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**Why this document is not GPL or a wiki
The document is copyright,  it is NOT GPL'ed text. While  the GPL is a
fantastic  idea, I  have chosen  not to  make this  freely copied  and
modified. The reasons are as follows:

1. GPL text tends to be  copied...EVERYWHERE. For example, if you look
   up a subject  on wikipedia, then try to get  more information, or a
   different perspective on  say about.com.  There you  find the EXACT
   SAME  TEXT.  This  is what  mirrors  are for.   It's an  unintended
   consequence,  but  it  can  lead  to  misinformation  being  spread
   everywhere. A bigger problem.

2. There seems to be fewer  and fewer informative websites. It used to
   be that  if you  searched for  something you  would find  a website
   about a particular  subject. Now you tend to  find the encyclopedia
   and often nothing else (well quickly).

In addition the majority of this text is quotes.

The wiki  concept is a good  idea, but they have  problems. Because no
one "owns" the  work they seem to  go to two extremes.   Either no one
maintains them, or there are edit wars. Also anyone can edit them.

**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...
*Headland/G2...
*HMC (Hulon Microelectronics)...
*Logicstar...
*Motorola...
*OPTi...
**82C683         386/486AWB EISA [no datasheet]                      ?
***Notes:...
**82C693/6/7     Pentium uP Write Back Cache EISA                 c:93...
**82C700         FireStar                                         c:97...
**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...
**Other:...
*PC CHIPS/Amptron/Atrend/ECS/Elpina/etc...
*SIS...
*Symphony...
*TI (Texas Instruments)...
*UMC...
*Unresearched:...
*VIA...
**SL9095   Power  Management Unit                                    ?
***Info:...
***Versions:...
***Features:...
**SL9151   80286 Page Interleave Memory Controller (16-25MHz)        ?...
**SL9250   80386SX Page Mode Memory Controller (16/20MHz 8MB)        ?...
**SL9251   80386SX Page Interleave Memory Controller         <04/13/90...
**SL9252   80386SX System and Memory Controller              <06/12/90...
**SL9350   80386DX Page Mode Memory Controller (16-25MHz 16MB)       ?...
**SL9351   80386DX Page Interleave Memory Controller (33MHz)         ?...
**SL9352   80386DX System and Memory Controller              <06/12/90...
**SLXXXX   Other chips...
**
**VT82C470     "Jupiter", Chip Set (w/o cache) 386 [no datasheet]    ?
**VT82C475     "Jupiter", Chip Set (w/cache) 386   [no datasheet]    ?
**VT82C486/2/3 "GMC chipset"            [no datasheet, some info]    ?
***Notes:...
***Info:...
***Configurations:...
**VT82C495/480 "Venus" Chip Set                    [no datasheet]    ?
**VT82C495/491 ? EISA Chip Set          [no datasheet, some info]  <93...
**VT82C496G    Pluto, Green PC 80486 PCI/VL/ISA System       <05/30/94...
**VT82C530MV   3.3V Pentium chipset [no datasheet, some info]<05/30/94...
**VT82C570M    Apollo Master, Green Pentium/P54C             <06/22/95...
**VT82C580VP   Apollo VP,  Pentium/M1/K5 PCI/ISA System      <02/15/96...
**VT82C580VPX  Apollo VPX, VPX/97, Pentium with 66/75MHz Bus <01/09/97...
**VT82C590     Apollo VP2, VP2/97, Single-Chip Pentium 66MHz <01/10/97...
**VT82C597/AT  Apollo VP3, Single-Chip for Pentium with AGP  <10/03/97...
**VT82C598MVP  Apollo MVP3,Single-Chip 66/75/83/100MHz & AGP <09/22/97...
**VT8501       Apollo MVP4,Single-Chip 66-100MHz & AGP       <11/04/98...
**VT82C680     Apollo P6, Pentium-Pro Chip Set               <08/30/96...
**Support chips:
**VT82C505     Pentium/486 VL to PCI Bridge                  <05/30/94...
**VT82C586/A/B PCI Integrated Peripheral Controller          <10/13/96...
**VT82C596/A   Mobile PCI Integrated Peripheral Controller   <11/05/97...
**VT82C686A/B  PCI Super-I/O Integrated Peripheral Ctrl.     <02/10/98...
**Later P-Pro/II/III/Celeron...
**Later AMD...
**Other...
*VLSI...
*Western Digital...
**FE3500/B      80286-Based AT Compatible CPU Core Logic (12 MHz) c:87
***Notes:	...
***Info:...
***Configurations:...
***Features:...
**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...
**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:...

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