the sandy bridge chipset uses a single chipset housing

Chipset drivers are software that enables the operating system to use the features of the corresponding chipset.

The Nehalem chipset connects directly to the processor rather than to the North Bridge.

Beginning with the Intel 1800 chipset, there are two main chips of the chipset. These are called the Northbridge and the Southbridge.

The Nehalem chipset connects directly to the processor rather than to the North Bridge.