a separate conversation. But if you exclude acceleration - the same set of processor, video cards and two or four memory schedules will give the same performance, being installed in the top motherboard or in one of the younger models.

Why? Because the performance in games is determined by them.

Recommendation number 2: If you plan to overclock the processor - pay attention to the number of phases in the system of power supply, the efficiency of its cooling, stability stability in acceleration and the possibility of bios. Yes, without a thoughtful and long reading of reviews, there is no reason, but the result of choice can please you with a lot. Again, to positioning the board as "game / not gaming" and even to its price network, these characteristics do not have a relationship.

If acceleration is not planned at all - choose a fee based on the more important characteristics for you: the number and type of peripheral connectors, the number of slots for memory modules, form factor, connectors for connecting body fans, and so on.

What you really important to keep in mind.

Form factor board

It would seem not the most serious aspect, but it is best to start with him. Agree, because little joy if you choose the most suitable fee, and she simply won't go to the case?

In addition, thanks to various standards of motherboards, personal Computer Today you can collect in any way. It is not necessary to buy a bulky body of MIDI-Tower format, if you need a compact system that will be located in the table niche. And it is not at all necessary to install a similar "box" next to the TV, if compact boards of mini-itx or mini-stx can be "settle" in a small low-profile case stylized under multimedia player!

And do not think that small systems are always limited performance. Today, in a compact building, you can collect a powerful game system, and thanks to modern corps, the coolers and energy efficiency of the current overheating processors, it does not even threaten.

But come back to the point. So, what form-factors of motherboards are presented in the DNS catalog?

Recommendation number 5:The chipset does not affect performance, but as a rule, it allows you to clearly define the positioning and functionality of the board. If you do not consider the acceleration of the processor - it is not worth chasing the top models. And the speech here is not only about the Intel platform - for the usual work of AMD Ryzen processors and APU Bristol Ridge / Raven Ridge, there is enough boards on the budget chipset AMD A320.

However, if you plan to overclock the processor, connect a lot of speed peripherals or build SLI / CrossFire system - you should pay attention to the senior models of chipsets. In addition, since it is the top motherboards that are traditionally distinguished by the best equipment, there is probability to find models among them with built-in Wi-Fi modules and Bluetooth, as well as other moments for you.

Compatibility with processor

As a rule, if the motherboard and processor has one socket, it means that they are compatible. However, each rule has exceptions. So, not each board under the LGA 775 supports Wolfdale and Yorkfield processors, not every AM3 + socket board supports PILEDRIVER processors, and not each board under LGA 1155 supports IVY Bridge processors without additional manipulations, and so on.

Recommendation No. 6: Before going to the store for a new motherboard, Visit the page of this model on the manufacturer's website and check out the list. compatible processors. It is completely easy and not even takes a lot of time. But refund of the board in the store or update BIOS in the service center - will take. Moreover, the BIOS update service in the service center is paid. And does it make sense to pay for it, if the same money could simply add to the budget and buy a more suitable motherboard?

Number of memory slots

RAM - that element of the PC, which you can not pay attention for a long time, until one fine moment stops enough. And very well, if at this moment you will have the opportunity to increase the amount of memory. After all, if there are free slots in the PC - just buy the corresponding number of modules and use the computer further.

But if all the slots are occupied - you will have to sell the available memory planks, losing in price, and then buy a larger planks, which in the aggregate will be released in much big money, and time will take a lot ... And you agree, time can be spent with much More benefit!

Recommendation number 7: Save by buying a motherboard total with two slots of the RAMIt is worth only when you are firmly confident that the PC should live as long as possible without upgrade and be replaced entirely. Otherwise, you will fall into the situation described above and try the hole in the family budget.

"Golden Standard" in this regard - panel with 4 memory slots. So, if you gather a PC with two memory straps of 8 gigabytes each, then in the future, with a shortage of memory, it will only be enough to add two more strips of 8 gigabytes, which will be quite fiscal.

Cards with 8 slots The memory is expected to relate to LGA 2011 and LGA 2011-3 platforms. Everything is easier with them: there the amount of memory is due to the tasks that the system is collected, and is used immediately and completely.

Number of interface connectors

Since, collecting a PC, you already have about imagine what components and how many peripherals you will use, it is necessary to envisage that the fee allows you to connect everything you need without the heap of adapters and splitters. It only at first it seems that you can save on here, but in fact all sorts of USB hubs, external adapters and other extraneous parts are greatly complicated by life.

So, what is desirable to provide?

Number and type uSB connectors on the rear panel. It is not necessary to get involved here, especially since these ports are used mainly to connect the keyboard, mouse, graphic tablet and other stationary periphery. Nevertheless, it is advisable to have at least four PC from the back side, and better - six connectors of the corresponding type.

It is also desirable to at least two Of these, it was treated to standard 3.0 - a high-speed periphery of the type of portable hard drives will tell you thanks.

Not necessarily, but it will not be superfluous uSB ports 3.1. Today it is exotic, but in the foreseeable future, the standard has every chance of becoming widespread, so why not foresee it right?

Choosing a suitable fee, ask on the manufacturer's website or in the service "on the DNS website, whether it has the ability to output USB ports to the front case panel. It seems to you now not the most important, but believe me - paint the system space from place to place to connect a flash drive or cable from the camera / smartphone to the port from the back side you get tired very quickly. And extension cords are an extra mess on the table. And besides, they love to fall for this very table.

It is important to draw attention to the number and type of SATA connectors. You should pay attention to fees that support the most high-speed on this moment version - SATA 6 Gb / s. This will not require a overpayment - the connectors of this type are found even on completely budgetary devices. But one or two The connector of this type will be very well affected at the speed of SSD.

The presence of type connectors SATA EXPRESS. Today it is not necessary, but will be a good back for the future, when high-speed SSDs with such a connector will receive more distribution.

In some cases, a good bonus will be Built-in Wi-Fi adapter. For multimedia PCs living in the living room under the TV, it is generally a necessary necessity, and for a large drawer with a separate table may not be superfluous. Still with the distribution of smartphones and tablets local networks In homes and apartments are most often implemented through Wi-Fi: it is more convenient to put one router / access point to which all devices will be connected than to breathe walls, laying the cable.

Most owners are quite simple audio system, but if you have something at home, something different from the "two speakers, one subwoofer" scheme, pay attention to this moment. Boards allowing to connect type surround systems 5.1 or 7.1 will seriously improve the sound in films and games. Although the most demanding audiophiles, of course, can not do without discrete sound card.

If we spell about discrete adapters - rate the number, type and location of PCI-Express slots. There is no secret here - everything can be seen in the photos of the goods. For the game PC in most cases enough one connector x16.Since one top video card is more than enough for games at current permits. Boards S. two slots x16 We need if it is supposed to build SLI / CrossFire, but here you need to make sure that the slots can work in the "8 + 8" or "16 + 16" mode. In the "16 + 4" SLI mode simply does not work, and the gameplay when using the "defective" crossfire will be distant from comfortable.

Boards S. three and more PCI-E X16 connectors We are necessary only in the case of using any rare and highly specialized extension boards. Installation in the system of more than two video cards is deprived of meaning. In addition, in the last generations (GeForce 1000), video cards even NVIDIA officially abandoned SLI support from more than two accelerators (or rather, the 3-way SLI support is in benchmarks, and in several games is included in an unofficial way ...).

More useful will be on the board pCI-E X1 connectors: If you need an alternative sound or network card, or the discrete controller of any interfaces missing on the motherboard is likely to use these devices that the X1 interface.

Support obsolete pCI interface To date, for an ordinary PC is not required, but if you use some rare controllers or expansion fees - it is necessary to provide it.

In addition, the number of connectors should also be estimated for connecting body fans. Of course, today's iron has a predominantly calm temper, you can't find real oven among video cards and processors. And yet, it would be nice if the board allowed to connect all cabinet turntables and manage their turnover without unnecessary adapters and refuses.

Recommendation number 8:Of course, sometimes at the head of the corner costs savings, and for many moments you have to close your eyes, just to quickly collect PC and meet the budget. And yet, the better your motherboard will be equipped - the more convenient the PC operation will be. Moreover, again, it is not necessary to take exactly the top versions - sometimes even budget models are able to offer an interesting set of interfaces and connectors, just to carefully approach the choice.

Opportunities

If you are considering the motherboard under the platform that allows you to overclock the central processors - agree, it would be nice to choose the one that will achieve large values \u200b\u200band as a result - get b aboutweight performance. A little thorough analysis in this case can pay off repeatedly, and disregard for information - on the contrary, lead to useless spending.

Recommendation number 9: Choosing a "overclocker" motherboard - focus primarily on reviews on reputable resources. Of course, it should be remembered that everything depends on the capabilities of a specific processor instance in the acceleration, but if several authors have one sources on several sources allowed for more frequencies than its analogs - this is an explicit signal to purchase.

