What are the differences and functions of the south bridge chip and the north bridge chip?

Differences and functions: The Southbridge chip is located near the hard disk IDE interface or SATA interface and is responsible for communication between I/O buses. Compared with the Northbridge chip, its data processing capacity is not It is quite large, so the south bridge chip is generally not covered with a heat sink. The Northbridge chip is located close to the CPU. It is responsible for communicating with the CPU and controlling the transmission of memory AGP data within the Northbridge. It provides information on the type and main frequency of the CPU, the system's front-side bus frequency, the type and maximum capacity of the memory, and the AGP socket. Slots and other supports are generally covered with heat sinks.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 7 system, Dell G3 computer.

The difference between the south bridge chip and the north bridge chip:

1. Different locations

South The bridge chip is located near the hard disk IDE interface or SATA interface. It is not covered. There are words like VIA, SIS or INTER on the chip, indicating that the manufacturer of the south bridge chip is closer to the hard disk data line interface. The nearest chip is the Southbridge chip.

The Northbridge chip is located close to the CPU, and is generally covered with a heat sink. The chip closer to the CPU is the Northbridge chip.

2. Different functions

The Southbridge chip is responsible for communication between I/O buses, such as PCI bus, USB, LAN, ATA, SATA, audio controller , keyboard controller, real-time clock controller, advanced power management, etc. These technologies are generally relatively stable.

The Northbridge chip is responsible for contacting the CPU and controlling the transmission of memory AGP data within the Northbridge. It provides information on the type and frequency of the CPU, the system's front-side bus frequency, the type and maximum capacity of the memory, AGP slot, and ECC. Error correction and other support, the Northbridge chip of the integrated chipset also integrates a display core. The Northbridge chip plays a very obvious role and plays a decisive role in the computer.

3. Different meanings

The Southbridge chip is an important part of the motherboard chipset and is responsible for communication between I/O buses.

The Northbridge chip is the most important component that plays a leading role in the motherboard chipset. It is responsible for connecting with the CPU and controlling the memory.

4. Different features

The South Bridge chip has the characteristics of dual-chip design, integrated network, high-quality audio, graphics card working bus and so on.

Because the Northbridge chip plays a leading role, it generates a lot of heat. It usually needs to be covered by a heat sink, and some even add a fan to dissipate heat.

Functions of South Bridge chip and North Bridge chip:

South Bridge chip (South Bridge) is an important part of the motherboard chipset, generally It is located at the bottom of the motherboard far away from the CPU slot and near the PCI slot. The Southbridge chip is connected to more I/O buses, and being further away from the processor is easier for wiring. Compared with the Northbridge chip, its data processing capacity is not large, so the Southbridge chip generally does not cover the heat sink. The south bridge chip is not directly connected to the processor, but is connected to the north bridge chip in a certain way (different manufacturers and various chipsets).

Northbridge is a chip on the computer motherboard. It is located next to the CPU socket and serves as a connection. The Northbridge chip is the chip closest to the CPU on the motherboard. It mainly communicates most closely between the Northbridge chip and the processor. In order to improve communication performance, the transmission distance is shortened. The North Bridge plays a very obvious role in the computer and plays a leading role, so it is also called the Host Bridge.

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