The Chipset

The Chipset

   The features of a motherboard can easily be determined by looking its chipset. Selecting a chipset eliminates many decisions you have to make in selecting a motherboard. There are many different chipsets on the market, Intel and AMD Chipets being among the best and most popular.
   All chipsets have certain features in common, for example:

•  AGP and PCI support 
•  USB Support
•  Power Management
•  I/O Management
•  IDE Support
•  Real Time Clock

      But there are differences, such as what CPU they accept, how many memory slots they have and how much memory they can take. So you see it all depends what you want to do with your computer and how much money you want to spend. Some motherboards available offer all input output as 'onboard' features you may desire though, always think of the possibility an expansion card based device offers you in case of a device failure and remember that you cannot replace or upgrade any components that com as 'onboard' features you may desire though, always think of the possibility an cannot replace or upgrade any components that comes as 'onboard' features. However,if you need to, it is possible to set the jumpers or the BIOS in order to disable the defect device and replace it with a plug-in card. Depending on your purse it certainly seems a good idea to go for a cheaper type motherboard with many onboard features, but at the end of the day you will probably pay heavily for your decision once it's time to upgrade. The Motherboard is generally thought to be the most important part of a computer. And yes,it is. However, the chipset on the motherbaord is the most important part of the board itself as it defines almost everything about the system.

                       The chipset controls the system and its capabilities. It is the hub of all data transfer. It is a series of chips on the motherboard, easily identified as the largest chips on the board with the exception of the CPU. Chip sets are integrated, meaning they are soldered onto the board and are not upgradeable without buying a whole new motherboard. All of data must go through the chipset. All components talk to the CPU through the chipset. To make order out of all this data, the chipset makes use of th DMA controller and the bus controller. 

                       Since chipsets are so important use of the DMA controller and the Bus Controller. The chipset maker needs to keep up with Bios and memory makers, since all of these parts work together and the chipset is the HUB of it all. Chipsets replace the large number of chips that used to crowd a motherboard. Chipsets now take longer for to manufacture than old ones used to.