Intel chipset versions. Which motherboard to choose

Today we will understand the differences between the Intel 1151 chipsets and the differences between motherboards based on H110, B150, B250, H170, H270, Z170, Z270 chips. There are many different misconceptions: someone "overclocks" processors on motherboards with the H110 chipset, others are "convinced" that games only require a "game board" Z170, Z270.

In 2018, the article “What are the differences between Intel chipsets 1151v2“, You can read it.

Let's take a look at what really makes the difference and which motherboard is right for your needs.

The first point to note is that there is no fundamental difference between the 100th and 200th series of chips. Overall, the 200-series received minor feature improvements over the 100-series.

The hundredth series of motherboards was made before the release of the seventh generation of Intel processors - Kaby Lake and, accordingly, their "old" BIOS is designed only for Skylake (6-generation Intel processors). However, if you buy a new motherboard of the hundredth series, then the BIOS will most likely be flashed at the manufacturing plant by the manufacturer itself (as a rule, it is indicated on the packaging), which means it will support processors of both generations. The 200 series already supports both Kaby Lake and Skylake out of the box.

All the features and functions of the 100-series have been carried over to the 200 with some additions. So, for example, the operation of an SSD with support for Optane cache will require strictly a 200-series chipset and Kaby Lake processors at least i3. The most optimal PC in 2018 is to read.

Features of motherboards based on the H110 chipset

If you're looking to build a system on a tight budget, then the H110 chipset is your choice.

H series chipsets have traditionally served as stripped down versions of the Z series due to smaller HSIO slots and lack of overclocking support.

1. No processor overclocking (except for very rare models which are hard to get in Russia)
2. The power supply system is usually 5-7 phases. (For a motherboard not designed for overclocking, it is quite enough)
3. Two slots for RAM
4. One graphics card (no Crossfire / SLI capability)
5. Maximum RAM frequency - 2133MHZ
6. Up to 4 USB, 4SATA ​​3x4PIN FAN
7. Missing technology: INTEL SMART RESPONSE RAPID STORAGE

All these limitations lead to the fact that this motherboard is very cheap. It is perfect for budget assemblies, but with the ability to install the latest generation processors. Based on this chipset, you can build an entry-to-mid-level gaming computer. The average price of motherboards based on the H110 chipset is 2.5-3.5 thousand rubles.

Features of motherboards based on B150 / B250 chipsets

Motherboards based on B150 / B250 chips have, perhaps, the most optimal price / quality ratio (if overclocking is not important to you). Ideal for medium-sized systems.

The price for motherboards based on B150 / B250 chips is from 4 thousand. The only drawback is that there is no support for a raid array (combining two (or more) physical disks into one "physical" disk).

1. No CPU overclocking
2. No RAM overclocking
3. Maximum RAM frequency - 2133MHZ (B250 - 2400MHZ)
4. Up to 12 USB, 6 SATA 3-5 X4PIN FAN, up to 2 M2 connectors? USB 3.1 support
5. Technology support: INTEL SMALL BUSINESS ADVANTAGE

Features of motherboards based on H170 / H270 chipsets

H170 based solutions are a compromise between B150 / B250 and Z170 / Z270 chips. The user gets even more options: support for a raid array, more ports, but still cannot use this motherboard for overclocking.

1. No CPU overclocking
2. No RAM overclocking
3. 6-10 phase power supply system (usually)
4. Up to 4 slots for RAM
5. Yes Crossfire Х16Х4, No SLI support
6. Maximum RAM frequency - 2133MHZ (H250 - 2400MHZ)
7. Up to 14 USB, 6 SATA 3-7 X4PIN FAN, up to 2 M2 connectors? USB 3.1 support

Features of motherboards based on Z170 / Z270 chipsets

Motherboards based on the Z170 / Z270 chipset offer an overclocking capability. There are useful chips for enthusiasts, such as: power buttons directly on the motherboard itself, post-code indicators, additional connectors for fans, BIOS reset and switch buttons. All this greatly simplifies the life of enthusiasts (people who are engaged in overclocking).

