Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
ableofusingthem,whichwascommonintheindustry'searlydays.Fortheconsumer,this
meansnowaitingfornewsystems.SincetheoriginalPentiumprocessorin1993,wehave
been able to purchase ready-made systems on the same day a new processor is released.
Intel Chipset Model Numbers
Starting with the 486 in 1989, Intel began a pattern of numbering its chipsets as shown in
Table 4.8 Intel Chipset Model Numbers
The chipset numbers listed here are abbreviations of the actual chipset numbers stamped
on the individual chips. For example, one of the popular Pentium II/III chipsets was the
Intel440BXchipset,whichconsistedoftwocomponents:the82443BXNorthBridgeand
the 82371EB South Bridge. Likewise, the 865G chipset supports the Pentium 4 and con-
sistsoftwomainparts:the82865Ggraphicsmemorycontrollerhub(GMCH;replacesthe
NorthBridgeandincludesintegratedvideo)andan82801EBor82801EBRI/Ocontroller
hub (ICH5 or ICH5R; replaces the South Bridge). Finally, the Z68 chipset supports Sock-
et LGA1155 versions of the second-generation Core i7 and i5 Series processors. The Z68
uses the 82Z68 chip; like other 6-series chipsets, it is a single-chip chipset.
Intel has used three distinct chipset architectures:
• North/South Bridge (used by 400-series chipsets
• Hub (used by 800-series, 900-series, 3x, 4x, and 5x chipsets)
• Single-chip (used by 6x series chipsets).
Tip
On older systems, you might be able to identify the chipset by reading the logo (Intel or
others) as well as the part number and letter combinations on the larger chips on your
motherboard. However, on most recent motherboards, the North Bridge/GMCH/MCH/IOH
