Intel 810

Intel 810 chipset

The Intel i810 chipset was released by Intel in early 1999 with the code-name "Whitney" as a platform for the P6-based Socket 370 CPU series, including the Pentium III and Celeron processors. Some motherboard designs include Slot 1 for older Intel CPUs or a combination of both Socket 370 and Slot 1. It targeted the low-cost segment of the market, offering a robust platform for uniprocessor budget systems. The 810 was Intel's first chipset design based around a hub architecture which was claimed to have better I/O throughput.^[1]

Overview

Intel 810 chipset

There are 5 variants of the 810:

• 810-L: microATX (4 PCI), no display cache, ATA33 hard disk interface.
• 810: microATX (4 PCI), no display cache, ATA33 and ATA66.
• 810-DC100: ATX (6 PCI), 4 MB display cache (AIMM), ATA33 and ATA66.
• 810E: added support for 133mhz FSB, Pentium III or Celeron "Coppermine-EB" Series CPU.
• 810E2:added support for Pentium III and Celeron CPUs with 130 nm "Tualatin" core, ATA100 and 4 USB 1.1 ports.

Intel 810 attempted to integrate as much functionality into the motherboard as possible. Features include:^[1][2]

• 66 and 100 MHz bus support
• 2 USB ports
• An integrated graphics processor.
  • Based upon the Intel740 2D/3D accelerator (i752).
  • Optional dedicated video RAM cache or use of system RAM.
  • Hardware motion compensation for DVD playback.
  • Digital video output
• AC97 modem and audio

The hub design consisted of 3 chips, including the Graphics & Memory Controller Hub (GMCH), I/O Controller Hub (ICH), and the Firmware Hub (FWH). These components are connected by a separate 266 MB/s bus, double the previously typical 133 MB/s attachment via PCI-Bus. The added bandwidth was necessary because of increasing demands data transfer between components.^[2]

810 supports asynchronous bus clock operation between the chipset and CPU (front side bus) and the system RAM. So, if the machine is equipped with a Celeron that uses only a 66 MHz bus, PC100 SDRAM can still be taken advantage of and will benefit the IGP.^[2]

Boards based on the chipset rarely have^{[citation needed]} an AGP expansion slot, leaving the user to make do with PCI for video card options. 810-based boards include an AMR expansion slot.

See also

• List of Intel chipsets
• Intel P6 (microarchitecture)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Intel 810, Intel.com, accessed March 12, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Intel 810 Chipset Review, X-bit Labs, May 25, 1999.