In addition to the fact that motherboards with Z170 / Z270 chips can drive the processor, they also allow using faster sets of random access memory (RAM) and overclocking them.

1. Supports CPU overclocking
2. Supports RAM overclocking
3. 7-13 phase power system (usually)
4. Up to 4 slots for RAM
5. CROSSFIRE X8X8 / ​​X8X4X4 / X8X8X4, SLI X8X8 possible
6. Maximum RAM frequency - 4500MHZ (B250 - 2400MHZ)
7. Up to 14 USB, 6 SATA 5-7 X4PIN FAN, up to 3 M2 connectors, USB 3.1 support
8. Technology support: INTEL SMALL RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY, INTEL RAPID STORAGE

Comparative characteristics of motherboards for the LGA1151 platform

Specifications	H 110	B 150 / B250	H 170 / H270	Z 170 / Z270
Overclocking the processor, memory		No	No
Slots (slots) for RAM		2-4	4
Maximum RAM frequency		2133/2400	2133/2400
Number of supply phases		6 — 10	6 — 11
SLI support		No	No
CROSSFIRE support		X16X4	X16X4
SATA 6 GB / S Connectors		6	6
Total USB (USB3.0)		12 (6)	14 (8)
Connectors M 2		1 — 2	1 — 2
Intel Smart Response		No	Yes
SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 support		No	Yes
Intel Small Business Advantage	No	Yes	optional
Number of monitor outputs		3	3

By the way, we have not touched on motherboards based on the Q chipset. These motherboards are used primarily for business and very rarely in assemblies for the home. In fact, the Q170 chip is analogous to the H170, but with corporate "chips". By the way, you might be interested in the article “The best gaming processor. Review of Intel Core i7-8700K ”, you can read it.

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The motherboard is the main component of any desktop PC. It must have a sufficient number of necessary connectors so that the user can install a powerful video card, a large amount of RAM and several drives. In addition, do not forget about the need to connect various peripherals. We tried to find out which motherboards are the best right now.

The correct choice of "mother" is the basis of a PC assembly: if a processor within one socket can be changed to a faster one if desired, memory can be increased, a video card can be replaced, then a motherboard usually lives in a case until a radical upgrade or serious breakdown. So you should choose a motherboard with long-term use in mind ... Although Intel's proverbial love of regularly changing processor sockets without backward compatibility already leads to the fact that even a small upgrade forces you to change the motherboard along with the CPU. In this regard, AMD's conservatism looks more reasonable - remember how long the AM3 + socket lived, which is only now being replaced by the incompatible AM4, and there is every reason to believe that the new Ryzen assembly will be able to update on one board for a long time.

• LGA 1151- Intel Skylake, Kaby Lake processors, in version v2, incompatible with the previous one (well, this is Intel!), and Coffee Lake. This allows you to choose from processors from the Celeron G4900 to the Core i9-9900K - that is, from a simple office build to a powerful workstation or gaming PC.
• LGA 2011- the socket was originally for Intel Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge-E, but Intel would not be themselves without creating an incompatible socket LGA 2011-3 under Haswell-E. We will stop at the latest version - for assembling a powerful workstation or server, this is an excellent platform, and the number of people who assemble a PC on Haswell-E for home is quite a lot.
• LGA 2066- the newest socket for top-end Intel Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors - the very ones that successfully strive to catch up and surpass old AMD in terms of thermal performance. But if you have almost 140 thousand for an 18-core Intel Core i9-7980XE, then you will definitely find money for cooling that can cope with its 165 W of heat dissipation.
• AM4 is a new socket from AMD that came with AMD Ryzen. And this is an opportunity now to use processors from the inexpensive AMD A6-9500E for "office-home" assemblies to the top-end Ryzen 7 2700X, and the AM4 socket is guaranteed to live for more than a year or two. In addition, new APUs (processors with integrated graphics that previously used their FM sockets) were transferred to it.