Criteria and choice options:

According to the above, motherboards from the DNS directory can be ranked as follows:

For a nettop in a custom case, a home file server, Carpc or a multimedia PC of the entry level will suit MINI-ITX format motherboards under socket AM1or options with drinking on the board AMD or Intel processors. From these platforms should not be to wait for huge computational performance, but they solve their simple tasks easily and without excess energy costs.

For a homemade multimedia PC living in the living room and masking for a video recorder or a music center, it is best suited cOMPACT CARDS UNDER SET AM4having digital interfaces for video output. APU for these tasks is much more preferable than a combination of CPU and a discrete video card: when the processor and video live under one lid, the computer can be done less, and the heating will be lower. The latter for the compact system is even more relevant than for the gaming machine.

Whether your PC will be an office tool, a universal home assistant, a top gaming machine or workstation for reasonable money, depends first of all from the selected processor. But you need to choose from two options: either socket AM4.either LGA 1151_v2.. At the same time, for the gaming car it is worth paying attention primarily on board supporting processor - The ability to add to the acumen system is not at all unnecessary.

For an exceptionally office PC, probably a more suitable choice will be budget boards on LGA 1151_v2not supporting overclocking, but having video outputs under the processor embedded in the processor. Discrete video cards on most office workplaces for obvious reasons are not needed, and the graphics in APU under the AM4 socket are too productive for these purposes.

For the top workstation will have to choose a motherboard or under socket TR4.or under LGA 2066.. The choice in this case will be due only to which of the platforms will show itself better in professional tasks, the functional and equipment of the Boards relating to the top segment are located on a comparable level.

Everyone probably knows that the computer consists of a variety of components that are integrated into the motherboard. So that the component is created to perform its task. The processor believes the graphics adapter (video card) displays information on the monitor screens, the network adapter gives access to the network, etc.

Chipset is a technical term. If you deepen, then this phrase consists of two words. Chip - chip, microcircuit; Set - set, installation and it turns out ChipSet.. Chipset - means a set of specific chips that associate independent components on the motherboard. So what is a chipset in the motherboard and why you need you will learn from this article.

Why do you need chipset?

Now we will understand why and what this chipset is needed. The most important chipset on the motherboard is the processor (CPU), it manages all components of the system, but it cannot be done directly. The CPU chipset sets with the rest of the components: with rAM, withdrawal input system, adapters and controllers of peripheral devices. Communication is carried out through the tire system.

To connect with different components of the system, there are different tires:

• with processor - system bus;
• with memory - memory bus (Memory Bus);
• with a graphics adapter - PCI, PCI -Express or AGP;
• with LPT devices, PS / 2 - LOW PIN COUNT bus.

The chipset only helps to interact with the components, but does not interfere in their work.

This is what can define a chipset:

• number of components in subsystems: Possible number of processors, memory slots, graphic adapters, expansion slots and ports on the motherboard.
• the frequency of the tire and the discharge, through which it binds to the subsystem;
• is it possible to improve the characteristics of individual subsystems: processor clock frequency (s), memory voltage;
• technology support subsystems: video card dual mode - Crossfire and SLI; Dual memory operation mode - Dual Ram, caching on SSD - Smart Response Technology.
• support for interaction with special or outdated controllers: RAID, PCI, AGP.

How the chipset is arranged

The chipset consists of one or more chip. Since 1995, the microcircuits began to call bridges. An ordinary chipset is a two-seater. Such a chipset is divided into two segments: the North and South Bridge.

The north bridge is connected only with memory and processor. The southern bridge, on the one hand, connects to the north through the inner bus, and on the other hand, with peripheral controllers, with PCI type extension slots, SATA, IDE female controllers; Controller Ethernet, Audio Controller and PPZ (BIOS).

At the heart of each bridge - the controller-hub.

The North is a memory concentrator that is connected to the CPU through the system bus (FSB for Intel processors, Hypertransport for AMD) and ensures the interaction of the CPU and memory. Sometimes the graphic subsystem is added to this bundle, which is associated with the chipset via PCI-Express.

Southern - I / O hub. CPU communicates through an intermediary - the North Bridge. Manages the interaction of CPU and hard drive controllers (SATA, IDE, SCSI), USB solid-state drives.

Modern models of chipsets are single-chip or nate, where the northern bridge is combined with the processor.

Due to the alignment:

• production is needed;
• the place is released on the motherboard, which takes the server bridge chip;
• energy consumption is reduced;
• improves the heat sink from the chip due to the transmission processor cooling system.

How to know the chipset of the motherboard

If for some reason you need to know your chipset, you can do it through the device manager, open the "System Devices" tab.

Strits with the words chipset, it is your chipset.

If the drivers are not installed, another way is to read it open technical documentation for the motherboard and read there. You can read on the box. The "name" of the chipset in the full name of the goods comes after the manufacturer's brand:

MSI H110 VD-PRO, ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Professional Gaming I7, MSI 970 Gaming.

If the box is lost, but by instructions and technical documentation You melted the oven in a cold night, you can open system unit And look at the motherboard. The name of the chipset on the motherboard is difficult not to notice.

The easiest option is to use the AIDA64 utility. Download the program from the official site, you set, run from the desktop shortcut.

Open the "System Board" tab. Allocate the Item "System Board" and Voila:

If you wish, you can switch to the chipset tab, but the program is paid and will not allow you to learn full information.

Free alternative - the CPU-Z utility.

Download and install (English and Chinese language). Run the utility from the desktop. Click the Mainboard tab

Information about the chipset - in the Chipset string. About the South Bridge - in the SouthBridge string.

In the literal translation of the chipset (chipset) means "chipset". The chipset, which is also called a set of system logic, is one or more of two chips (chips) intended for organizing interaction between the processor, memory, I / O ports and the other components of the computer. At the dawn of the development of computer equipment for organizing interaction between individual elements PCs used dozens of separate chips, which, of course, was extremely uncomfortable. And only with the advent of the I486 processor, individual chips began to combine into one or two large chips, which received the name of the chipset.

The creation of the PCI bus, individual chipset chips began to call bridges - so there were well-established terms: the North Bridge (North Bridge) and the South Bridge (South Bridge) of the chipset, while the north bridge is connected directly to the processor, and the South-Northern. In some cases, manufacturers combine the northern and southern bridge into one microcircuit, and such a solution is called one-chip, and if two chips are, then this is a two-seater.

The northern bridge of the chipset traditionally includes a memory controller (with the exception of processor chipsets with AMD64 architecture), a graphic bus controller (AGP or PCI Express X16), an interface of interaction with the southern bridge and the interface of interaction with the processor. In some cases, the northern bridge of the chipset may contain additional PCI Express X1 lines for organizing interaction with expansion cards that have an appropriate interface.

The south bridge of the chipset is the function of organizing interaction with I / O devices. The southern bridge contains hard drive controllers (SATA and / or PATA), a USB controller, a network controller (MAC-level only), a PCI bus controller and PCI-Express bus, an interrupt controller and a DMA controller. In addition, the South Bridge is usually embedded with a sound controller, and in this case the codec chipset is still needed to the chipset. In addition, the South Bridge is connected with two more important chips on the motherboard: BIOS ROM microcircuit and Super I / O microcircuit responsible for serial and parallel ports and for floppy disk drive.

To connect the northern and southern bridges with each other, a special dedicated tire is used, and different manufacturers use different tires for this (with different bandwidth):

• 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 Northern Bridge, although it is more correct to indicate that the totals of the Northern and South Bridges are more correct, since in many cases the same northern bridge of chipset can be combined with various options for southern bridges.

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

Chipset selection is very large for today. And if the processors have been producing only two companies: Intel and AMD, then chipsets are produced by Intel, Via, and Sis, and NVIDIA, and ATI, and ULI.

Intel's chipsets

gentle Intel manufactures a very diverse range of processor chipsets Intel Pentium. D, Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron D. And if we talk about modern Intel chipsets, then starting with the Intel 915 Express family.

Intel 915/925 Express Chipset Family

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

First of all, new chipsets are focused on supporting Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) processors in the new LGA775 building, which means the availability of a new connector on motherboards and the impossibility of using older versions of processors designed for Socket 478 connector. Another important point is that new chipsets (True, not all) are focused on supporting a new type of DDR2-533 / 400 memory. Intel Flex Memory technology allows you to work with memory in both single-channel and two-channel mode. The third important point is the support of the new PCI Express tire. In the new generation of motherboards, the PCI Express X16 slot is envisaged for the video card.

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

The Northern Bridge of Intel 915/925 EXPRESS chipsets is associated with a high-speed DMI tire (Direct Media Interface), which is a modified version of PCI Express X4 (~ 2 GB / s), with an I / O hub (southern bridge) ICH6. In total, there are three types of southern bridge: ICH6R (chip 82801FR), ICH6W (80801FW) and ICH6RW (80801RW).

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

• new 8-channel Intel sound High Definition. Audio (Intel HD Audio);
• eight USB 2.0 ports;
• tire PCI Express X1;
• tire PCI;
• four SATA channels;
• one PATA channel;
• intel technology Wireless Connect;
• network gigabit interface Intel GBE.

