On the 26th of April, 1999, Intel released its update to the famed i740 chipset. The i740, which was designed as a high quality 3D alternative to the Voodoo chipsets, succeeded at its goal. It was generally a bit cheaper because it was produced by Intel. Also, because Intel processors were what it was likely to be used on, who better than to make a chip for graphics but the same company? It worked for the most part. The only thing some people whined about was that they expected a few more functions, but no one was complaining. Frame rates were fast enough  and it supported AGP, which wasn’t supported by Voodoo chipsets at the time.

i810 was Intel’s release past the i740. But, it was different in one very big aspect: it is a full chipset. Released in 1999 with the code-name “Whitney”, the chipset was new with these features:

• A new type of memory controller with built-in graphics technology.


• Support for up to 512 MB SDRAM.


• Built-in audio-codec controller.


• No ISA bus

i810 was the first chipset to use Intel’s new Accelerated Hub Architecture. This architecture still consists of two parts, but they are the AGP Graphics Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) and the I/O Controller Hub. The GMCH fulfills many of the same functions as the north bridge: communucation with the CPU over the front side bus, memory access, and AGP bus. The i810′s integrated video, using Direct AGP, was contained in the GMCH. But, unlike the northbridge, the GMCH does not have a PCI bus. The PCI bus is handled by the IHA, along with all the typical functions of the south bridge. The ICH communicates with the GMCH at 266 MBps over its own InterLink bus. This new bus is optimized by Intel to be able to differentiate certain types of data like streaming video and act accordingly. 

The i810′s integrated Audio-Codec is used to enable processor control of both the audio and modem software. Intel claimed this reduces cost by eliminating components. The i810 also comes with the i801 controller hub. The 82801 (ICH), employs an accelerated hub to give a direct connection from the graphics and memory to the integrated AC97 (Audio-Codec) controller, the IDE controllers, the dual USB ports, and the PCI bus. This promised increased I/O performance. With the above comes the i802, a firmware hub which stores system BIOS and video BIOS in a 4 Mbit EEPROM. This hub also comes complete with its own random number generator, which is to provide “fundamental security building blocks supporting stronger encryption, digital signing, and security protocols” as stated by Intel.

The i810 does integrate a modified version of the i740, the i752. It is based upon the 440BX. Future releases of i810 would support newer technologies. One such release is the i810E (also known as the i815) which supports 133 MHz SDRAM and features enhanced graphics capabilities. Intel would use some of the innovations of i810 in other future chipsets.

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