Z77, Z75, H77, Q77, Q75 and B75 at a glance

Without unnecessary noise, motherboards based on Intel's new "seventh" series chipsets began to appear in stores, and immediately in noticeable quantities. This happened because, unlike previous announcements, the release of these microcircuits is not tied to the emergence of a new platform. And it is not even too connected with the emergence of new processors, although it has something to do with it. The fact is that, as promised, the compatibility of Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge turned out to be complete: new processors can be used in old motherboards with LGA1155 (except for motherboards based on business line chipsets), and old processors can be installed in new motherboards. A complete idyll, as in the days of LGA775 and even better - in those days, for example, the release of the first dual-core processors of the Pentium D family required updating the line of chipsets, since they turned out to be incompatible with the old ones. And the freshly released Core 2 Duo did not have any problems with the existing chipsets, but new motherboards were required. Naturally, Intel took advantage of this opportunity to update the chipsets, although there was no clear separation of the lines - ready-made systems based on Core 2 and 945P appeared on the market, while some users purchased motherboards based on P965 and installed them (for the first time) various Pentium 4.

In general, for a long time the release of chipsets was accompanied by the appearance of new processors (at least) or even platforms (as a maximum). Especially in recent years. LGA1366 enters the market? This means that the X58 chipset is also on sale. LGA1156 has appeared? P55 sales start. Has the platform been updated with the release of processors with an integrated graphics core? Therefore, we need boards for H55 and H57. Is LGA1155 coming out to replace the previous platform? Mass announcements of boards for P67, H67 and others like them. LGA2011 starts to advance instead of LGA1366? Time to learn X79.

On reflection, we found one example similar to the current situation: about a year ago, the Z68 Express became the top solution for the LGA1155. There were no fundamental changes in the platform - just P67 (with support for overclocking and multi-GPU) was mixed with H67 (with support for video outputs) and added a seasoning in the form of Smart Response. The result is the most expensive and versatile solution that has remained so until recently. But the platform has not fundamentally changed. In this regard, the "seventh" series is a little more interesting: firstly, some new features of Ivy Bridge require special support from the chipset, and secondly, the list of functionalities has expanded from the point of view of the needs of a mass user. So the new solutions are more attractive than the sixth series for those who are going to purchase a system based on an old processor. Why were there no loud announcements? Simply because Ivy Bridge was originally planned for the beginning of the year, as usual. Motherboard manufacturers began to prepare for this event, but Intel decided to slightly shift the announcement of processors. Without hindering, however, partners to start selling new motherboards, because, as we have already said, some of the features of the new chipsets will be useful when paired with old processors.

Let's see - which ones. But first, let's deal with some general issues that deserve attention.

Farewell to the letter "R"

Back in the immemorial times of the early Socket 478, Intel decided that the various chipset lines deserved more clear identification than just numbers. More precisely, this happened starting with the i845 family, whose various members received an additional letter index: either P or G. The division at that time was very simple and very clear: the G-series was equipped with a built-in video core, but the presence of the letter P showed that it is not in the chipset. The coincidence of other letters and numbers could speak of something, or it could not speak, being only a tribute to positioning.

LGA775 and the 900th line of chipsets added one more suffix (which later became a prefix) - X. Everything was clear with it - a solution for extreme systems. The only one in the family, and most often different in number, so the letter was needed only for greater clarity. She was the first to disappear - when in 2008 the company decided that extreme processors alone were not enough, so it was time to start up extreme platforms, the first of which was LGA1366. And, accordingly, the X58 Express chipset. Let's note for the future that at the same time positioning "one level above" appeared, that is, formally belonging to the "fifth" family, the chipset most of all resembled the "fourth". And its recent successor, the X79 Express, actually deserves to be included in the list of solutions in the "sixth" series, significantly different from the "real seventh", to which we will move on a little later.

However, let's return to the mainstream, where the P-line continued to bloom, eclipsing the modest workaholic of the G family. There could be even more of the latter (for example, in the “fourth” series - P45 and P43, but G45, G43 and G41), but who is interested in integrated solutions? Only for those who are interested in integrated graphics, and at that time they could only be found among the "office" and other undemanding users.