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

An important feature of the new South South Bridge ICH6 is the support of the PCI Express X1 tire, which provides bandwidth up to 500 MB / s. In addition, this tire supports bilateral traffic and has smaller delays. All Intel 915/925 Express family chipsets support up to four PCI Express X1 channels.

The South Bridge ICH6 has a built-in four-channel SATA controller, and if it is a version of the southern ICh6R or ICH6RW bridge, then the SATA RAID controller is supported on all four channels. It is possible to organize RAID arrays of levels 0, 1 or 0 + 1. SATA RAID controller integrated into the southern bridge of the chipset supports command routing technology (Native Command Queuing, NCQ), which allows to reduce delays, and consequently, increase productivity.

In addition, the SATA RAID controller supports the possibility of hot disk connection and auto-installation function.

And the last feature on which we would like to pay attention is the Intel Wireless Connect technology, which is implemented in the versions of the South Bridge ICH6W and ICH6RW. In fact, the South Bridge is integrated with a wireless access point and a wireless network adapter that meets 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

Intel 910GL Express chipset is designed for massive and inexpensive office PCs. According to the functionality, it can be attributed to the family of Intel 915 chipsets, which will be discussed further, and thus consider it as a "younger" model of the chipsets of the Intel 915 family.

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

Memory controller chipset Intel. 910GL Express (Microcircuit 82910GL GMCH) is a two-channel and provides memory with DDR333 and DDR400 memory (PC3100 / 2700 SDRAM)

Total chipset supports up to 2 GB of memory - 1 GB for each channel. At the same time in each of the channels to install the memory modules is provided by one DIMM slot. That is why the Intel 910GL EXPRESS chipset finds use exclusively in motherboards with the MicroATX formator.

The memory controller allows you to use non-buffered 64-bit memory without ECC error correction.

Since the chipset is focused on budget office solutions, then it integrated Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 (IGMA 900) graphics controller (IGMA 900), and the interface for installing an external graphics card is not provided.

Intel 915PL Express

Intel 915PL Express chipset, intended for mass and inexpensive office PCs, is largely similar to the Intel 910GL Express chipset, but there are a number of nuances that allow you to talk about higher performance of the 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. In contrast to the Intel 910GL Express chipset, in addition to supporting the system bus with a frequency of 533 MHz, the frequency of the 800 MHz system bus is maintained. Thus, the best combination of this chipset with the Intel Pentium 4 processor (PRESCOTT) will be the best.

Intel 915PL EXPRESS chipset memory controller is two-channel and provides DDR333 and DDR400 memory (PC3100 / 2700 SDRAM).

The chipset supports up to 2 GB of memory, that is, 1 GB per channel for each channel, and in each of the channels to install the memory modules, there is one DIMM slot. As a result, Intel 915PL Express, as previously reviewed by the Intel 910GL EXPRESS chipset, finds use exclusively in motherboards with Microatx form factor.

Unlike Intel 910GL Express, there is no integrated graphics controller in the 915PL EXPRESS chipset, and there is a PCI Express X16 bus to install an external graphics card.

Intel 915GL Express

Intel 915GL EXPRESS chipset, focused on massive and inexpensive office PCs, is largely similar to the Intel 910GL Express chipset and is designed for Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) processors and Intel Celeron D with Hyper-Threading technology, LGA775 enclosure and system tire frequency 533 and 800 MHz.

The memory controller of this chipset is two-channel and provides operation with the memory DDR333 and DDR400 (PC3100 / 2700 SDRAM). The chipset supports up to 4 GB of memory - 2 GB per channel, and in each of these channels to install the memory modules there are two DIMM slots. Actually, if you do not consider the support of the frequency of the 800 MHz system tire, it is precisely the main difference between this chipset from Intel 910GL Express. Otherwise, this model completely repeats the Intel 910GL EXPRESS chipset.

Intel 915GV Express

Intel 915GV Express, like all the Intel 915/925 Express chipsets considered above, is intended for low-cost mass PCs, however, in contrast to the discussed chipsets, Intel 915GV Express is focused on the Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology and with the system tire frequency 533 and 800 MHz.

The memory controller of this chipset is two-channel and provides work with both DDR333 and DDR400 and DDR400 and DDR2-533 and DDR2-400 memory. Total chipset supports up to 4 GB of memory, that is, 2 GB for each channel. At the same time, in each of the channels for the installation of memory modules, two DIMM slots are provided.

The rest of the Intel 915GV EXPRESS chipset completely repeats the Intel 915GL Express model. Thus, the Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 (IGMA 900) graphic controller is integrated here, but there is no interface to install an external graphics card.

Intel 915p Express

Intel 915P Express chipsets almost completely repeats Intel 915GV Express, in one exception - there is no built-in graphic controller here, and instead it is provided to install an external graphics card. pCI interface Express x16. In all the rest of the Intel 915P Express and Intel 915GV Express chipsets are identical.

Intel 915G Express

Intel 915G Express is the most functional and respectively expensive in the line of Intel 915 chipsets.

The only difference in this chipset from Intel 915p Express is that the IGMA 900 graphic controller is integrated into Intel 915G Express, and the PCI Express X16 interface is provided to install an external graphics card. In all other, the Intel 915G Express and Intel 915P Express chipsets are exactly the same.

Intel 925x Express

Intel 925x Express is focused on creating mass, but high-performance PCs. This chipset supports the Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) processor, made according to 90 nanometer technology, and the frequency of the system tire is 800 MHz. Accordingly, the maximum bandwidth of the system tire is 6.4 GB / s. Intel 925x Express chipset is designed for Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors, and therefore the frequency of the 533 MHz system bus is not provided there.

The chipset memory controller (MCH) is two-channel and supports only the new DDR2-533 / 400 memory. When using DDR2-533 memory in two-channel mode, the maximum bandwidth of the memory bus 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 each channel). Note that, unlike all other chipsets of the Intel 915/925 Express family, Intel 925x Express memory supports work with ECC memory.

Since this chipset is intended for productive PCs, there is no integrated graphics controller IGMA 900, and the PCI Express X16 interface to install an external graphics card, naturally, is available.

Intel 925xe Express

The 1066 MHz system tire frequency support, implemented in the Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor, required and the use of a new chipset, or rather a new revision of the already-known Intel 925x Express chipset, which was called Intel 925xe Express. In fact, the only distinguishing property of the new version of the chipset is to support the new FSB frequency - 1066 MHz. All other characteristics of Intel 925xe Express have not changed, except that the controller of its memory does not support ECC memory.

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

If in the Intel 925X Express chipset, the processor tire has a 6.4 GB bandwidth (800 MHz64 bits \u003d 6.4 GB / s), which makes it not completely balanced from the memory bus, then in Intel 925xe Express, the processor tire has a bandwidth 8.5 GB / s (1066 MHzѕ64 bits \u003d 8.5 GB / s), that is, in this sense it is fully balanced from the memory bus.

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

Intel 945/955 Express Chipset Family

Compared to revolutionary changes in the possibilities of desktop platforms that provided intel 915/925 EXPRESS chipsets, a new family of Intel 945/955 Express chipsets (Table 2) is rather a logical development of the Intel 915/925 Express family than something fundamentally new .

Small improvements touched, in fact, only supporting the high speeds of interfaces and support new intel dual-core processors. Minor changes have been undergoing the southern bridge of chipset: in this family, the ICH7 or ICH7R I / O hub is used as a southern bridge, which is associated with the North Bridge on the DMI bus, which has a bandwidth of 2 GB / s.

The main difference of the new southern bridge from the former version of ICH6 is to support the new SATA II standard (second generation of the standard) with a 300 MB / s bandwidth. Thus, the South Bridge ICH7 supports four SATA II channels with AHCI support and NCQ functions. The ICH7R version allows you to organize a RAID-array levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 (10) and 5 of SATA disks.

Another small difference between ICH7 and ICH6 is that the southern ICH7R bridge supports six PCI Express X1 channels, while the South Bridge ICH7 supports only four channels. The rest of the South Bridge in Ich7 is no different from that in ICH6.

Intel 945PL Express

Intel 945PL Express - the younger model in the Intel 945/955 Express chipset family, focused on the support of dual-core processors of the Intel Pentium D family and single-core processors of the Intel Pentium family 4. A distinctive feature of this chipset is the support of the system tire frequency 800 and 533 MHz. In addition, the two-channel memory controller supports operation only with the memory of DDR2-533 and DDR2-400 with a maximum amount of up to 2 GB, and only two DIMM slots are provided to install the memory modules - one by one on the channel.

The chipset does not have an embedded graphics controller, and the PCI Express X16 interface is provided to install an external graphics card.

Intel 945p Express

Intel 945P Express chipset differs from the previous one, except the frequencies of the system bus 80 and 533 MHz, support for the system tire frequency 1066 MHz is implemented. In addition, the two-channel memory controller supports the operation not only with the memory DDR2-533 and DDR2-400, but also with the memory DDR2-667 with a maximum amount of up to 4 GB, moreover, four DIMM slots are already for the installation of memory modules, that is, Two on the canal. In the rest of the Intel 945P Express is similar to the Intel 945PL Express chipset.

