Chipset
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A chipset is a group of integrated circuits ("chips") that are designed to work together, and are usually marketed as a single product.
In computing, the term chipset is commonly used to refer to the specialized motherboard chips on a computer or expansion card. When discussing personal computers (PCs) based on recent Intel Pentium-class systems, the term "chipset" often refers to the two main motherboard chips: the northbridge and southbridge. The manufacturer of a chipset can be, and often is, independent from the manufacturer of the motherboard. Examples of PC motherboard chipsets include NVIDIA's nForce chipset and VIA Technologies' KT800, both for AMD processors, or one of Intel's many chipsets (see, for example, [1] (http://developer.intel.com/design/chipsets/)).
The term "chipset" was also widely used in the 1980s and 1990s for the custom audio and graphics chips in home computers, games consoles and arcade game hardware of the time. Examples include the Amiga's Original Chip Set or SEGA's System 16 chipset.
Computer systems produced since the late 1980s often share commonly used chipsets, even across widely disparate computing specialties—for example, the NCR 53C9x, a low-cost chipset implementing a SCSI interface to storage devices and the like, could be found not only in UNIX machines (such as the MIPS Magnum), but also in embedded devices and personal computers.de:Chipsatz es:Circuito integrado auxiliar fr:Chipset lt:Mikroschemų rinkinys nl:Chipset ja:チップセット pl:Chipset