And in the “fifth” series, the letter G simply disappeared, since more chipsets with an integrated GPU were not required - the graphics core moved into the processor itself, so the support chips needed only to ensure the operation of video outputs. And even then - not right away: the first processors for the LGA1156 did without a GPU, so they were used together with the P55. But before the announcement of Clarkdale, the H55 and H57 had to be released as well. The first is a traditional budget solution, while the second from the P55 officially differed only in the absence of multi-GPU support. True, it cost a little more than this pair, so motherboards based on H55 grabbed a considerable share of the market.

The release of the LGA1155 platform, it would seem, should have immediately put an end to the existence of a line of chipsets "without video", but Intel decided otherwise. For the first few months, buyers had to think for a long time where to go: to the smart or to the beautiful? The fact is that, despite the absence of models without a video core in the initial line of processors, the P67 turned out to be the formal top of the sixth line of chipsets. Anyway, from the point of view of enthusiasts - only he allowed overclocking processor cores and memory, in addition to supporting a couple of video cards. But it did not support integrated graphics. And all the other chipsets of the family allowed it to be used, but did not support overclocking (more precisely, on the H67 it was possible to overclock the integrated video core, which still did not make much sense).

And only in the spring, as we said at the beginning of the article, a "new letter in this word" appeared, namely the Z68 chipset, which combines the capabilities of both the P67 and H67. Ironically, after the beginning of its active expansion into the market, Intel decided to release several models of processors without a GPU (more precisely, with a locked graphics core), so that the P67 theoretically became a completely relevant solution again.

However, apparently, the company decided to end this practice. In the "seventh" series for the first time there is nothing that would be called "P77" or something like that. For overclocking lovers, there are a couple of Z-line models, the mainstream got H-series chipsets, and business modifications (Q and B) have not gone anywhere. But the long-lived suffix (10 years is not a joke) ordered everyone else to live a long time :)

Intel Z77 Express

Well, now it's time to move on to the main characters of the article, starting with the top model in the lineup. Traditionally - block diagram and main characteristics:

• support for all processors based on Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge cores when connected to these processors via the DMI 2.0 bus (with a bandwidth of 4 GB / s);
• FDI interface for receiving a fully rendered screen image from the processor and a block for outputting this image to the display device (s);
• support for simultaneous and / or switchable operation of the integrated video core and discrete GPU (s);
• increasing the frequency of processor cores, memory and integrated GPU;
• up to 8 PCIe 2.0 x1 ports;
• 2 x SATA600 and 4 x SATA300, with support for AHCI mode and functions like NCQ, individually disabled, with support for eSATA and port splitters;
• the ability to organize a RAID array of levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 (10) and 5 with the Matrix RAID function (one set of disks can be used in several RAID modes at once - for example, on two disks you can organize RAID 0 and RAID 1, for each array its own part of the disk will be allocated);
• support for Smart Response, Rapid Start and Smart Connect technologies;
• 10 USB 2.0 ports (on two EHCI host controllers) individually disabled;
• 4 x USB 3.0 ports (one xHCI controller) with the possibility of individual disconnection;
• Gigabit Ethernet MAC controller and special interface (LCI / GLCI) for connecting a PHY controller (i82579 for Gigabit Ethernet, i82562 for Fast Ethernet);
• High Definition Audio (7.1);
• strapping for low-speed and outdated peripherals, etc.

As you can see, ensuring full compatibility required keeping intact the DMI interface of interaction with the processor. It's a pity, because, despite the theoretical bandwidth of 4 GB / s, in practice you can "squeeze" no more than 1.1 GB / s out of it in each direction (which we were able to determine using RAID arrays from several SSDs). But at the same time, full interoperability still did not work out. For example, support for three independent displays is exactly what you need to have and new processor, and board on a new chipset.

