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Articles :: Introduction to Chipsets :: Motherboards.org
 Billy Newsom · 01-01-1997 · Category: Tech-planations Introduction Those of you who know personal computers know that the most important major component in the PC is the motherboard. Not the hard disk, not the video card & the most important single component on the motherboard? The CPU, right? Wrong. It's the lowly, hard-working, group of chips known as the "chipset." A chipset for me defines the entire system, because every major component in the system relies on the capabilities of the chipset. I must recant slightly on the importance of the chipset. Since I am a hardware man, I think in terms of components and circuits. Software developers may be more inclined to think in terms of the major software components, which are the BIOS and the CPU, which are also major hardware components. Saying this, I still believe in the fact that you can tell a lot more about a computer if you know its chipset than from knowing its BIOS or CPU type, since the chipset dictates both of them and you cannot ever upgrade your chipset. It should also be noted that a chipset is designed around the specifications of the CPU for which it is to be used. In this respect, the CPU must be designed before the chipset can be, obviating the need for technical information transfer between chipset manufacturers and CPU manufacturers. (I made up that word so I can use it again later.) There also needs to be a good working relationship between chipset makers, memory manufacturers, and BIOS code writers. And lastly, the motherboard manufacturers need to be on good terms with chipset manufacturers, BIOS companies, and CPU makers to make a good motherboard and to get it to market as soon as possible. We see a lot of vertical expansion in this area, notably:
The major chipset manufacturers are:
Without question, Intel is the largest and most popular chipset manufacturer, probably because of the company's need for a sound chipset that drives their Pentium, Pentium Pro, and Pentium II processors. When the Pentium was introduced, Intel was trying to steer the computer industry away from VESA Local Bus designs to PCI. By having their own well-developed and advanced chipset, Intel brought conformity of design to the motherboard arena that never occurred in the 486 days. Thanks to Intel, we have a lot of new features in Pentium systems that would have never developed without Intel's PCIsets. Saying that, I must admit that Intel's designs are not necessarily the best or the fastest nor are they their chipsets the cheapest. You will often find higher-performing motherboards based on a non-Intel chipset that has more features and compatibility. This is where the other chipset makers have begun to move into Intel's Pentium Socket 7 market: price, performance, and options. A wise shopper can find motherboards that have not a single Intel chip on them, without paying a premium and without losing performance or features. I ask you to look under the hood. Go ahead, see what chipset drives your computer. If you have a Pentium and you use Windows 95 or NT, you can simply look at the Device Manager settings for your PC. A listing "Intel 82439HX Pentium(r) Processor to PCI bridge" and "Intel 82437SB PCI to ISA Bridge" is what I have, indicating an Intel 430HX PCIset, called the Triton II. If you open the case of your system, you'll be able to spot the large, square controller chips, since they are bigger than anything on the motherboard with the exception of the CPU. Most modern chipsets have 1, 2, 3, or 4 discrete chips. Common desktop chipsets for x86 motherboards are:
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