Intel 945g Express.

The Intel 945G Express model differs from Intel 945P Express only by the presence of an embedded graphics controller IGMA 950 (the PCI Express X16 interface is also present). Compared with the previous version of the integrated graphics controller IGMA 900, the new version has a number of improvements. In particular, the clock frequency of the nucleus (400 versus 333 MHz) is increased. Accordingly, the speed of filling the textures (1.6 GT / C against 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 Intel 945P Express.

Intel 955x Express

Intel 955x Express chipset is the older model in the Intel 945/955 Express chipset family and is designed for high-performance PCs and graphics stations. Unlike all other chipsets of this family, it is focused on using the Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 dual-core processor, dual-core processors of the Intel Pentium D family, single-core processors of the Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition family and conventional Intel Pentium 4 family processors.

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

NVIDIA chipsets

NVIDIA's assortment has quite a lot of chipsets - both for AMD processors and Intel processors. However, the confusion in NVIDIA chipsets, too, a lot, which is primarily promoted by NVIDIA. Technical information There is practically no company on the company's website, and there is simply no mention of some chipsets there.

The story about the modern model range of NVIDIA chipsets can be started with the NVIDIA NForce4 chipsets family.

NVIDIA NForce4 family chipsets

NVIDIA NForce4 chipsets (Table 3) came to replace the NVIDIA NForce3 chipset family and differs from them higher functionality. The distinctive feature is the support of 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 chipsets of the NVIDIA NForce4 family (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 rate is 16 bits (symmetric bus), which, of course, is more than enough for modern AMD processors. Another general characteristic of all chipsets of this family is the support of the PCI Express X16 tire.

NForce4 SLI chipset additionally allows you to use two in the system video card NVIDIA In SLI mode. To do this, the chipset distributes the PCI Express X16 bus lines into two PCI Express X8 tires (respectively, on motherboards there are two slots for installing video cards), and the rest provides video cards and their drivers.

The NVIDIA NForce4 family chipsets also support four PCI Express X1 channels, that is, there are 20 PCI Express X1 channels (including PCI Express X16). And the number of USB 2.0 ports increased to 10. In addition to the traditional two-channel interface of ATA133, there is a four-channel SATA controller in the NVIDIA NForce4 family chipsets, and it is possible to merge into the RAID array disk with different interfaces.

The difference between the chipsets of this family is that the NVIDIA NForce4 chipset uses a conventional SATA controller (150 Mbps), and in NVIDIA NForce4 SLI / ULTRA chipsets - the SATA II controller (300 Mbps) with a hot-swap function and With support for reordering NCQ commands (Native Command Queuing).

In the chipsets of the NVIDIA NForce4 family, the Gigabit Ethernet controller (MAC level) is integrated, and in NVIDIA NForce4 SLI / ULTRA models, the network controller is supplemented with a software and hardware firewall function with a hardware accelerator for processing ActiveArmor network packets.

In all the chipsets of the NVIDIA NForce4 family, the audio controller was upgraded: the AC'97 codecs are used, and the number of S / PDIF channels doubled, besides added support for the sampling frequency of 96 kHz, other changes have been added. True, the hardware processing of the sound controller does not fulfill.

NVIDIA NFORCE4 SLI Intel Edition

Although formally, the NVIDIA NForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset and refers to the NForce4 family, it differs dramatically from all other models of this family. As follows from the title, this chipset is focused on Intel processors, and in addition, supports SLI mode. Note that at the moment it 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, but it is not necessary to talk about the full SLI mode in this case. The fact is that in the specified motherboards in reality one slot uses the PCI Express X16 bus, and the second - PCI Express X4 by combining four PCI Express X1 lines. Thus, we are talking about asymmetric configuration bandwidth, and if the first video card, utilizes the PCI Express X16 bus, directly communicates with the North Bridge, then the second video card, utilizing the PCI Express X4 bus, communicates with the North Bridge through the South. And if you remember that the South Bridge is associated with the Northern DMI bus with a 2 GB bandwidth / s and that the bandwidth of the PCI Express X4 interface is also 2 GB / s, it becomes clear that a smaller bandwidth is valid for the share of the second video card, The even interface bandwidth. It is clear that to name this mode of operation by the SLI mode, only with a large stretch.

As in the case of the NVIDIA NForce4 SLI chipset version for AMD 64 processors, the NVIDIA NForce4 SLI Edition chipset is focused on using in the most high-performance gaming PCs and graphics stations to work with three-dimensional graphics. The main thing that distinguishes it from all other NVIDIA chipsets is a two-way diagram. NFORCE4 SLI Intel Edition, called System Platform Processor (SPP), combines a two-channel DDR2 memory controller, a processor interaction interface, a PCI Express bus controller and an interaction interface with a southern bridge. The south bridge, called Media and Communication Processor (MCP), is essentially an I / O hub.

The connection between SPP and MCP is provided with the Hypertransport bus with a frequency of 800 MHz and with a 1,6 GB bandwidth / s in each direction.

The NForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset allows you to use any Intel processor with the LGA775 connector and the FSB 533, 800 and 1066 MHz frequency. In addition, the chipset supports Hyper-Threading technology. The chipset memory controller allows you to use DDR2-400 / 533/667 memory in two-channel operation mode.

An important feature of the NForce4 SLI Intel Edition memory controller is that it has a dedicated address of the addresses and commands for each of the memory modules, and this leads to a reduction in the load on each of these tires twice, which ultimately reduces the response time of the memory modules to the command Controller. The memory controller supports 1T Memory Timing mode, so that the memory modules receive commands and addresses during the same tact during which they were transmitted from the controller. Chipsets that do not use the dedicated address bus and commands for each of the modules are often forced to operate in 2T Memory Timing mode, which is necessary at high loading of this bus. In such mode, the addresses and commands are understood by memory modules only on the next clock after their feed.

In addition, in the memory controller used in the NForce4 SLI Intel Edition, a specialized DASP processor is used (Dynamic Adaptive Speculative Preprocessor) version 3.0. This processor provides a preliminary sample from the memory of those data that may be requested by the central processor in the near future, which reduces the downtime of the central processor caused by the absence of data for processing. DASP 3.0 processor supports Hyper-Threading technology and Intel dual-core processors, that is, knows how to recognize access to each of the kernels (physical or logical).

As for the other functionality of the NVIDIA NForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset, 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 tires. Like the NVIDIA NForce4 chipset, the NForce4 SLI Intel Edition model has a two-channel ATA133 controller and two dual-channel SATA II controllers with NCQ support and with the possibility of hot disk connection. In addition, it is possible to combine levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 and 5 discs with different interfaces in RAID arrays.

Of course, in the NVIDIA NForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset, as in NVIDIA NForce4 SLI, an integrated gigabit network controller with a built-in ActiveArmor network security feature.

NVIDIA GeForce 6100 IGP Chipsets Family

In September of this year, NVIDIA has expanded the AMD Athlon 64 and Sempron model range of chipsets, representing the C51 code name chipset, which includes a GeForce 61xx IGP graphics processor (based on the GeForce 6 engine) and a media component processor (MCP) of the NForce 400 series.

Two versions of the graphics processor are currently available - 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 the combination of IGP- and MCP processors are possible: GeForce 6150 IGP / NForce 430, GeForce 6100 IGP / NForce 430, GeForce 6100 IGP / NForce 410.

The GEFORCE 61XX IGP series processors for communication with the central processor use the Hypertransport bus with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz, and for communication with MCP processors - the Hypertransport bus with a clock frequency of 1600 MHz. In addition, the GEFORCE 61XX IGP series processors have the PCI Express X16 interface to install an external video card, and also support PCI Express X1 lines - the GEFORCE 6150 processor has two such lines, and GeForce 6100 IGP is one.

The GEFORCE 61XX IGP graphics processor supports the DirectX 9.0c API (version 3.0 shaders). The difference between GeForce 6100 IGP and GeForce 6150 IGP is that the GEFORCE 6150 GEFORCE core operates on a clock frequency of 475 MHz, and the GEFORCE 6100 IGP graphics core is 425 MHz. In addition, the TV encoder is present in the GeForce 6150 kernel, and there is no IGP in the GeForce 6100 kernel. Detailed technical characteristics of GEFORCE 61XX IGP processors are displayed in Table. four.

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

Of the technical characteristics of the chipsets presented in Table. 4, apparently appoint each of three modifications: option GeForce 6150 / NForce 430 Designed for multimedia computers, GeForce 6100 / Nforce 430 - for PC general purpose, GeForce 6100 / NForce 410 - For office or budget PCs. Combination GeForce 6150 / NForce 430 can be a great basis for Tivo type TV prefixes or multimedia PCs under windows control Media Center. With the support of high-definition television and high-quality sound.

SIS. chipsets

wipania SIS offers a wide range of chipsets - both for Intel processors and AMD processors.