Of the platform-independent functions, attention is drawn to the possibility of splitting 16 PCIe processor lines not only into two, but also into three devices. Initially, there were many predictions that this could be useful for 3-Way SLI, however, as we can see, Intel suggests a completely different purpose of this configuration. Moreover, the company says nothing about supporting three slots: in all three variants there are no more than two of them. On the other hand, we will not be surprised if motherboard manufacturers begin to misuse this feature. Moreover, 8 + 4 + 4 PCIe 3.0 in terms of bandwidth is exactly the same as 16 + 8 + 8 PCIe 2.0 somewhere on the X58, that is, exactly what 3-Way SLI and debuted. So let's wait and see ...

And what is interesting from the point of view of a mass user? It is clear that not everyone needs additional frills, and the same Smart Response is also supported on motherboards with Z68. And you can overclock anything there too. Initially, there were assumptions that the new motherboards will have increasing coefficients for the reference frequency (as in LGA2011), but they have not been confirmed: overclocking on the bus is still limited to about 7%, so you have to operate with multipliers (within the framework in which this is supported by the processor). The SATA controller has not changed - as before, only two ports support the fastest version of the standard. On the other hand, as we have already said, the tests show that the DMI 2.0 throughput is enough for only two ports. But in terms of USB support - a significant step forward: finally, built-in USB 3.0 support appeared in Intel chipsets. In addition, the company can be proud of its completeness - AMD made this step earlier, but only in chipsets for APUs (and even then not in all). The most productive processors continue to be released for AM3 +, and this platform does not have built-in support for USB 3.0. Intel has got new-fashioned ports just the mass LGA1155.

Joy is overshadowed by only one fact - the realization of this support. The fact is that the driver for xHCI exists only under Windows 7. And, of course, the Linux community will eventually make one. But for the outdated, but still popular Windows XP, no one plans to engage in software support. The ports, however, will work there too (all 14), but only as USB 2.0. Thus, nothing has changed for users of older operating systems. Maybe the situation will even worsen: discrete USB 3.0 controllers on motherboards will start to appear less frequently, but for them there are drivers for all versions of Windows - almost up to Windows 95 (if someone is suddenly interested in it). On the other hand, inexpensive motherboards with support for overclocking functions may well get cheaper. Moreover, it is not necessary to solder the video outputs there, and for such products (just to replace the P67) Intel has also provided a special chipset.

Intel Z75 Express

The Z75 is positioned precisely as an "entry-level solution for fine tuning" and differs from the older Z77 in exactly two things. First of all, there is no longer any talk of Thunderbolt support and, accordingly, PCIe “rasterization”. Secondly, there is no Smart Response support. But all the other "chips" are available. By the way, support for Rapid Storage Technology has disappeared from the block diagram, despite the fact that the creation of "regular" RAID arrays has not gone anywhere: since this generation, Intel believes that this alone is not enough to match the proud name of RST.

All in all, to some extent, this is really an update to the P67. But maybe it's just a product of a new formation - since users need inexpensive motherboards for overclocking, let it be possible to produce them. Be that as it may, the Z75 will cost the same $ 40 as the P67. While the Z77 kept the Z68's price tag at $ 48. In the market for mid-range motherboards, this is, in general, the difference. The top models will use the Z77 - their price does not depend on the prime cost :)

Intel H77 Express

If the Z68 to some extent turned out to be a step forward compared to any of its predecessors - both the P67 and the H67, which forced it to be assigned a number increased by one, then the differences between the H77 and the Z77 are less than between the H67 and the P67. We think you have already guessed what they are :) Indeed - since all chipsets in the new family support video output "outside" (and GPU overclocking is possible even with representatives of the business line), then only the functions of CPU overclocking and PCIe "splitting" remain, which from the current mainstream solution and "cut". But everything else is in place. Including Smart Response, which the company seems to have decided to make the standard functionality of all computers, starting with the mid-range. In this regard, the lack of this technology in the Z75 looks somewhat strange, intended for, let's say, middle-income enthusiasts who can hardly afford to buy a normal-capacity SSD-drive. On the other hand, the Z77 should have at least some advantages, right?

