Information on AMD chipsets

[Craig100]

Information On AMD Chipsets:
-----------------------------------------
Terminology
FSB: Front Side Bus
IDE: Integrated Drive Electronics
ATA: Interchangeable with IDE, Stands for AT Attachment Interface
AMD: Advanced Micro Devices

So What is a chipset?
A Chipset is a single chip or a pair of chips that integreates into it the clock generator, BUS Controller, System Timer, Inturupt Controller, DMA Controller, CMOS RAM/Clock and a keyboard controller

The chipset of your system is what connects the Processor to everything else in the system, The chipset actually ends up dictating what type of processor you have and what memory you can run in your system, some might say the chipset is the most important part of the computer system. This is why the chipset is so important.

Makeup of the chipset
North/South Bridge
Your Computer is usually a makeup of a 2 chip set....
The North bridge chipset(PAC -PCI/AGP controller) is the connection between processor and parts such as the AGP, PCI buses , which run significantly slower than the FSB(Front side bus) and it is a link to memory, this however isn't significatntly slower, in some cases it is faster or equal to the FSB speed.
The Southbridge Chipset - This usually contains links to the ATA/IDE(Hard drive) contollers, USB Interfaces.

AMD Athlon XP/Duron
Duron - The AMD Duron Processor is a processor that is aimed at providing relatively good performance for money it is at the lower end of the "pc power scale"in AMD's line of Processors, because of this Durons are realtively cheap, but for office work, general tasks then a Duron will perform well enough. The Duron processors that have recently come out feature the benefit of a 266Mhz FSB, most Durons however run with a 200Mhz FSB(In Reality it is 100Mhz, but effectivley 200 since there are two transfers per cycle, Dual Pumped)(100*2). Both the Athlon XP & The duron processors have 462 Pins and fit into a 462 pin motherboard socket also known as Socket A. This means that Durons and Athlon XP's feature the compatibility of both using the same type of motherboard! The Duron will come equipted with 128KB of L1 Cache and 64KB Of L2 Cache. If however you are into gaming and require serious games perfomance then you should look towards the Athlon XP.....
Athlon XP - The Athlon XP Processor comes in FSB speeds of 266/333/400Mhz, newer ones being 400Mhz.
You will want to aim for an athlon xp with the barton core(Including 512Kb of full speed cache) and a 400Mhz FSB for best performance.

There is some confusion about processor speeds, so i have rounded up some of the models here:
Sorry about the alignment, i couldn't get it to work out

Model >>>>Multiplier >>> FSB
1500+ = 1.33 Ghz >| = 5.0 x |=266 Mhz
1600+ = 1.4 Ghz >| =5.25x |=266 Mhz
1700+ = 1.46 Ghz >| =5.5 x |=266 Mhz
1800+ = 1.53 Ghz >| =5.75x |=266 Mhz
1900+ = 1.6 Ghz >| =6.0 x |=266 Mhz
2000+ = 1.67 Ghz >| =6.25x |=266 Mhz
2100+ = 1.73 Ghz >| =6.50x |=266 Mhz
2200+ = 1.8 Ghz >| =6.75x |=266 Mhz
2400+ = 2.0 Ghz >| =7.5x |=266 Mhz
2500+ = 1.83 Ghz* >| =5.5 x |=333 Mhz
2600+ = 2.083Ghz* >| =6.25x |=333 Mhz
2600+ = 2.133Ghz >| =8.0 x |=266 Mhz
2700+ = 2.167Ghz >| =6.5 x |=333 Mhz
2800+ = 2.083Ghz* >| =6.25x |=333 Mhz
2800+ = 2.250Ghz >| =6.75x |=333 Mhz
3000+ = 2.167Ghz* >| =6.5 x |=333 Mhz
Note: Some people may refer to the processor bus speed by the half speed, eg, 100, 133, 166, therefore double the clock multiplier shown above, and all will work out.
* Barton Core

Several Different Motherboard Chipsets:
Chipsets
- nForce 2 Ultra 400/nForce 2 400-
Memory: DDR400 PC3200 400Mhz
AGP Speed(Max): 8x
ATA: 133
USB Support(Ports):
SATA Support: Yes
FSB:400Mhz
MAX Memory: 3GB
Integrated Audio: Realtek

