Most PCs are offered with a Level 2 cache to bridge the processor/memory performance gap. Level 2 cache - also referred to as secondary cache) uses the same control logic as Level 1 cache and is also implemented in SRAM. Level 2 cache … [Continue reading]
What is Level 1 (L1) Cache Memory?
The Level 1 cache, or primary cache, is on the CPU and is used for temporary storage of instructions and data organised in blocks of 32 bytes. Primary cache is the fastest form of storage. Because it's built in to the chip with a zero … [Continue reading]
A Comparison Chart of Intel’s Chipsets from 915P to P965
The following table compares a number of major characteristics of Intel's mainstream desktop chipsets from the P965 to the 915P. Intel P965 Express Chipset Intel 955X Express Chipset Intel 945P Express Chipset Intel 915P … [Continue reading]
Intel’s Triton Chipsets Explained – their history, architecture and development
Triton430FX Introduced in early 1995, the 82430FX - to give it its full name - was Intel's first Triton chipset and conformed to the PCI 2.0 specification. It introduced support for EDO memory configurations of up to 128MB and for … [Continue reading]
Intel 440 Chipsets – 440LX, 440EX, 440BX, 440ZX, 440GX
The Intel 440 series of chipsets built on the Pentium's success to advance Intel dominance. 440LX The 440LX (by this time Intel had dropped the term Triton) was the successor to the Pentium Pro 440FX chipset and was developed by Intel to … [Continue reading]
i810 Chipset
Formerly codenamed Whitney, the 810 AGPset finally reached the market in the summer of 1999. It is a three-chip solution comprising the 82810 Graphics Memory Controller Hub (GMCH), 82801 I/O Controller … [Continue reading]
Intel 820 Chipset
Test - Originally scheduled to be available concurrently with the Pentium III processor in the spring of 1999, Intel's much delayed 820 chipset was finally launched in November that year. Those delays - which had left Intel in the position … [Continue reading]
i815 Chipsets
The various problems that had so delayed the introduction of Direct Rambus DRAM (DRDRAM), finally resulted in Intel doing what it had been so reluctant to do for so long - release a chipset … [Continue reading]
i850 Chipsets
Designed in tandem with the Pentium 4 processor, Intel's 850 Chipset represents the next step in the evolution of the Intel Hub Architecture, the successor to the previous northbridge southbridge technology … [Continue reading]
i845 Chipset
The fact that system builders were obliged to use expensive DRDRAM - by virtue of the absence of any Pentium 4 chipsets supporting conventional SDRAM - had been an issue ever since the Pentium 4's … [Continue reading]