[Home] [This version is outdated, a new version is here]
*Title...
*Search:...
*Read Me/FAQ/General Info...
**Who made the first chip set?
By the  criteria of (2.)  in  'Definition of a chip  set' many sources
state this  to be the  Chips and Technologies  NEAT chip set.  I don't
know why this is stated as it is most definitely incorrect. The CS8221
NEW   Enhanced  AT   (NEAT)  chip   set  consisting   of  the   chips;
82C211/82C212/82C215/82C206  was  as far  as  I  can establish,  first
released sometime in 1986. 

C&T itself have an earlier chip set called the CS8220 PC/AT compatible
Chip  Set,  and  consists   of  the  following  chips;  82C201/82C202/
82A203/82A204/82A205.  It was  first  available  in OCT-85.  (see:C&T>
CS8220>Notes for further info.)

That is, AFAIK, the first motherboard  chip set from C&T and AFAIK the
worlds first chip set that meets the criteria of (2.). However C&T did
already have on the market their  popular EGA chip set, but that isn't
a motherboard chip set.

By the criteria of (1.), IBM, or Intel, see IBM>PC/XT chip set.

Another pre-'86 chipset is the  Faraday FE2010. The datasheet includes
a schematic on the very last  page dated 11/22/85. This only indicates
the chip set was on paper at that date. An acutal release date has not
been found.

**Spelling errors/mistyped words...
**Info needed on:...
**A note on VESA support of 486 chipsets.
Many chipsets state  that they support VESA local  bus.  In some cases
these actually  implement VLB somewhat  like PCI, where it  is entirly
decoupled from the CPU bus. Chipsets  that do not state they work with
VLB,  may  be found  on  motherboards  that  contain VLB  slots.   VLB
is  *basically*  The 486  CPU  pinout in  a  slot  form. Unless  these
m/boards contain  some additional  chips, there VLB  implementation is
directly coupled to the CPU.

**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...
**82485       Turbo Cache (and 485Turbocache)                      c90
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Versions:...
***Features:...
**82489DX       Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller    10/12/92...
**82495DX/490DX DX CPU-Cache Chip Set                           <Sep91...
**82495XP/490XP Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for i860)       06/05/91...
**82496/491     Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P5 Pentium) 03/22/93...
**82497/492   Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P54 Pentium)    <Nov94...
**82498/493   Cache Controller / Cache RAM (for P54 Pentium)    <Nov94...
**
**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)...
*UMC...
*Unresearched:...
*VIA...
*VLSI...
*Western Digital...
**Notes:
Western Digital bought Faraday in 1987:
http://articles.latimes.com/1987-07-21/business/fi-5111_1_western-digital-stock

**FE2010/A      XT CPU controller integrated Circuit         >11/22/85...
**FE2011        CPU Core Logic for PS/2 Model 30 Compatible       c:87...
**FE3400/B      80286-Based AT Compatible CPU Core Logic (12 MHz) c:86...
**FE3500/B      80286-Based AT Compatible CPU Core Logic (12 MHz) c:87...
**FE3600/A/B/C  16/20MHz AT Chip set                              c:88...
**FE5300        CPU Core Logic for PS/2 Model 50/60 Compatibles   c:87...
**FE5400        CPU Core Logic for PS/2 Model 50/60 Compatibles   c:87...
**FE6500        CPU Core Logic for PS/2 Model 70/80 Compatibles   c:88...
**WD6400SX/LP   CPU Core Logic for PS/2 386SX Compatibles          <90...
**WD6500        CPU Core Logic for PS/2 386DX/486 Compatible       <90...
**WD7600A/LP/LV System Chip Set for 80286 or 80386SX         <11/25/91...
**WD7700/LP     System Chip Set for 80286 or 80386SX (Cache) <11/25/91...
**WD7855        System controller for 80386SX                <09/25/92
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Configurations:...
***Features:...
**WD7900/LP/LV  System Chip Set for 80286 or 80386SX (Cache) <11/25/91...
**WD8110        System controller for 80386DX/486            <11/30/93...
**
**Support Chips:
**WD76C20x   Floppy, RTC, IDE and Support Logic Device       <11/25/91...
**WD76C30x   Perip. Ctrl, Interrupt Multiplex, and Clock Gen <11/18/91...
**WD7615     Desktop Buffer Manager                          <04/15/92...
**WD7625     Desktop Buffer Manager                          <10/01/92...
**WD8120LV   Super I/O [no datasheet]                                ?
**Other Chips:...
*Winbond...
*ZyMOS...
*General Sources:...