- Via Apollo KT333 -
Memory: DDR, Up to PC2700 333Mhz
AGP Speed(Max): 4x
ATA: 100
USB Support(Ports):4
SATA Support: No
FSB: 333Mhz
MAX Memory: 4GB
Integrated Audio: AC'97

- Via Apollo KT400 -
Memory: DDR PC2700 333Mhz
AGP Speed(Max): 8x
ATA: 133
USB Support(Ports):6
SATA Support:No
FSB:333Mhz
MAX Memory: 4Gb
Integrated Audio: AC'97 6 Channel

- Via Apollo KT400A -
Memory: DDR400 PC3200 400Mhz
AGP Speed(Max): 8x
ATA: 133
USB Support(Ports):8
SATA Support: Yes
FSB:333Mhz
MAX Memory: 4GB
Integrated Audio: VIA Vinyl Six-TRAC six- channel AC'97 audio

- Via KT600 - This is the latest chipset from VIA for AMD based systems(non-64bit).
Memory: DDR400 PC3200 400Mhz
AGP Speed(Max): 8x
ATA: 133
USB Support(Ports):8
SATA Support: Yes(Dual)
FSB:400Mhz
MAX Memory: 4GB
Integrated Audio: VIA Vinyl Six-TRAC six- channel AC'97 audio

So, For best performance look for:
A motherboard with support for :-

• 400Mhz FSb
  
• 400Mhz DDR memory speed
  
• Dual Channel Memory
  
• SATA
  
• AGP 8x
• A High performing chipset and one that suits you

Also Check this out...NVIDIA nForce2 and VIA KT400 Chipset Gaming Comparison

links
www.via.com.tw (Via's website)

Please tell me if you would like more information/different chipsets ect.i will put it in

[Undead_Rider]

awsume post. Great for people just hitting the amd market. Really clear and to the point

[imbest123]

Wow you nailed eberything there is to know about the chipsets. Nice post it will be very helpful to people who dont know aboot this.

[Craig100]

Thanks

[oddjob]

Originally posted by Craig100 Thanks

No, no, no...Thank You!

[Jimmy White]

Wow loads of info there thanks craig100

[Craig100]

can't alter the guide now, but i forgot to mention the 512KB of cache is L2 cache on the Athlon XP.

[ric449]

Nice work, I only use intel so I would never have been able to write a AMD guide, once again well done!

[Craig100]

Thanks ric! Your intel guide was great, i noticed someone said that they wanted info on AMD so i thought i would do this

[TwoRails]

Nice work, Craig100!! This one's a "keeper" !

[largosama]

That would be me!!! Thank you!!

[enhanced08]

YES!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! i have been waiting on someone to do this for a long time now!!! thanks a bunch!!!!!

[bigandy]

Excellent job Craig! I, as well as the many others here who use AMD, appreciate it .

[DragonNOA1]

I thought a little more info on the voltage, micron size and cache size could be added. So here's a list with L2 Cache sizes in bold. Hopefully this helps someone.

266FSB

Model: AMD Athlon XP 1800+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.6V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 1900+
Core: Palomino
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.75V
Process: 0.18Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2000+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.6V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2100+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2200+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2400+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Thoroughbred Core (333FSB)

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2600+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256KB
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2700+
Core: Thoroughbred
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Barton Core (333FSB)

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Core: Barton
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2600+
Core: Barton
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 2800+
Core: Barton
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 3000+
Core: Barton
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Barton Core (400FSB)

Model: AMD Athlon XP 3000+
Core: Barton
FSB: 400MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

Model: AMD Athlon XP 3200+
Core: Barton
FSB: 400MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron

[pc master]

would this be okay for a xp 2600
Asrock K7S8X Motherboard
DDR Only
DDR 266/333MHz
200/266/333 fsb
5 PCI
1 AGP
4 USB2 Ports
Sound on Board
Lan Onboard
AMD XP2600+ Processor speed is 2.13 ghz
Heatsink & Fan


Price: £89.36 £105.00 Including VAT at 17.5%

[Jimmy White]

the Asus A7N8X deluxe is very good for amd processors around £60 at www.ebuyer.com

[jonney3491]

Great Posts for noobs. It helped my cousin out alot in chooing a chipset for her comp. Thanks for the thread.