SIS chipsets for Intel processors

For Intel processors, the modern range of SIS chipsets (Table 5) includes the following models: SIS650, SIS651, SIS648, SIS655, SIS661GX, SIS661FX, SIS648FX, SIS65FX, SIS655TX, SIS656, SIS649 SIS649FX SIS656FX. True, not all chipsets in this list are new. Some of them (SIS650, SIS651, SIS648, SIS655, SIS661GX, SIS661FX, SIS648FX, SIS655FX, SIS655TX) are already morally outdated and are of interest only from a historical point of view. Therefore, the story of the modern model range of SIS chipsets will be started with the SIS656 model.

The SIS656 chipset supports the PCI Express X16 bus, which allows you to consider it as a basis for building modern high-performance PCs. In addition, a two-channel DDR2 memory controller is integrated into the northern bridge of the SIS656 chipset, which provides operation with DDR2-667 / 533/400 memory. In addition to this, the chipset supports work and with memory DDR400 / 333/266. The maximum amount of memory that can be set to 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 Dual family.

The North Bridge of the SIS656 chipset is associated with the southern bridge - the SIS965 chip - on the Mutiol bus with 1 GB / s bandwidth.

In the SIIS965 south bridge, in addition to traditional functions (two-channel ATA133 controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel sound, six PCI slots), there is a four-channel SATA controller with the possibility of combining disks in the RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0+ one. In addition, a two-channel PCI Express X1 controller and a gigabit network controller (MAC level) are integrated into the southern bridge.

The SIS649 chipset model, the northern bridge of which is used together with the SIS965L south bridge, is a kind of lightweight, trimmed version of SIS965. It follows that this chipset is focused on budgetary-level budget solutions.

The North Bridge supports the FSB 800/533/400 MHz frequency, therefore, the chipset supports Intel Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology and dual-core processors of the Intel Pentium Dual family.

As in the SIS656 chipset, the PCI Express X16 bus is supported for setting the video card. Actually, the only difference between the northern bridges of SIS649 and Sis656 chipset is that the Sis649 uses a single-channel memory controller. This supports DDR2-533 / 400 memory, as well as the memory DDR400 / 333 with a maximum volume 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 is used, and not a four-channel SATA controller and that there is no gigabit network controller (MAC-level).

Sis649fx

SIS649FX is an improved version of the SIS649 chipset, although the improvements of the northern bridge is only two. First, the FSB frequency support is added to 1066 MHz, and secondly, a single-channel memory controller supports DDR2-667 memory. In the rest ofstairs, the northern bridge of the SIS649FX chipset is completely repeated by the SIS649 model.

As a south bridge in the SIS649FX chipset, the SIS966L chip is used, but it differs from the south SIS965L bridge in one detail: 8-channel audio controller High Definition Audio V1.0 (HDA) is used in the new version.

Sis656fx

At the moment, SIS656FX is the most functional and productive SIS chipset for the Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Pentium D family processors, from which it follows that this chipset is focused on using in high-performance platforms.

The North Bridge of Chipset is used in a pair with the SIS966 south bridge.

The SIS656FX north bridge supports FSB frequencies 1066/800/533/400 MHz, and a two-channel memory controller allows you to use 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 the PCI Express X16 interface controller for setting the video card, as well as the Mutiol bus interface, on which it is associated with the SIS966 south bridge.

The SIS966 south bridge differs from SIS966L in that the four-channel SATA controller is used here with the possibility of combining disks into the RAID-array of levels 0, 1 and 0 + 1, as well as by adding a network gigabit controller (MAC-level).

SIS chipsets for AMD64 processors

For processors with AMD64 architecture in the SIS (Table 6) model range (Table 6) include models such as SIS760, SIS760GX, SIS75FX, SIS756, SIS761GL, SIS761FX, however, to modern models that support PCI Express interface, only SIS756, Sis761GL chipsets can be attributed SIS761FX.

Recall that in processors with the AMD 64 architecture, the memory controller is integrated into the processor itself, and this circumstance has allowed NVIDIA to produce single-point solutions for AMD processors 64. The company Sis produces chipsets with traditional northern and southern bridges, and thanks to the use of the MUTIOL universal tire , the same southern bridges can be applied for both AMD platforms and Intel platforms.

The SIS756 became the first SIS chipset for AMD processors with PCI Espress X16 interface support. This chipset also supports the Hypertransport bus with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz, that is, this model is designed primarily for AMD 64 processors with a two-channel memory controller and a Hypertransport bus support with a frequency of 2000 MHz.

This consideration allows you to position the SIS756 chipset as a chipset for productive solutions.

In conjunction with the North Sis755FX bridge, the Sis965 south bridge is used, which also supports two PCI Express X1 channels. In addition, the southern bridge has a built-in four-channel SATA controller with the ability to combine disks in the RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0 + 1, two-channel ATA133 controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel sound, a gigabit network controller and supports up to six PCI slots.

Sis761gl

SIS761GL can be positioned as a chipset for starting and mid-level budget PCs with a built-in graphic controller, since the North Sis761GL bridge has a built-in Mirage graphics controller (Sis315), which is suitable for 2D graphics, and the PCI Express X16 bus is not supported at all.

In addition, the frequency of the Hypertransport bus is 1600 MHz, so, despite the declared support for AMD Athlon 64 processors, AMD Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 x2 Dual-Core, it is optimal to consider the combination of this chipset only with aMD processor SEMPRON.

The SIS761GL north bridge is used in a pair with a SIS965L south bridge, which supports two PCI Express X1 channels. In addition, in some cases, an AGP interface can be implemented through the southern bridge to install an external video card. True, it is worth noting that this is not an AGP8X interface, but a kind of pseudo-AGP, since this uses the PCI bus.

Chipset SIS761GX

Despite the built-in graphic controller MIRAGE, the SIS761GX chipset can be positioned as a solution for high-performance systems. The optimal is the combination of this chipset with AMD Athlon 64 FX and AMD ATHLON X2 Dual-Core processors.

Indeed, the northern bridge of chipset supports the PCI Express X16 bus, and the Hypertransport bus frequency is 2000 MHz. In addition, as a southern bridge in this chipset, the SIS966 chip supports two PCI Express X1 channels, a gigabit network controller, eight USB 2.0 ports, a four-channel SATA controller with the possibility of combining disks to RAID-array of levels 0, 1 and 0 + 1 . In addition, SIS969 has an integrated two-channel ATA133 controller, supports up to six PCI slots and has an 8-channel audio controller of the HDA V1.0 standard.

VIA chipsets

wipania Via Technologies, Inc. It is one of the oldest players in the system logic market and produces a wide range of chipsets for all major processor platforms, including the latest Intel and AMD processors, as well as for all types of systems: desktop, laptops and servers. All VIA chipsets are built according to the classic two-seater. The names of the chipsets for Intel processors begin with the letter "P", and the name of the chipsets for AMD processors - with the letter "k".

VIA chipsets for Intel processors

The Intel (Table 7) model range 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 VIA chipset with full support for the PCI Express X16 interface. The northern bridge of this chipset supports the frequency of FSB 1066/533/800 MHz, and a two-channel memory controller supporting the VIA STEPUP technology allows you to use the memory of the DDR2-667 / 533/400 or DDR400 / 333/266 standard, and the memory slots of different standards may be Installed on the motherboard at the same time. In addition to the PCI Express X16 tire, the North Bridge of the VIA PT894 chipset supports two more PCI Express X1 channels. The Northern Bridge VIA PT894 is designed to work with the South Bridge of VT8237, to communicate with the Ultra V-Link bus with a capacity of 1066 MB / s.

Since the interaction of the Northern and South Bridges chips is about the interaction of the Northern and South Bridges; Success to occupy another version of the southern bridge, made in accordance with V-MAP technology. True, it is only a theoretical possibility, and in practice now traditional is the bunch of chips VIA PT894 and VT8237. Speaking about the capabilities of the Northern Bridge PT894 chip, it is necessary to mention the technology of Via FastStream64 Technology, implemented in this chip and designed to reduce the latency of the memory controller, for which an enlarged prefetch Buffers is used. Thus, according to the manufacturer's assertion, it is possible to achieve an increase in performance with a smaller number of transistors of the northern bridge than when implementing two-channel memory access.

The southern bridge has a built-in two-channel IDE controller that supports the operation of IDE devices with the ATA33 / 66/100/133 or ATAPI interface, as well as a SATA controller supporting the operation of two SATA 1.0 ports and the SATALITE interface that when used additional controller The SATALITE interface allows you to maintain two SATA ports. The built-in V-RAID controller makes it possible to organize SATA disks in the RAID array of levels 0, 1 and 0 + 1 (the last mode is possible only when the four SATA devices are connected).

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

VIA PT894 PRO.

The difference between the VIA PT894 Pro chipset from VIA PT894 is that the VIA PT894 Pro chipset supports DualGFX Express technology. The essence of this technology is as follows: in the VIA PT894 Pro model there are 20 PCI Express X1 channels, of which 16 are used for the PCI Express X16 interface, and 4 more - for the PCI Express X4 interface, but in the PCI Express X16 form factor. Thus, on motherboards based on the VIA PT894 Pro chipset, there are two PCI Express X16 slots, which allows you to simultaneously install two video cards with the possibility of organizing the mode like SLI, but according to the PCI Express X16 + PCI Express X4 scheme.

