chipset
As can be seen from the name, the chipset is a set of chips or processors that perform certain functions together. Inpersonalcomputers, the chipset increases computing power by taking over various functions of the central processing unit( CPU). Chipsets define important board characteristics because they interconnect the central processing unit, the graphics card, internal bus systems, external interfaces, hard disks, optical drives and usually also the main memory.
Chipsets perform a wide range of control functions of internal and external components such as the real-time clock or the keyboard, control interrupts and the functions between the central processing unit (CPU) and the main memory( RAM). This complex functionality is increasingly being implemented in just a few highly integrated chips, with the goal surely being the integration of all chipset functions in a single integrated circuit.
In the meantime, the bridge architecture developed by Intel consisting of two chips, the northbridge and the southbridge, has become established.
There is also the hub architecture, where the individual components are connected in a star shape. There are several different hubs that perform different tasks. For example, the Memory Controller Hub( MCH) controls the memory, the I/O Controller Hub (ICH) controls the interfaces and the Firmware Controller Hub (FCH) controls the firmware.
Chipsets that support the hub architecture include Intel's i820 and i840. The i925x, i915P and i915G chipsets in bridge architecture support the DDR2memory modules. For mobile computing, there is Intel's i855 chipset within the Centrino framework.
There are also chipsets that contain the graphics processors.