[vanga]

thnx for the info

[w0lf66]

now for the little extra, for the prob im havin. see got the xp 2800, and runnin it on an a7v333, (waiting on my a7n8x-e deluxe), anyway, oh sorry, 1gig of crucial, anyway, when i try to run at 2038mhz. settings in the bios, boots most of the time, but hangs crashes and everything else anoying. dropped it down to 1660 somthing (auto bios setting) works fine. whats up, i know im at the boards max, but dont know the manual settings to bring down the fsb and all and make it work... help plz? thanks mike

[ric449]

It depends which core you are using. If it is a thoroughbred core, then you need to set the multiplier to 13.5X and the FSB to 166MHz. If it is a barton core, then you need to use a 12.5X multiplier and 166MHz FSB setting.

[ric449]

Just noticed that your motherboard can't take a xp 2800, since the highest FSB supported is 133MHz (266MHz). So you will have to run the processor underclocked until you get that new motherboard.

[Designer]

Craig100, got this info page I put togerther a while ago for a friends website I've just edited it a bit and uploaded it to my FTP space, check link below:

http://members.aol.com/designerpc/amdcpu.htm

makes for a handy printable version. It also allows you to identify an existing CPU from it's OPN number (mostly researched from various areas of AMD's website)

Hope this proves useful guys

[MaLfUnCtIoN]

if i may make a suggestion, buy the good/high end parts the first parat. its cheaper in the long run and upgrading can be a bear with software issues and such. pick a good mobo right off the bat cause that can be a tricky upgrade (if you are new). and dont go cheap here either. everything is based off a mobo.

[jon_e_33]

I Didn't notice anything about sis chipsets. I am fairly new at building/upgrading computers and am trying to upgrade my older IBM and need a new mobo, processor and some mem. I don't have much money to spend because I am going to college and am going to be in debt as it is. I will be mainly using this computer to surf the net and some minimal game-playing. SO my question is I found a AsRock mobo, and have heard some good things about them (keeping in mind you get what you pay for) for the money spent. The mobo I found is a ASRock "K7S41GX" for $44 @ newegg.com. it has the SiS 741GX + SiS 963L chipset. So is this a total waste of money or what? What would you suggest for around 50? I am thinking of an Athlon XP 2000-2400 Processor. (all I can afford.)

[Panama Red]

This is the board I recommend for the type of use you describe. Just ordered another tonite for a gal starting college in a few weeks. Think I'm up to 7 builds with this board and all work super.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-489&depa=0

[hyg71886]

