Often we see a computer as a simple machine which does our work more easy and efficient, but the reality is that it is itself made of complex components and parts. A CPU mainly consists of a mother board which is the heart of a computer, microprocessor, SMBS, bus cables, chipsets, fans etc. Out of this the chipset is often the adhesive that connects the mother board to the microprocessor. Chipsets are used not only in computers but in other devices like tablets, phones etc. Chipsets are also used for communication with other component of a computer and also helps in controlling the communication between outer devices and the processor.
So what are chipsets actually; chipsets are a term coined for a collection of circuits integrated together which works for a no: of purposes together. Usually when we install drivers on computers, we find chipset drivers for graphics, sound, network etc. The first ever chipset was created by Chips and Technology for IBM computer, it was termed New Enhanced AT chipsets or in short NEAT chipset. In the computer architecture chipsets are often placed on the motherboard or expansion card slots.
The two basic parts of Chipset on a PC are:
Northbridge: Attach to the processor through the front sidebus, enhances the memory access for CPU and also connects itself to the memory, graphic controllers
South Bridge: Slow in pace as the info has to travel through Northbridge first and then only it will reach Southbridge. Mainly connected to the ISA or PCI buses, the LAN, Sound and USB drivers are contained inside Southbridge
Chipset manufactures like Intel, AMD, NVidia etc. manufactures chipsets for specific PC, Laptop and Tablet manufactures like Dell, Apple, Toshiba etc. Custom chipsets are often manufactured for other companies as well. In most cases the chipset comes with a warranty as it is integrated with the motherboard of a system.
Download Seminar Topic on Intel Chipsets.