And the advantages are different - in particular, in the new line, even the Z75 has them in comparison with the H77. In any case, the advantages from the point of view of those users who do not plan to use Smart Response - that is, in fact, the absolute majority of buyers :) Because, as you can see, in this situation, the Z75 turns out to be a more functional solution, but it costs less - H77 has a wholesale price of $ 43.

Business Line Upgrades: B75, Q75 and Q77

Business chipsets of the "sixth" series turned out to be very offended by the manufacturer - unlike all the others, they were immediately promised no support for new processors (on the Ivy Bridge core). Thus, there are no options for a corporate user: if you want Ivy Bridge, you will have to buy a new board. However, it is unlikely that there will be "wanting" right now - this market is actively consuming dual-core processor models, and they will appear only in a few months. On the other hand, companies planning to purchase equipment now may well prefer new boards even when used with old processors. If only because they will all receive improved firmware and full support for USB 3.0 - similar to the older "retail" chipsets. And the PCI bus remained in place for them - as in the "sixth" family of business chipsets. Curiously, everyone is "allowed" to support Lucid Virtu technology, as well as overclocking the video core. Well, the Q77 also has Smart Response support. In general, compared to their retail counterparts, these chipsets do not look like poor relatives from any side (and they have kept their price tags exactly), which has already led to curious side effects.

In particular, last year we were somewhat surprised by the small number of offers of motherboards based on B65. The chipset, in general, is inexpensive, but much more curious than the "starting" H61: six SATA ports (one of which is SATA600), four memory slots (against two), built-in PCI support, 12 USB ports (against 10 for H61). However, in practice, the manufacturers calculated, thought, and ... They decided that it makes no sense to buy two different chipsets for budget motherboards - the difference in functionality will not pay off. It is better to solder a PCI-PCIe bridge to some of the boards, and to some also an additional SATA controller, and then sell them at a higher price. But in the simplest models the price difference has already affected: if the whole board costs $ 60, then the chipset for $ 30 is preferable for it over the chipset for $ 37. Intel took into account last year's experience and did not update the H61. The result was ... massive announcements of boards based on the B75, since the "free" USB 3.0 has now been added to last year's advantages of its predecessor, and the ability to share a discrete video card for games and an integrated GPU for video encoding (formally, the latter also exists for the H61, but such boards can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and they are not all too cheap).

Thus, the B75 is perfectly suited for new motherboards with a level slightly lower than the H77, but higher than the simplest models on the H61 without additional controllers. H61-based boards, for obvious reasons, if they need an update, only new versions of UEFI. But since the savings already turn out to be quite penny (boards on the B75 do not require either a discrete USB 3.0 controller, or a PCIe-PCI bridge, which even in models on the H61 began to become a rule of good form), we will not be surprised if a new board on It will become more difficult to meet the H61 than on the B65 last year :) Moreover, the chipset is also capable of "pushing into the closet" and the H77, becoming the main mainstream solution. Indeed - what will stop him? It has two fewer USB 2.0 ports and only one SATA600, as well as no Rapid Storage support (none: not only Smart Response, but also RAID arrays) - that's all the drawbacks. But it costs as much as six dollars cheaper, and the built-in "free" PCI support for the next year or two will continue to be relevant.

Total

	Z77	Z75	H77	B75	Q75	Q77
Tires
PCIe 3.0 Configurations (CPU)	x16 / x8 + x8 / x8 + x4 (+ x4)	x16 / x8 + x8	x16	x16	x16	x16
PCIe 2.0 quantity	8	8	8	8	8	8
PCI	Not	Not	Not	Yes	Yes	Yes
Overclocking
Cpu	Yes	Yes	Not	Not	Not	Not
Memory	Yes	Yes	Not	Not	Not	Not
GPU	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SATA
# Of ports	6	6	6	6	6	6
Of which SATA600	2	2	2	1	2	2
AHCI	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
RAID	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not	Not	Yes
Smart response	Yes	Not	Yes	Not	Not	Yes
Other
# Of USB ports	14	14	14	12	14	14
Of which USB 3.0	4	4	4	4	4	4
TXT / vPro	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Yes
Intel Standard Manageability	Not	Not	Not	Not	Yes	Yes

