Karbosguide.com - Module 2d.03a
Non-Intel chip sets (mostly for for Super 7 motherboards)
The contents:
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What is Super 7? |
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After Intel aborted the Socket 7 motherboards, other vendors took over.
AMD supplied us with new powerfull CPUs, and new chip sets were required.
Since Intel no longer develops CPUs or chip sets for Socket 7 motherboards, AMD and others have done a lot to continue the life of the Socket 7. Companies like VIA, ALi and SIS are all producing inexpensive and high performing chip sets. These vendors are giving Intel a hard time since their chip sets offer Pentium II performance from the simpler, low-cost Socket 7 motherboards including AGP and 100 MHz bus.
Here you see the architecture of a modern chip set consisting of two chips: a north and a south bridge. Both bridges are essentially routers. This means that they route data traffic from one bus (network) to another. The north bridge takes all the heavy traffic, and the south bridge routes in to a lot of different narrow routes:
This figure is pretty close to the Super 7 chip set described here below as well as to Intel chip sets like LX and BX. To implement the 100 MHz the design has to be well laid out. A cooling element on the north bridge of the chip set is sometimes used when the system bus reaches 100 MHz. The Super 7 motherboards come from several vendors. FIC supplies boards with 2 MB L2 cache.
It is interesting to follow companies like Via. This chip set for Socket 7 motherboards promises very good performance with its 100 MHz bus connecting the CPU with the L2 cache and possible PC100 SDRAM. Other features include:
The Apollo MVP3 chip set consists of a VT82C598AT system controller (476 pin BGA, the "north bridge") and a VT82C586B PCI to ISA bridge (208 pin PQFP, the "south bridge"):
The VIA Apollo MVP3 is a good chip set to be used with modern high-end Socket 7 compatible CPUs like the AMD K6-2.
Tests show that also K6 and even Pentium MMX CPUs can work with this
chip set using a 100 MHz bus.
VIA Apollo MVP4This chip set was introduced in late 1998. It gives new life to the Socket 7, including an in-chip graphics controller. Most important is the new ATA-66 interface for improved hard disk performance.The chip set also consists of two chips, a north and a south bridge:
From VIA's own material: VT82C501 SMA North Bridge
So much for these chip sets. See VIA's own site for more information.
Read more about RAM in module 2e Read about the Pentium in module 3c Read about the Pentium II's etc. in module 3e
Copyright (c) 1996-2005 by Michael B. Karbo. KarbosGuide.com
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