Main Floor South Bridge Chip
First of all, this article is seen from other layers, feeling good, so go here.
The importance of the motherboard for computer systems is self-evident. As an important factor in measure the performance of the motherboard, the choice on the motherboard chipset is that anyone cannot ignore. The motherboard chipset is divided into the North Bridge chip and the South Bridge chip (NF3 series belongs to a single-chipset, so there is no difference in North, South Bridge.) Northbridge chip is mainly responsible for the support of CPU, memory, such as supporting how many front-end bus and CPU How much memory is much. South Bridge chips are responsible for support for peripheral equipment, such as how many USB devices support, whether to support SATA hard drives. Very people usually pay attention to the motherboard's North Bridge chip when choosing the motherboard and ignores the South Bridge chip. This option is a one-sided. Although, for example, Intel's motherboard chipset products use fixed matching, with the listing of the ICH5 and ICH6 series chipsets, it is necessary to understand the difference between the motherboard bridge chip.
At present, we often see the ICH4, ICH5, ICH6; VIA platform on the Intel platform, VT8235, VT8237; NVIDIA platform MCP, MCP-T; SIS963, SiS964, etc. Now let's introduce these Nanqiao chips.
Intel platform
ICH4
The North Bridge chip with Ich4 South Bridge chips is 845E and 845PE series, but some 845E chipset motherboards do not choose ICH4 South Bridge chips for cost savings, but use ICH2 South Bridge chips. This is mainly due to the fact that USB2.0 does not pay attention to the market at the time.
The Ich4 South Bridge chip number is 82801dB, providing 6 USB2.0 interfaces and two PATA interface support. As the head of the Intel desktop platform, Nanqiao chip support USB2.0 transmission, ICH4 has played a considerable driving role in the popularity of USB2.0 interface products.
ICH5 and ICH5R
The number of ICH5 and ICH5R bridge chips is 82801EB and 82801ER, respectively. Based on ICH4, ICH5 and ICH5R South Bridge chips add 6 USB 2.0 interfaces to 8 and provide two SATA hard drive interfaces. In addition, support for Intel HT technology (845PE series chipset can also be supported by refreshing BIOS). Compared with ICH5 compared to ICH5 support for the SATA hard disk RAID function, because of its cost compared with ICH5, add the limitations of the RAID function to the user, so we can't see Ich5R South Bridge chip in the market. The ICH5 South Bridge chip is mainly used to match the Esterer 875P, 865PE, 865P, 848P North Bridge chip.
ICH6 series
The ICH6 series is now representing Intel's optimal performance of South Bridge chips, a total of four of ICH6, ICH6R, ICH6W, ICH6RW. However, because Intel's products in the wireless market have not affected due to cost reasons. Therefore, ICH6W and ICH6RW supporting wireless AP functions have been discontinued. There are only two types of ICH6 and ICH6R sold in the market. Since it is mainly with Intel's 915-series chipset with a 925x chipset, it has great improvement in performance than before performance. In addition to supporting 8 USB2.0 interfaces, four PCI-E x 1 interfaces are provided, and the audio input and output of 8-channel Dolby sound effects, the SATA hard disk interface has also increased to four, but only one PATA is provided. aisle. The ICH6R Nanqiao chip provides support for Intel matrix storage technology, just use two hard drives to reach the effect of RAID 0 1.
VIA platform
VT8235
In the VIA platform, the main product of the currently sold only has only VT8235 and VT8237, while as the low-end VT8235 is functionally scalable. Supports 6 USB2.0 interfaces and two PATA 133 hard disk interfaces. If the motherboard manufacturer is willing, you can also use the VIA itself with the VIA itself provided by the VT6103 NIC chip to form a full VIA platform. At present, VT8235 mainly exists in the low-end market in the market, and it can also see its figure on the KT400 series chipset product. However, because VIA is unlike all limitations like Intel in the motherboard South and South Bridge, there is also a more powerful 8237 South Bridge chip on some KT400 chipset motherboards. VT8237
The VT8237 South Bridge is now the most wide bridge chip for VIA platforms, supports 8 USB2.0 interfaces and two SATA hard drive interfaces. The most exciting thing is that it can also support the RAID function of the SATA hard drive. In this way, the VT8237 South Bridge chip can be said to be the lowest market price of South Bridge chips that support RAID function. Whether in the Intel CPU platform or AMD's CPU platform, VT8237 plays an important role. The advantage of price is one of the great causes of VT8237 penetration rates.
NVIDIA
MCP and MCP-T
NVIDIA's NF2 chipset can be said to be a classic product of an AMD platform. The function of the MCP-T bridge chip is also quite powerful. In addition to providing conventional USB 2.0 and PATA 100 hard drives. Its biggest feature is to integrate the APU sound processing unit, with NVIDIA unique SoundStorm Theater quality 3D sound, providing professional Dolby 5.1 channel sound input and output. The MCP-T Bridge chip is the product that is the most excellent in the market at that time, but unfortunately due to the cost of the cost in the market, it does not support the SATA hard drive's soft ribs that make it behind the disk. VIA vt8237. The MCP South Bridge is a simplified version of the MCP-Tangqiao chip, which removes the APU sound processing unit, so it is lower than the MCP-T Bridge. Many NF2 chipset motherboards on the market use MCP Nanqiao chips.
RAID MCP and GIGABIT MCP
As an upgraded version of the MCP Nanqiao chip, RAID MCP adds a support for SATA hard drives and RAID function support for SATA and PATA hard drive mixing mode, and supports RAID 0, 1 and 0 1 mode. In addition to the function of RAID MCP, GIGABIT MCP provides support for Gigabit Ethernet, and has a built-in hardware firewall function. However, the functional improvement has also caused cost increase, and since the NF3 or more chip groups use single-chip design, RAID MCP and GIGABI MCP South Bridge chips can only be applied to NF2 chipset series products, although RAID MCP Nanqiao chip It is used by some motherboard manufacturers, but the Gigabit MCP Nanqiao chip is almost no one.
SIS platform
The SIS platform chipset product is actually equivalent, but the pressure of Intel, VIA, NVIDIA has been lacking in the DIY market. And because of its main attack OEM market, most people don't know much about it, by the following table, you can simply understand the South Bridge chip specification of the SIS platform.
The above is some brief introduction to the mainstream Nanqiao chip on the market. Since the unit is limited to the products of ATI and intelligent chip suppliers, it is not introduced here. Although the Nanqiao chip is only responsible for providing support for the surrounding equipment of the motherboard, it is still quite important for the entire PC system. Finally, I hope this will provide some help for friends who purchase motherboards.
