NorthBridge
The Southbridge, also known as an I/O Controller Hub (ICH) or a Platform Controller Hub (PCH) in Intel systems (AMD, VIA, SiS and others usually use 'southbridge'), is a chip that implements the "slower" capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture.The southbridge can usually be distinguished from the northbridge by not being directly connected to the CPU. Rather, the northbridge ties the southbridge to the CPU. Through the use of controller integrated channel circuitry, the northbridge can directly link signals from the I/O units to the CPU for data control and access.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southbridge_(computing)
The southbridge is a chip that connects thenorthbridge to other components inside the computer, including hard drives, network connections,USB and Firewire devices, the system clock, and standard PCI cards. The southbridge sends and receives data from the CPU through the northbridge chip, which is connected directly to the computer'sprocessor.
Typically, a PCI express x16 slot, where your graphics card is installed, is connected to the Northbridge, or in some occasions, to the CPU directly. Most other expansion cards run through the Southbridge. The northbridge has the shortest route to the CPU, making it the fastest. Used for AGP / PCI express graphics and RAM. Southbridge has the longest route to the CPU, so slower devices, such as IDE/SATA, USB, PCI all go through the southbridge. Hope this helps.
Contacts
I am not familiar with the term north pole or south pole in relation to a computer motherboard, and think it likely that the question refers to the north bridge and south bridge instead.The north and south bridges are parts of the chipset, which connects the CPU with memory, other direct main bus users (such as advanced graphics cards), and peripheral components.The north bridge provides a bus arbitration service between high performance components (CPU, memory, GPU), while the southbridge provides connectivity to other busses, such as the USB, PCI or IDE bus. In a graphical arrangement with the lesser peripheral components at the bottom of a drawing and the CPU on drawn on top, the northbridge is directly connected to the CPU and, therefore, resides "in the north." The southbridge itself connects to the northbridge, and in the drawing resides "further south."Northbridge and southbridge are conceptual ideas, and may not be implemented as dedicated chips in modern chipsets.
I am not familiar with the term north pole or south pole in relation to a computer motherboard, and think it likely that the question refers to the north bridge and south bridge instead.The north and south bridges are parts of the chipset, which connects the CPU with memory, other direct main bus users (such as advanced graphics cards), and peripheral components.The north bridge provides a bus arbitration service between high performance components (CPU, memory, GPU), while the southbridge provides connectivity to other busses, such as the USB, PCI or IDE bus. In a graphical arrangement with the lesser peripheral components at the bottom of a drawing and the CPU on drawn on top, the northbridge is directly connected to the CPU and, therefore, resides "in the north." The southbridge itself connects to the northbridge, and in the drawing resides "further south."Northbridge and southbridge are conceptual ideas, and may not be implemented as dedicated chips in modern chipsets.
North Bridge
North bridge
The North Bridge
north bridge
The Nehalem chipset connects directly to the processor rather than to the North Bridge.
The Nehalem chipset connects directly to the processor rather than to the North Bridge.