In all the rest of the VIA PT894 Pro chipset is identical to 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 in VIA chipsets for processors with AMD 64 architecture, the same southern bridge (VIA VT8237) is used as in Intel processors, and this has become possible due to the use of the universal V-LINK bus connections of the northern and southern bridges, as well as using V-MAP technology.

Via K8T890.

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

The North Bridge of the VIA K8T890 chipset combines the Hypertransport bus interface with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz to communicate with the processor, as well as the Ultra V-LINK bus interface with a capacity of 1066 MB / s; Through this tire is interacted with the southern bridge.

In addition, the North Bridge VIA K8T890 supports the PCI Express X16 bus to install an external video card, as well as four more PCI Express X1 lines.

Via K8M890.

The VIA K8M890 chipset is the newest chipsets with the built-in graphics core (Integrated Graphics Processor, IGP) for processors with AMD64 architecture. Unlike the VIA K8M800 chipset, the VIA K8M890 uses the graphics core S3 Graphics Deltachrome of a new generation that implements the DirectX 9 hardware support that supports the pixel shaders version 2.0 and having two pixel conveyors. The nucleus clock frequency is 250 MHz. In addition, S3 Graphics Deltachrome supports all HDTV formats, including 1920-11080.

To communicate the VIA K8M890 chip with the processor, high-speed Hypertransport interface with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz is used.

In order to install an external video card in the VIA K8M890 chip, the PCI Express X16 interface is provided, and to support extension cards there are two more PCI Express X1 lines.

The Northern Bridge VIA K8M890 is used in a bundle with the new South Bridge VT8251, and the Ultra V-Link tire with a bandwidth of 1066 MB / s is used to communicate the Northern and South Bridges.

The South Bridge VIA VT8251 in its functionality exceeds its predecessor - the chip VT8237. First, a four-channel SATA II controller has been added with the possibility of combining disks in RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 and 5, and secondly, two PCI Express X1 lines and a gigabit network controller (MAC level) are added. ATI chipsets for Intel processors

The ATI chipset model range for Intel processors is still quite small, and if we talk about modern chipsets, then they are only two - ATI Radeon. Xpress 200 For Intel Processor (RS400 code name) and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire Edition for Intel Processor (RD400).

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor

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

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

The two-channel controller integrated into the northern bridge supports DDR2 400/533/667 memory with a maximum up to 4 GB. In addition, the North Bridge ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor supports the PCI Express X16 bus to install an external graphics card and has four PCI Express X1 lines. Naturally, the chipset's northern bridge is integrated by the ATI Radeon X300 graphics core. However, supporting HyperMemory technology in the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset is not implemented, that is, a selected personnel buffer in the form of a separate chip on the motherboard is missing.

The South Bridge of the IXP400 of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset is exactly the same as in the AMD64 processor version, and includes support to seven PCI slots, up to four SATA devices with the possibility of organizing two independent RAIDs levels of levels 0 and 1, up to eight USB 2.0 ports and up to four devices (two channels) ATA133. In addition, AC'97 audio controller is integrated in the Southern Bridge.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire Edition for Intel Processor

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor, known for the RD400 code name, is an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor chipset, but with support for CrossFire technology, which implies the ability to combine two video cards to increase productivity. In Systems based on ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire Edition for Intel Processor, there are 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 tires.

There is another insignificant difference of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processor and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition for Intel Processor: In the last of them, the South Bridge is iXP450, which is fully compatible on the interface and on wiring with the IXP400 bridge.

The difference between IXP400 and IXP450 is that High Definition Audio support has been added to the IXP450 instead of the obsolete AC'97 interface.

ATI chipsets for AMD processors

ATI chipset model range for AMD processors (Table 9) is also still quite modest and is presented in three models of the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 family.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200p (RS480)

ATI Radeon Xpress 200p (RS480 code name) is a modern chipset of a classic two-seater structure with a built-in graphics controller for platforms based on the processor with AMD64 architecture.

The RS480 north bridge combines the Hypertransport bus interface with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz to interact with the processor, the PCI Express X16 bus interface for installing an external video card, four separate PCI Express X1 lines, as well as the interface of the interaction of the northern and southern bridges. Note that in this case, the PCI Express X2 bus is used.

The Radeon Xpress 200 graphics core is based on the ATI Radeon X300 kernel (option Radeon 9600 under PCI Express), that is, hardware supports DirectX 9, including vertex / pixel programs 2.0. The kernel possesses two pixel conveyors with one textural unit for each, as well as four vertex blocks. Frequency graphic core It is 350 MHz.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200P feature is HyperMemory's branded technology - this is the possibility of organizing frame buffer in a dedicated system of system memory (traditional approach for integrated graphics controllers) or isolation under the personnel buffer of special memory (up to 128 MB), which is integrated as a separate chip or chip on the motherboard.

Of additional features The integrated graphics core can noted the support of the image output into two independent monitor, and in conjunction with the external graphics card, the output to three monitors is supported.

In combination with the North RS480 bridge, the South Bridge of the IXP 400 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, to 8 USB ports 2.0 and up to four devices (two channels) ATA133 . In addition, AC'97 audio controller is integrated in the Southern Bridge.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (RX480)

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (RX480) is analogous to the already considered ATI Radeon Xpress 200P chipset, but not having a built-in graphics core.

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire Edition (RD480)

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition, known as the RD480, is an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipset version, but with support for CROSSFIRE technology. In fact, the difference between the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition chipsets and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 is the same as between nVIDIA chipsets NForce4 SLI and NVIDIA NForce4 Ultra.

In the Systems based on the ATI Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition XPress 200 CrossFire Edition edition, the PCI Express X16 bus is divided into two PCI Express X8 tires, but the video cards are set to install the PCI Express X16 interface.

There is another minor difference of ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipsets and ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire Edition: The last IXP450 south bridge is used, which is fully compatible with the interface and wiring with the IXP400 bridge.

ULI chipsets

uLI IPSETs occur very rarely, and mainly in budget parents for PCs or laptops. In addition, although the range of these chipsets is not too large, there are chipsets for both AMD64 processors and Intel processors. Characteristic feature ULI chipsets is the possibility of using a northern bridge with various southern bridge options, which is provided by the universal bus interface of the connection of the southern and northern bridges. In addition, the Northern Bridges of Intel and AMD processors are combined with the same southern bridges. Often you can meet a combination (sort of hybrid chipset) of the North ATI bridge with the South ULI 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 is integrated AGP 8X controllers, a two-channel IDE controller ATA133, a USB 2.0 controller with support for up to eight ports, an Ethernet 10/100 network controller (MAC level), as well as a two-channel SATA controller and a Hypertransport tire controller that connects the chip with processor. Note that the Hypertransport bus supports the clock frequency of 2000 MHz, which allows the use of the ULI M1689 chip with the most modern AMD processors at Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon 64 FX with a two-channel memory controller. However, given the positioning of the ULI M1689 chip, it is optimal to consider its combination with the AMD Sempron processor.

The sound subsystem integrated into the ULI M1689 chip is a 6-channel and based on an AC'97 controller.

ULI M1695.

The model ULI M1695, which, unfortunately, has not received widespread, is unique in its kind chipset and does not have competitive analogues. The ULI M1695 chipset is designed for high-performance ATHLON 64 and AMD ATHLON 64 FX families (Socket 754/940/939) with a two-channel memory controller.

ULI M1695 chipset bridge, which ULI terminology is called Hypertransport PCI Express Tunnel Chip, connects the PCI Express X16 bus controller, which can be configured as PCI Express X16 or as two PCI Express X8 tires with the possibility of combining two video cards (analog NVIDIA NFORCE4 SLI ). In addition, ULI M1695 supports four more PCI Express X1 lines, which can be configured as two PCI Express X2 tires or as one PCI Express X4 bus.

To communicate ULI M1695 with the processor, the standard Hypertransport bus with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz is used. In addition, exactly the same universal tire is also used for the connection of the Northern Bridge with a south bridge or with any other chip that supports this interface.

Thus, the ULI M1695 provides parent-maternal manufacturers with sufficient flexible capabilities to configure various options for using the chipset.

A typical combination is the Northern Bridge ULI M1695 and the South Bridge ULI M1567. In addition to standard interfaces (two ATA133 ports, two SATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, AC'97 audio, 32-bit PCI bus and Ethernet controller) South Bridge ULI M1567 contains a full-fledged AGP8x interface. Note that there are solutions that support the PCI Express X16 and the AGP interface simultaneously. 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 model range of ULI chipsets for Intel processors consists of two models: ULI M1683 and ULI M1685, built according to the classic two-seater.

ULI M1683.

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

The ULI M1683 north bridge contains a single-channel memory controller that supports DDR266 / 333/400 or PC133 SDRAM memory with a maximum up to 4 GB. The system tire controller supports the frequency of FSB 800/533/400 MHz. In addition, to install an external video card in ULI M1683 there is an AGP8X / 4X interface.

