CHIPSET

 Chip sets decide

• CPU slots count
• Type of CPU slot
• Type of DRAM
• Number of USB ports

Two types of chip-sets are used in CPU's

1. North Bridge . Functions of North Bridge
2. South Bridge.  Functions of South Bridge

Important duties of chip-set

1. Segregates duties of multiple CPUs (if available) and assign jobs to processors.
2. To discipline data from shared bus to system bus, a bridge is required. Bridge is included in chip set.
3. Independent device timing is included in chip-set:                                                                    When two or more hard disks are connected, Independent device timing is used to retrieve  data  from each and every hard disk at their own speed instead of slower one’s speed.
4.  DMA support:                                                                                                                            Direct memory Access controller transfer data directly to memory, bypassing CPU.
5.  Bus Mastering – Data transfer directly to memory bypassing memory controller.
6.  Chip-sets decide memory type and the highest memory can be used.
7.  Plug & play support, Power Management etc..