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Chipset and Controllers | Popular Chipsets | Fifth
Generation (Pentium Class) Intel Chipsets ]
Comparison of Recent Intel Fifth-Generation Chipsets
Intel has been by far the most popular choice for Pentium motherboard chipsets; more
than 90% of Pentium motherboards in existence use Intel chipsets. The 430FX, 430HX, 430VX
and 430TX are similar in name and function. The table below contrasts these chipsets in
order to demonstrate their most important features and performance factors. The topic
headers are based on the topics in the Chipset Functions and
Features section. These chipsets all support the Pentium and socket-compatible
processors, and use PCI and ISA I/O buses.
 Note: The TX chipset is
listed before the HX instead of after it, to permit easier comparison to the HX and VX
chipsets.
Group |
Characteristic |
Intel 430FX |
Intel 430VX |
Intel 430TX |
Intel 430HX |
Summary
Information |
Target Market |
All |
Home / General |
Home / General |
Business / High-End |
Introduced |
Early 1995 |
Early 1996 |
Early 1997 |
Early 1996 |
Relative Cost |
Lower |
Moderate |
Higher |
Higher |
Processor |
System Bus Speeds |
50, 60, 66 MHz |
50, 60, 66 MHz |
50, 60, 66 MHz |
50, 60, 66 MHz |
Processor Multipliers |
1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x |
1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x |
1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x |
1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x |
Maximum # of
Processors |
Single |
Single |
Single |
Dual |
L2 Cache |
Cache Types |
Async, Sync Burst, Pipelined Burst |
Async, Sync Burst, Pipelined Burst |
Pipelined Burst |
Pipelined Burst |
Max Cache Size |
512 KB |
512 KB |
512 KB |
512 KB |
Max RAM Cacheable |
64 MB |
64 MB |
64 MB |
512 MB w/ Tag RAM |
Memory |
Max RAM Support |
128 MB |
128 MB |
256 MB |
512 MB |
DRAM Technology |
FPM, EDO |
FPM, EDO, SDRAM |
FPM, EDO, SDRAM |
FPM, EDO |
DRAM Packaging |
SIMM |
SIMM, DIMM |
SIMM, DIMM |
SIMM, DIMM |
Maximum # of
SIMMs/DIMMs |
4 / 2 |
4 / 2 |
6 / 3 |
8 / 4 |
Parity/ECC Support |
Neither |
Neither |
Neither |
Both |
System
Timing |
L2 Cache Read Timing |
3-1-1-1 |
3-1-1-1 |
3-1-1-1 |
3-1-1-1 |
FPM DRAM Read Timing
(60/66 MHz) |
7-3-3-3 / 7-3-3-3 |
5-3-3-3 / 6-3-3-3 |
4-3-3-3 / 5-3-3-3 |
4-3-3-3 / 5-3-3-3 |
EDO DRAM Read Timing
(60/66 MHz) |
7-2-2-2 / 7-2-2-2 |
5-2-2-2 / 6-2-2-2 |
4-2-2-2 / 5-2-2-2 |
4-2-2-2 / 5-2-2-2 |
BEDO/SDRAM Read
Timing (60/66 MHz) |
n/a |
6-1-1-1 / 7-1-1-1 |
5-1-1-1 / 5-1-1-1 |
n/a |
Processor to PCI
Buffers |
4 |
5 |
!? |
6 |
PCI to Memory Buffers |
12 |
18 + 10 |
18 + 10 |
20 + 22 |
Memory Autodetect |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Peripheral
and I/O Bus |
PCI Bus Standard |
2.0 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
IDE/ATA Channels |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Fastest PIO Mode |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
Fastest DMA Mode |
2 |
2 |
3 (DMA-33) |
2 |
Independent Device
Timing |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
PCI Bus Mastering |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
USB Support |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
AGP Support |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Plug and Play
Compliant |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Power Mgmt. |
APM Compliant |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Note: System timings
stated are "optimal" and depend on support from appropriately fast memory.
Otherwise you may need to slow down the timing in your BIOS setup. See the section on memory system timing for more
details.
 Next: Fifth
Generation (Pentium Class) Non-Intel Chipsets
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