Well, as it was said at the very beginning of the article, there is nothing fundamentally new in the "new" chipsets. Which, however, is quite expected - the platform has remained the same. However, one can be sure that in the near future the representatives of the “seventh” series will almost completely oust their predecessors from the main market segments. In any case, the Z77 will definitely completely replace the Z68 - they cost the same, the basic functionality is comparable, so the "free" USB 3.0 alone is more than enough to change the leader. And the business line of boards will definitely be updated - for similar reasons. Unless the ultra-budget segment will not notice the new products, since it will continue to sell the most primitive H61-based models without any additional controllers. But on the budget and mid-range, the bulk of production is likely to move to the B75 and Z75. Maybe on the H77, but the prospects of this chipset, frankly speaking, give us some doubts. It is clear that the company highly appreciates the Smart Response technology and hopes for its active use: in the previous line of chipsets it was supported only by the Z68 (which also appeared later than everyone else), and in the new - as many as three microcircuits. However, such a pricing policy can achieve exactly the opposite. On the other hand, a lot depends on manufacturers - what they consider necessary to complete the boards will be actively sold.

From the point of view of other market trends, the most significant is that USB 3.0 support will become a standard feature of mass computers, and this will certainly spur the distribution of the third version of the interface. Thunderbolt will also come out of the underground, so far promoted only through the efforts of Apple. However, here we are not talking about mass character yet, but at least one motherboard with support for this interface has already been prepared by all manufacturers. In general, all this (together with the new processors) should make the LGA1155 platform more attractive than last year, albeit without drastically changing it. That is, there is no incentive to replace the existing motherboard (except that some owners of the simplest models based on the H61, who eventually found out that the limitations of this chipset are a little too tight for them), but even less for buying a product from last year's collection.

Published: 26.01.2017

Hello friends.

This time we will look at such an important part of the motherboard and computer as a whole, like the chipset. Let's talk about the main manufacturers, the differences between the chipsets. Let's go through the price categories of chipsets of different series.

What is a chipset

Chipset (eng. Chipset) - a set of microcircuits located on and acting as an intermediary between various elements of the computer. It provides understanding of processor commands by RAM, video card, hard disk and other equipment connected to the motherboard.

Chipsets differ by manufacturer, number of internal chips, speed, supported connectors and their number, as well as many others. Let's consider the differences.

Name history

A group of motherboard control chips was originally called a chipset. These were the North Bridge and the South Bridge. Also, sometimes the chipset included a Super I / O chip connected to the south bridge and controlling low-speed connectors (PS / 2, floppy, COM, LPT).

North bridge

Northbridge or Memory Controller Hub - coordinates the processor with memory and graphics adapter. It uses high-speed buses, allowing information to be exchanged at tens of gigabits per second. Physically, it is located above the south bridge, hence its name.

South bridge

South bridge or controller-hub I / O - through the north bridge connects the processor and steel equipment connected via SATA, USB, IDE and other connectors.

Manufacturers

Such companies as Intel, AMD are engaged in the production of chipsets. Among the companies that stopped producing chipsets are NVidia, VIA and SiS, the markings of which can still be found on motherboard chipsets. The chipsets of modern manufacturers differ mainly in the supported socket. Intel manufactures chipsets for their sockets, AMD for theirs.

Differences between chipsets

The main difference between modern Intel chipsets is the absence of a Northbridge. Not so long ago, they removed it as part of the processor.

Chipsets come in different classes and categories. Of the modern chipsets from Intel, it is worth highlighting the 100 series chipsets:

H110- for budget home or office computers;
B150 and H170- for medium computers;
Q170 and Z170- for serious gaming or work computers. Only the Z170 has overclocking capability.