Originally Posted by Craig100 Information On AMD Chipsets: ----------------------------------------- Terminology FSB: Front Side Bus IDE: Integrated Drive Electronics ATA: Interchangeable with IDE, Stands for AT Attachment Interface AMD: Advanced Micro Devices So What is a chipset? A Chipset is a single chip or a pair of chips that integreates into it the clock generator, BUS Controller, System Timer, Inturupt Controller, DMA Controller, CMOS RAM/Clock and a keyboard controller The chipset of your system is what connects the Processor to everything else in the system, The chipset actually ends up dictating what type of processor you have and what memory you can run in your system, some might say the chipset is the most important part of the computer system. This is why the chipset is so important. Makeup of the chipset North/South Bridge Your Computer is usually a makeup of a 2 chip set.... The North bridge chipset(PAC -PCI/AGP controller) is the connection between processor and parts such as the AGP, PCI buses , which run significantly slower than the FSB(Front side bus) and it is a link to memory, this however isn't significatntly slower, in some cases it is faster or equal to the FSB speed. The Southbridge Chipset - This usually contains links to the ATA/IDE(Hard drive) contollers, USB Interfaces. AMD Athlon XP/Duron Duron - The AMD Duron Processor is a processor that is aimed at providing relatively good performance for money it is at the lower end of the "pc power scale"in AMD's line of Processors, because of this Durons are realtively cheap, but for office work, general tasks then a Duron will perform well enough. The Duron processors that have recently come out feature the benefit of a 266Mhz FSB, most Durons however run with a 200Mhz FSB(In Reality it is 100Mhz, but effectivley 200 since there are two transfers per cycle, Dual Pumped)(100*2). Both the Athlon XP & The duron processors have 462 Pins and fit into a 462 pin motherboard socket also known as Socket A. This means that Durons and Athlon XP's feature the compatibility of both using the same type of motherboard! The Duron will come equipted with 128KB of L1 Cache and 64KB Of L2 Cache. If however you are into gaming and require serious games perfomance then you should look towards the Athlon XP..... Athlon XP - The Athlon XP Processor comes in FSB speeds of 266/333/400Mhz, newer ones being 400Mhz. You will want to aim for an athlon xp with the barton core(Including 512Kb of full speed cache) and a 400Mhz FSB for best performance. There is some confusion about processor speeds, so i have rounded up some of the models here: Sorry about the alignment, i couldn't get it to work out Model >>>>Multiplier >>> FSB 1500+ = 1.33 Ghz >| = 5.0 x |=266 Mhz 1600+ = 1.4 Ghz >| =5.25x |=266 Mhz 1700+ = 1.46 Ghz >| =5.5 x |=266 Mhz 1800+ = 1.53 Ghz >| =5.75x |=266 Mhz 1900+ = 1.6 Ghz >| =6.0 x |=266 Mhz 2000+ = 1.67 Ghz >| =6.25x |=266 Mhz 2100+ = 1.73 Ghz >| =6.50x |=266 Mhz 2200+ = 1.8 Ghz >| =6.75x |=266 Mhz 2400+ = 2.0 Ghz >| =7.5x |=266 Mhz 2500+ = 1.83 Ghz* >| =5.5 x |=333 Mhz 2600+ = 2.083Ghz* >| =6.25x |=333 Mhz 2600+ = 2.133Ghz >| =8.0 x |=266 Mhz 2700+ = 2.167Ghz >| =6.5 x |=333 Mhz 2800+ = 2.083Ghz* >| =6.25x |=333 Mhz 2800+ = 2.250Ghz >| =6.75x |=333 Mhz 3000+ = 2.167Ghz* >| =6.5 x |=333 Mhz Note: Some people may refer to the processor bus speed by the half speed, eg, 100, 133, 166, therefore double the clock multiplier shown above, and all will work out. * Barton Core Several Different Motherboard Chipsets: Chipsets - nForce 2 Ultra 400/nForce 2 400- Memory: DDR400 PC3200 400Mhz AGP Speed(Max): 8x ATA: 133 USB Support(Ports): SATA Support: Yes FSB:400Mhz MAX Memory: 3GB Integrated Audio: Realtek - Via Apollo KT333 - Memory: DDR, Up to PC2700 333Mhz AGP Speed(Max): 4x ATA: 100 USB Support(Ports):4 SATA Support: No FSB: 333Mhz MAX Memory: 4GB Integrated Audio: AC'97 - Via Apollo KT400 - Memory: DDR PC2700 333Mhz AGP Speed(Max): 8x ATA: 133 USB Support(Ports):6 SATA Support:No FSB:333Mhz MAX Memory: 4Gb Integrated Audio: AC'97 6 Channel - Via Apollo KT400A - Memory: DDR400 PC3200 400Mhz AGP Speed(Max): 8x ATA: 133 USB Support(Ports):8 SATA Support: Yes FSB:333Mhz MAX Memory: 4GB Integrated Audio: VIA Vinyl Six-TRAC six- channel AC'97 audio - Via KT600 - This is the latest chipset from VIA for AMD based systems(non-64bit). Memory: DDR400 PC3200 400Mhz AGP Speed(Max): 8x ATA: 133 USB Support(Ports):8 SATA Support: Yes(Dual) FSB:400Mhz MAX Memory: 4GB Integrated Audio: VIA Vinyl Six-TRAC six- channel AC'97 audio So, For best performance look for: A motherboard with support for :- 400Mhz FSb 400Mhz DDR memory speed Dual Channel Memory SATA AGP 8x A High performing chipset and one that suits you Also Check this out...NVIDIA nForce2 and VIA KT400 Chipset Gaming Comparison links www.via.com.tw (Via's website) Please tell me if you would like more information/different chipsets ect.i will put it in

Could you also add the Opteron?

[nin137]

i have a barton 2600+ 333 fsb and it runs at 2083 mhz. i saw that the barton 2600+ 266 fsb runs at 2133mhz. i thought that the higher the fsb the faster the processor? or am i wrong here? i was just wondering what there is to consider when you buy a processor, like the cache, the fsb, and the actual speed of it.
thanks

[Panama Red]

It's a combination of the FSB and the Multiplier that determine the overall speed. A 333 fsb 2600+ will have a multiplier of 12.5 while the 266fsb version uses 16 as a multiplier.