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The first chip set for processors of Pentium II, received a wide circulation, became i440LX AGPset. Among advantages of the given set it is necessary to mark possibility of engineering of dual-processor systems that is important for servers. However the core all the same is that support of graphics bus AGP has started with this chip set. This circumstance has found the reflexion in the name of it and the subsequent chip sets. Besides, with i440LX AGPset in the architecture of chip sets began to use processing technique QPA — Quard Port Acceleration, providing four-port parallel arbitration. QPA improves teamwork of buses: the processor, AGP, PCI, to dynamic storage also promotes rise of their capacity. The chip set role in the control of operation of the main buses of the computer visually shows same fig. 1.

On a basis i440LX AGPset i440EX AGPset simplified and cheaper chip set has been developed for processors Celeron intended for computers of initial level. Despite more simple architecture, the given chip set has saved the main advantages of the predecessor.

Taking into account the stored experience by the following development of the corporation of Intel there was a chip set i440BX AGPset. The given set differs very much high efficiency. From new functions it is necessary to mark support frequency buses of the processor of 100 MHz for processors, since Pentium II-350 MHz. As well as in a case i440LX AGPset on the basis of the given chip set it is possible to build systems with two processors. The chip set i440BX AGPset became one of the most popular.

On the basis of a high-powered chip set i440BX AGPset simplified and cheaper sets have been developed: i440ZX AGPset for the systems oriented to processors of Pentium II and i440ZX-66 AGPset for cheap computers with processors Celeron. Last it is optimised under the standard of hooking up of processors Socket 370. The given standard provides considerable depreciation of the computer.

Even more powerful chip set became i440GX AGPset, developed on the basis of a high-powered set i440BX AGPset. But in view of rather high cost this powerful chip set has not found a wide circulation in mass computers. It is intended first of all for high-powered workstations and servers with processors of Pentium II both Pentium II Xeon and Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon.

Except the resulted chip sets, it is necessary to mark two more specialised sets. It i450NX PCIset and i810chipset.

The chip set i450NX PCIset is intended for powerful servers. This very expensive set does not support bus AGP and memory SDRAM, however in its architecture the considerable quantity of the functions providing development of highly reliable multiprocessing systems is provided.

The chip set i810chipset is released on the basis of the technological developments used in a chip set i440BX AGPset, and also the stored experience in process of researches and production of video chip sets and videoadapters, for example, such as known i740. i810chipset the given set is intended for computers of initial level. It is optimised for processors Celeron. The high-powered videoadapter is integrated Into a chip set with expedition hardware 3D/2D. It allows to refuse usage of the separate card of the videoadapter in system structure that allows to lower a total cost of the computer. Besides, the given chip set with support of the processor and appropriate software allows to realise a number of functions of audio, video, the modem etc . This chip set is intended for cheap computers.

Except Intel corporation, chip sets with similar parametres release such corporations as, for example, ALi, VIA, SiS. However, despite excellence of chip sets of the given corporations, they have gained rather smaller distribution.

For systems with processors of Pentium III motherboards, for example, with chip sets i440BX AGPset and i440ZX AGPset can be used. If in the list of admissible processors there are no processors of Pentium III the given problem, as a rule, successfully dares upgrade BIOS of the motherboard. Despite high performance of chip sets i440BX AGPset and i440ZX AGPset Intel corporation has carried out development and release of more powerful special sets.

It is necessary to mark, that in case of planning of installation and maintenance of units and computer subsystems in dispersal modes (overckloking) the preference follows such chip sets as i440BX AGPset. In case of usage of motherboards with a similar chip set ample opportunities on system upgrade are given. For the same reasons, possibly, it is not necessary to aspire to acquisition of motherboards with chip sets i440LX AGPset, i440EX AGPset, i440ZX-66 AGPset though cards with them and are a little bit cheaper. As to a chip set i810chipset the wide set of the integrated functions allows to create rather cheap systems with good consumer properties. However the high-scale integratsi and specialisations does inconvenient the subsequent upgrade of hardware. Besides, it is necessary to underline, that already at the moment of release of the given chip set parametres of the videosystem built in its structure conceded to parametres of many high-powered videoadapters, for example, what have been developed on the basis of video chip sets 3DFX, nVidia, Matrox. And tasks of multimedia of rather high complexity which modern games concern, demand a high speed of graphics calculations.

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