All of them have USB 3.0, SATA 3, PCI-E x16 connectors. The main difference between these chipsets is in the number of supported connectors and slots. All of them are able to work with modern i series processors (i3, i7, i5).

Modern AMD chipsets are divided into 2 categories: A series and 9 series. The main difference between the 9th series is that it can work with 8-core AMD processors. The 9-series supports AMD OverDrive fine tuning and socket FX support for 8-core processors. Chipsets A series today are presented:

A58- for very budget and low-speed systems, without support for SATA 3 or USB 3.0;
A68H- for budget computers;
A78- for medium and multimedia machines;
A88X- for high-performance work or gaming PCs, with the ability to overclock.

AMD chipsets are cheaper than Intel chipsets, but at the same time they have fewer supported slots.

Intel with the release of the fourth generation of processors (Haswell) and the transition to a new socket (LGA 1150) launched a new line of motherboards (Lynx Point). Now there are five different chipsets Z87, H87, Q87, Q85, B85 (the Z75 did not have a receiver), divided, as always, into two segments: business and consumer. Consumer segment (Z87, H87) with a number of features designed to improve overall performance. The business segment (Q87, Q85, B85), on the one hand, has fewer options, but it contains a lot of useful information for IT departments of large and small companies.

The latest Intel processors (including Haswell) are designed to move more and more functionality from the motherboard to the processor itself. For example, integrated graphics (where it was), a RAM controller (RAM), PCI-E and DMI bus controllers, as well as processor power management are no longer located on the motherboard. This means that things like onboard video and RAM compatibility now depend more on the CPU than on the particular motherboard's chipset. Based on this, the differences between the chipsets will now be small, mainly in options, the number of peripherals supported.

The most important changes in fact in the new chipset are support for up to six SATA 6Gb / s and up to six USB3.0. Thunderbolt is not yet integrated into Haswell chipsets, but can be added with a separate controller on the motherboard.

Consumer segment (Z87, H87)

Z87

The z87 set is the most feature-rich and the only one that offers overclocking capabilities (K-series processors). The chipset also has support for SLI / Crossfire connectivity with three configurations.

As for the rest of the features, the Z87 supports Rapid Storage Technology, Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching), six SATA 6Gb / s and six USB 3.0 ports. Also, when using Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching), it optimizes the performance and power consumption of the SSD.

H87

The H87 chipset is very similar to the Z87, but it lacks some very important features: CPU overclocking and support for triple SLI / Crossfire configuration.

The H87, like the Z87, supports Rapid Storage Technology, Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching), six SATA 6Gb / s and all the same six USB 3.0. However, unlike the Z87, this chipset has Small Business Advantage support.

In general, the H87 provides almost all the same functions as the Z87, yes, without overclocking, but most likely you will choose the z87 since the motherboard manufacturers are simply pushing for this by cutting the number of ports and removed USB.

Business segment (Q87, Q85, B85)

Q87

The Q87 chipset is the most functionally rich among the business line, it supports technologies such as vPro, Active Management, Intel TXT. Plus six SATA 6gb / s and six USB 3.0 in addition to 14 and USB 2.0. This chip will definitely suit you if you are using vPro or AMT or TXT or you just want a board that supports them.

Q85

The Q85 chipset is very similar to the Q87, only it does not support these wonderful business technologies. Also, chipsets of the 85th series do not support, unlike the others, Rapid Storage technology, which allows to reduce power consumption and increase the speed of operation when using multiple disks. If you do not need these technologies, you are looking for a cheaper platform but do not want to buy the weakest one, then this is the choice for you.

B85

B85 is a budget business solution that not only does not support business technologies, but it also has four USB 3.0 and Serial ATA 600 ports, in contrast to six ports in other chipsets. The B85 is a great option for budget processors (Core i3, Pentium, Celeron).

Conclusion

Note: to be able to work with the specified technologies, they must be supported by the processor.

We can conclude that fragmentation has decreased, there are fewer chipsets, but this does not make the choice easier, the differences are minimal, often additional logic on motherboards removes them altogether.