To communicate with the south bridge, a universal Hypertransport bus (800 MHz, 8/8 bits) with a bandwidth of 1.6 GB / s is used. As a southern bridge, in combination with ULI M1683, the ULI M1563 chip can be used, in which the ATA133 two-channel controller is integrated, USB 2.0 controller with support for up to six ports, 32-bit PCI bus controller, network Ethernet controller and traditional audio controller based on AC '97.

ULI M1685.

Model ULI M1685 is focused on a budget solution - the processors of the Intel Pentium 4 family and mobile processors Intel Pentium M.

The ULI M1685 north bridge includes a single-channel memory controller that supports DDR266 / 333/400 or DDR2-400 / 533/400 or DDR2-400 / 533/667 memory with a maximum volume of up to 3.5 GB. The system tire controller supports the frequency of FSB 800/533/400 MHz.

It should be noted that the North Bridge ULI M1685 supports the PCI Express X16 graphical interface, which allows you to position this chipset as a basis for mid-level systems.

To communicate with the southern bridge in the ULI M1685 chipset, a universal Hypertransport bus with a clock frequency of 1600 MHz and with a 1,6 GB bandwidth is used. As a southern bridge, any chip of the ULI M15xx family can be used, but the optimal is the combination of ULI M1685 with ULI M1566. The functionality of the South Bridge ULI M1566 is characterized by PCI Express Tire Support (one PCI Express X4 port or two PCI Express X1 ports), as well as the presence of a two-channel SATA controller.

South Bridges ULI M1573 / M1575

Unlike other companies engaged in the production of chipset, ULI manufactures universal options for southern bridges, compatible with the northern bridges of other manufacturers. In particular, the South Bridge ULI M1566 turned out to be the last chip in which the Hypertransport bus was used to connect to the North Bridge. The new generation of southern ULI bridges (ULI M1573 / M1575 chips) uses a more versatile bus - PCI Express for this purpose. Replacing the Hypertransport Connection on PCI Express opens up broader opportunities for combining southern ULI M1573 / M1575 bridges with northern bridges of other manufacturers. In particular, the integrated ATI chipsets can be complemented by these southern bridges.

According to the functionality, the South Bridges ULI M1573 / M1575 exceed the capabilities of the M1563 and M1566 chips. Thus, in the ULI M1573 chip, a four-channel SATA controller is integrated with the possibility of creating Raid arrays of levels 0, 1 and 0 + 1, support for eight USB 2.0 ports is implemented, and in addition, the High Definition Audio sound controller is integrated. To communicate with the North Bridge in the ULI M1573 chip, the PCI Express X2 bus is used.

The ULI M1575 chip is somewhat superior to the functionality of ULI M1573. For example, a Tire PCI Express X4 is used to communicate with the northern bridge. In addition, the ULI M1575 chip is equipped with a four-channel controller SATA. Ii with the possibility of creating RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 and 5.

In addition, the ULI M1573 / M1575 chips are characterized by a reduced level of energy consumption, which creates prerequisites for their use in mobile platforms.

The motherboard is the main binding link within the framework of the computer block.

That is why it is very important when buying be able to highlight from a large assortment of motherboards that is suitable for your tasks and will satisfy all your requirements. In this article, we generally consider the main items to pay attention to when choosing a motherboard.

For convenience I. fast transition Summary:

Motherboard and its main components

To better navigate in the main components and further visualize for yourself what we will choose - I propose to get acquainted with the layout of the motherboard elements on a specific example. For the sample, we took a very original Sapphire Pure Z77K motherboard (original, because Sapphire), which is also an overclock-oriented overclocking. In fact, for the task of visual consideration of the main elements of the motherboard, it absolutely does not matter the model nor positioning. Therefore, we turn to the consideration of this motherboard:

Click on the picture to enlarge

Here, the numbers are allocated main components, but also affected some rather specific elements inherent in only acceleration motherboards.

(1) Processor socket - One of the main elements of the motherboard. The processor is installed in the socket and it is very important that processor socket which he was focused, was compatible with a socket on the motherboard.

Under the number (0) Was specified "double" radiatorwhich is responsible for cooling the elements of the processor power converters, a built-in graphics core and CPU VTT. Similar radiators are often found only in motherboards for overclocking. Ordinary motherboards are supplied without this cooling element.

(2) PCI-Express Slots . On the pCB We observe this motherboard 3 PCI-Express X16 slot version 3.0, these connectors are designed to install video cards (or one or several in SLI and Cross Fire modes). This also includes the number (3) - it's the same pCI-Express X16 slot, but already older version 2.0. Between PCI-E x16 slots, under the number (14) Posted slots PCI-E x1. These extension connectors are designed to install devices that do not require high tire bandwidth; They are quite enough of the same line X1. Such devices can be attributed TV tuners, Audio and network cards, various controllers and many others.

Under the number (4) We are specified chipset (In this case, Intel Z77), which is hidden under the coolant radiator. A set of system logic contains various controllers and is a link between the control of part of the components and the processor.

(5) Connectors for installation rAM DDR3. These connectors are painted in black and blue, to install memory modules in two-channel operation mode, which allows you to slightly increase the efficiency of their work.

(6) CMOS memory battery. This battery feeds the chip BIOS CMOSSo that it does not lose their settings after turning off the computer.

(8) , (12) 24-PIN and 8-PIN connectors respectively. 24-PIN is the main 24-pin power connector through which most of the motherboard components are elapsed.

Under the number (9) and (10) The connectors are indicated SATA 3 (6 Gbps) and SATA 2 respectively. They are put on the edge of the motherboard and are made in the style of the Motherboard connections for overclocking (connecting devices on the side for open stands). SATA interface Used to connect hard drives, SSD drives and drives. In ordinary motherboards, they are unfolded front and shifted closer to the center, which makes it convenient to use them within the system unit "non-accelerating" systems.

Under the number (11) A rather specific element was marked, which is found only in motherboards for enthusiasts - this pOST code indicator. It also displays the temperature of the processor, but loves to brush a little.

(13) Rear panel motherboard with external connectors. In the connectors on this panel, a variety of peripheral devices are connected, such as mouse, keyboard, columns, headphones, as well as many others.
Now, when we went through the layout of components on the motherboard, you can proceed to the consideration of individual blocks and parameters to select the motherboard. Since this article is an introductory, then everything will be described in brief and is already much deeper discussed in individual articles. So, let's go.

Choosing a manufacturer of motherboard

The motherboard manufacturer is not a very important factor when choosing. Here is an absolutely identical situation as with selecting the manufacturer for video card - All are good and the question here is rather "religious" - who believes in what. Therefore, you can safely choose from all the no names of manufacturers such as Asus, Biostar, Asrock, Gigabyte, Intel and MSI. Even the motherboard from the unknown, in the market of motherboards, Sapphire, which we have taken to consider the main components - is a good sample. Maybe some boards are not very convenient layout, perhaps some manufacturer's package is not very extensive, and someone can have a box not so bright as I would like - but still, all this does not give us the right to identify One, like an impeccable leader and answer the question: which motherboard is better as part of the manufacturer's assessment.

All motherboards, ultimately, will be equipped with the same chipsets from AMD and Inteland will be functionally similar. The only thing, before buying, I advise you to revise the reviews of motherboards and user feedback, in order not to run into a model with unsuccessful cooling, or something else. On the choice of manufacturers of motherboards, we will not long delay, and better we will move on.

Correct form factor

Initially the right choice of form factor, will save you, in the future from many problems. At the moment, the most popular form factors of motherboards are ATX and its trimmed option - Micro-ATX.

The fact that the form factor is determined by the further expansion of the system. The Micro-ATX form factor is usually equipped with a smaller number of PCI and PCI-E extensions slots under the video card and additional devices. Also, often, such motherboards have only two connectors at their disposal for installing memory modules, which significantly limits the increasing memory of RAM, both quantitatively and relative to the issues related to convenience. But the main advantage of Micro-ATX lies in the price. Leaving the description of these two standards, it can be argued that Micro-ATX is positioned as a budget solution for compact office and home systems.

It is important for the size that just derives from the form factor. The ATX cards are much dimensioned than their "Micro Brothers", therefore, the size of the hull in the ratio with the size of the motherboard should be considered.

More regarding form factors and their features will be described in a separate article.

Choosing a motherboard socket

After you have decided on the processor, the selection of the motherboard begins. And the first choice factor should be the socket, which ensures the compatibility of the processor and the motherboard. That is, if the Intel processor was selected with the LGA 1155 socket, the motherboard should be with the LGA 1155 socket. The list of supported sockets and processors can be found on the website of the manufacturer of the motherboard.

In more detail with modern processor connectors, you can read the article: processor socket .

Chipset Chipset

The chipset is the linking link in the interaction of the entire system. It is a chipset in many ways the capabilities of the motherboard are determined. Chipset - This is originally a "set of chips" of system logic, which consists of the northern and southern bridge, but now it is not so unequivocal.

Today, the last chipsets of the 7th series from the Intel and the 900th series from AMD are popular, the NVIDIA is also adjacent to them, but the range in the sphere of chipsets is rather small there.

