[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | Motherboard and System Devices | System Chipset and Controllers | Chipset Functions and Features ]

Chipset Peripheral and I/O Bus Control

Most modern computers use two buses: the ISA (industry standard architecture) bus for slower peripherals, and for compatibility with older components, and PCI (peripheral component interconnect), a high-speed "local bus" for hard disks, video cards and other high-speed devices. The newest PCs also use the new AGP port for video. System buses are discussed in detail in this section.

The chipset controls these buses, and transfers information to and from them and the processor and memory. The chipset's capabilities determine what kinds of buses the system can support, what speed they can run at, and what additional features they may have.

Next: Bus Types

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