[Home] [This version is outdated, a new version is here]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:
All information included in this file can be referenced to some
document or picture. Or at least should be:-) As a result of this,
proprietary chip sets, and odd combinations of different chip sets are
not usually included. There tends to be scant information on
proprietary chip sets, i.e. no datasheet. Similarly chip sets built
using some components from one manufacture and some from another are
kind of difficult to deal with.
An example I know of is a 25 MHz 386 DX motherboard that uses the
Intel N82230/N82231 (formerly, ZyMOS) 286 chip set, with an AUStek
cache Controller. I know it existed but there is no documentation.
So the best I can say you'll have to take my word that it existed. I
can't include it because there is no real information there.
Also not included is anything that isn't a PC-compatible chip
set. I.e. no Macintosh info. Any Information on PC-incompatibles/
pseudo-compatibles, and other weirdi-type stuff I have a particular
interest in. See the section: 'Info needed on'. Some information on
video chip sets is included, occasionally but the focus is on
motherboard implementation.
**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...
**82396SX Smart Cache 12/17/90
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Versions:...
***Features:...
**82485 Turbo Cache (and 485Turbocache) c90...
**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...
**82C700 FireStar c:97
***Info:...
***Configurations:...
***Features:...
**82C701 FireStar Plus c:97...
**82C750 Vendetta [no datasheet] ?...
**82c801 SCWB2 DX Single Chip Solution c:92...
**82C802 SCWB2 PC/AT Single Chip [no datasheet] ?...
**82C802G/GP System/Power Management Controller (cached) c:93...
**82C895 System/Power Management Controller (cached) c:Sep94...
**82C898 System/Power Management Controller (non-cache)c:Nov94...
**
**Support Chips:
**82C601/2 Buffer Devices <Nov94...
**82C822 PCIB (VLB-to-PCI bridge) c:94
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Versions:...
***Features:...
**Other:...
*PC CHIPS/Amptron/Atrend/ECS/Elpina/etc...
*SIS...
*Symphony...
*TI (Texas Instruments)...
*UMC...
*Unresearched:...
*VIA...
*VLSI...
*Western Digital...
*Winbond...
*ZyMOS...
*General Sources:...
(c) Copyright mR_Slugs Warehouse - All rights Reserved