The chipsets of the seventh Intel series are such as Z77, H77, B75 and others, a little distorted the concept of "chipset", because they are not from several chips, but only from the northern bridge. This does not cut down the motherboard functionality, because part of the controllers was simply translated into the processor. Such controllers include the PCI-Express 3.0 bus controller and the DDR3 memory controller. The North Bridge was given the USB, SATA, PCI-Express control, etc. What is tied to and on what tires is clearly visible on the Z77 chipset flowchart:

Indices Z, H, B - mean positioning of a particular chipset for different segments of the market. Z77 was attributed to chipsets for overclocking lovers. H77 is an ordinary mainstream chipset with advanced functionality. B75 is a bit clipped in terms of H77 features, but for budget and office systems. There are other letter indexes, but we will not stop in detail on them.

AMD chipsets continue the tradition of chipsets into two chips and the last 900th series of this is no exception. Motherboards with this set of system logic are equipped with northern bridges 990fx, 990x 970, as well as the SB950 southern bridge.

When choosing a northern bridge for the Motherboard, AMD should also be repeated from its capabilities.

990FX is the northern bridge, which is designed to market enthusiasts. The main wonder of the chipset with this northern bridge is support for 42-lines PCI-Express. Therefore, you can connect to the 4th video cards in the Cross Fire video cards to the lines. Of this we conclude that the units of users need such opportunities, so the functional of motherboards with this chipset for most users will be redundant.

990x and 970 - a bit cut in the possibilities of the version. The main difference is again in PCI-Express lines. Both of these northern bridges support 26 lines, but this is hardly for someone. It is worth noting that 970 has no support for SLI and Cross Fire, as a result of which it will not be interesting to users who plan to combine more than one video card in the system, but due to its reasonable price, the 970th will be very tasty to look wide audience Users limited by one video card.

In more detail about the possibilities of AMD and Intel chipsets will be described in a separate article.

Memory Slots and PCI Express

The number of connections for installing memory and PCI-Express expansion slots is an important factor when choosing a motherboard. As we have already spoken above, the number of these connectors is often determined by the form factor. Therefore, if you expect to seriously and conveniently scale the volumes of RAM, it is better to look closely to motherboards with 4 and 6 connections for the installation of RAM. This also applies to PCI-Express slots: It is silly to take the MICRO-ATX form factor motherboard, if you find it on the installation of three video cards in SLI or Cross Fire.

Also, it is very important to pay attention to the type of RAM, which supports the motherboard. Now you can still find on sale motherboards with a supported DDR2 memory type. When assembling a new system from scratch, it is better not to return to the past and take the motherboard with the DDR3 memory type.

The PCI-Express bus version is not an important factor, so it is not necessary to be so challenged for support for PCI-Express 3.0. For modern video cards, it is enough version 2.0. Yes I. back compatibility Nobody canceled various versions of this interface.

External connectors

It is quite important is the presence of certain connectors on the back of the motherboard. It is also important to their quantity. If you take into account the USB ports, then they must be, say, is not enough, since there, in most cases, the mouse is connected, the keyboard, a webcam, printer, scanner and a lot of other devices.

Attention should be paid to the audio connectors of the integrated sound card: there may be either three or six. Three connectors are enough for the standard scheme: microphone, headphones and subwoofer. If you plan to use multi-channel acoustics, then you need to look towards motherboards with 6 connectors. But even if you at the moment do not plan to purchase such acoustics, the connectors will not interfere, and for the future they can be very useful. And for office and budget systems, 3 audio connectors are enough with head.

In addition, two LAN-connections can be useful, for this, two network controllers should be disappeared on the board. But for most users of one network connector will be abound.

Additional features

Additional features include functional that is not in demand for the average user, but for some can be very useful:

• ESATA is an interface for connecting removable disks, not in all motherboards and for owners external drivesmay become a very useful chief.
• The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module - integrated wireless network and data transmission modules, can significantly improve the functionality of the motherboard.
• Thunderbolt - new interface To connect peripheral devices and providing data transmission at a speed of up to 10 GB / s, which is 20 times faster than popular now USB 2.0, and 2 times faster than USB 3.0.

A very specific interface, which will require units to date, but in the future promises to gain great popularity.

• This can also be attributed special buttons and indicators on motherboards for overclocking. It can also be various branded elements and technologies from the manufacturer.

conclusions

The choice of motherboard is not such a simple task. It is necessary on the basis of all parameters to choose this option that will be satisfactory both in the functional plan and in terms of cost. You need to be able to catch the thin line of the price / performance ratio. It should be remembered that everything is very individual and the best motherboard for your comrade may be the worst option for your needs.

But if you navigate in the basic parameters and approach the question comprehensively, the choice will be correct and fully satisfy all your expectations.

P.S. We will try to answer your questions about "What Motherboard to buy?", "What motherboard is better?" etc, in the comments to the article or on our forum.

Thanks for attention. Successful choice!

Any computer component is connected or integrated into the system fee. Each of the components is created to perform its function: The processor considers the graphics adapter - displays the image, the network adapter - connects to the network.

Appearance of the Intel H 170 chipset without cooling radiator

Chipset (from English CHIPSET) - technical term (chip - chip, chip; set - set, installation), meaning a set of chip, connecting independent components on the motherboard.

Why do you need chipset

The main chip on the motherboard is a processor (CPU), he gives commands to other devices, but cannot do it directly. The chipset connects the CPU with the rest of the system: RAM (RAM), an output input system, adapters and controllers of peripheral devices. Communication is carried out through the tire system.

General diagram of chipset motherboard

To connect with different components, different tires serve:

• with processor - system bus;
• with memory - memory bus (Memory Bus);
• with a graphics adapter - PCI, PCI -Express or AGP;
• with LPT devices, PS / 2 - LOW PIN COUNT bus.

The chipset controls only the interaction of systems, but does not interfere in their work.

The chipset determines:

• number of components in subsystems: Possible number of processors, memory slots, graphic adapters, expansion slots and ports on the motherboard.
• the frequency of the tire and the discharge, through which it binds to the subsystem;
• is it possible to improve the characteristics of individual subsystems: processor clock frequency (s), memory voltage;
• technology support subsystems: video card dual mode - Crossfire and SLI; Dual memory operation mode - Dual Ram, caching on SSD - Smart Response Technology.
• support for interaction with special or outdated controllers: RAID, PCI, AGP.

The chipset provides: speed, expandability and stability of work in different modes of the computer.

How the chipset is arranged

The chipset consists of one two or more microcircuits. Microcircuits are called bridges (since 1995). Traditional chipset is a two-seater. In the two-segment segment, the chipset is divided into the North and South Bridge.

The North is connected directly to the processor and memory. Southern on the one hand - with northern through the inner tire, on the other with peripheral controllers: PCI expansion slots; Women's controllers SATA, IDE; Controller Ethernet, Audio Controller and PPZ (BIOS).

Scheme of two-seater chipset

At the heart of each bridge - the controller-hub.

The North is a memory concentrator that is connected to the CPU through the system bus (FSB for Intel processors, Hypertransport for AMD) and ensures the interaction of the CPU and memory. Sometimes the graphic subsystem is added to this bundle, which is associated with the chipset via PCI-Express.

Southern - I / O hub. CPU communicates through an intermediary - the North Bridge. Manages the interaction of CPU and hard drive controllers (SATA, IDE, SCSI), USB solid-state drives.

AMD 760M two-seated chipset

Maternal mSI board On the single-chip configuration of the Intel H110 chipset

A more modern model of chipset is a single-satellite or single-chip, where the northern bridge is combined with the processor. Due to the alignment:

• production is needed;
• the place is released on the motherboard, which takes the server bridge chip;
• energy consumption is reduced;
• improves the heat sink from the chip due to the transmission processor cooling system.

How to know the chipset of the motherboard

If you have brought a computer from the store, connected and configured and you just gnawing curiousness, then go to the Device Manager operating system Open the List of System Devices.

Stritch with the word chipset and will be your chipset:

Title chipset in device manager

If the drivers are not installed, another way is to read it open technical documentation for the motherboard and read there. You can read on the box. The "name" of the chipset in the full name of the goods comes after the manufacturer's brand:

MSI H110 VD-PRO, ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Professional Gaming I7, MSI 970 Gaming.

If the box is lost, and the instruction and technical documentation you melt the oven in a cold night, you can open the system unit and look at the motherboard. The name of the chipset on the motherboard is difficult not to notice.

The easiest option is to use the AIDA64 utility. Download the program with, install, run from the desktop shortcut.

Open the "System Board" tab. Allocate the Item "System Board" and Voila:

The name of the chipset in Aida64

If you wish, you can switch to the chipset tab, but the program is paid and will not allow you to learn full information.

Free alternative - the CPU-Z utility.

Download and install (English and Chinese language). Run the utility from the desktop. Click the Mainboard tab

Definition of the chipset model in CPUZ

Information about the chipset - in the Chipset string. About the South Bridge - in the SouthBridge string.