[Home] [This version is outdated, a new version is here]
*Title...
*Search:...
*Read Me/FAQ/General Info...
**Intro:
The information  contained within this  file should not  be considered
100%  correct.   Where  possible   information  has  been  taken  from
datasheets, however  even this info  may be incorrect.  The datasheets
state what  the chip should  do, not what  they actually do.  This is,
compounded further by different revisions of chips.

This  document will  never be  complete, and  I have  no intention  of
finding every  datasheet for  every chip  set. Some  of the  chip sets
listed are  from later systems  in the PIII/P4/Athlon era.   There are
many websites  with information on  these chip sets and  these entries
will likely not be expanded upon.  The focus of this document is early
PC/XT to  Pentium chip sets.  There are  few sites that  clearly illu-
strate this information, and how they relate to each other.

I  aim  to  prioritize   cataloging  significant,  rare  or  otherwise
interesting chip sets.

BTW the reason I wrote all of this down, is so that I could FORGET it.
Basically I needed to free  up some RAM.  I've  a head full  of arcane
snippets of  information on this subject.   I don't want to  end up  a
crazy old man  ranting random disjointed information  ("The C&T CS8220
came before the CS8221 you KNOW!") to disinterested passersby,  unable
to see how senile I've become. A side benefit, this might be useful to
someone else:-)

**Quote style:...
**Cant find a chip?...
**Why this document is not GPL or a wiki...
**Definition of a chip set:
In short it is a set of  chips that allow a system designer to build a
computer.  If we restrict the term  'chip' to that of a microchip then
technically any microcomputer  contains a chip set, even  one based of
7400-series logic alone.

In the context of this document, a chip set is defined as any group of
chips used to implement  an IBM or IBM-compatible PC/XT/AT/386/486/etc
system.

There are 2 main categories that these chips fall into:
1. Direct copies or re-implementations of Intel chips
2. Chip sets sold as a set of chips to implement an IBM-compatible 
   that differ in some way to those used in an IBM system, e.g. not 
   pin compatible.

An  example of  the former  would be  some early  chips built  by VLSI
Technology (at the time known as VTI, to implement a 286:
o  VL82C37A is a: 82C37A DMA controller
o  VL82C59A is a: 82C59A interrupt controller
o  VL82C54A is a: 82C54 timer
o  VL82C612 is a: 74LS612 memory mapper
o  VL82C84A is a: 82284 clock generator and ready interface
o  VL82C88  is a: 82288 bus controller

These are  all direct replacements  for the parts  used in an  IBM AT.
Many companies had compatible versions of these chips.

An early example of the latter is the Chips & Technology NEAT chip set:
o  82C211 CPU/Bus controller, 
o  82C212 Page/Interleave and EMS Memory controller, 
o  82C215 Data/Address buffer 
o  82C206 Integrated Peripherals Controller (IPC).

The description does not map directly to the parts used in the IBM AT.
Later chip sets are often even more integrated sometimes consisting of
just one chip, although two seems to be the most common.

The latter  is generally considered  the definition of a  chip set, and
the former is not generally  considered a chip set per-se. However when
looking  at   the  early  chip sets   this  distinction  can   be  very
slight. Because of this,  sets of chips  meeting the criteria  for (1.)
have been included where possible. 

**'chip set', 'chip-set' or 'chipset'?...
**What's not included:...
**Who made the first chip set?...
**Spelling errors/mistyped words...
**Info needed on:...
**A note on VESA support of 486 chipsets....
**Datasheets:...
*_IBM...
*ACC Micro...
*ALD...
*ALi...
*AMD . . . . . . . [no datasheets, some info]...
*Chips & Technologies...
*Contaq  . . . . . [no datasheets, some info]...
*Efar Microsystems [no datasheets, some info]...
*ETEQ...
*Faraday...
*Forex . . . . . . [List only, no datasheets found]...
*Intel...
**82498/493   Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P54 Pentium)    <Nov94
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Configurations:...
***Features:...
**
**Later chipsets (basic spec):
**440 series:...
**450NX  (?)            06/29/98:...
**?????  (Profusion)    c:99...
**800 series...
*Headland/G2...
*HMC (Hulon Microelectronics)...
*Logicstar...
*Motorola...
*OPTi...
*PC CHIPS/Amptron/Atrend/ECS/Elpina/etc...
*SIS...
*Symphony...
*TI (Texas Instruments)...
**SN74LS610/2 IBM AT: SN74LS610, SN74LS612 Memory Mappers          <84
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Versions:...
***Features:...
**TACT82000   3-Chip 286 [no datasheet]                            c89...
**TACT82411   Snake  Single-Chip AT Controller                     c90...
**TACT82S411  Snake+ Single-Chip AT Controller [no datasheet]      c91...
**TACT83000   AT 'Tiger' Chip Set (386)                            c89...
**TACT84500   AT Chip Set (486, EISA) [no datasheet, some info]    c91...
**Other:...
*UMC...
*Unresearched:...
*VIA...
*VLSI...
*Western Digital...
*Winbond...
*ZyMOS...
*General Sources:...