Chipsets A chipset is a set of electronic components in an integrated circuit that manages the data flow between the processor, memory and peripherals. It is usually found in the motherboard of a computer. Chipsets are usually designed to work with a specific family of microprocessors. Because it controls communications between the processor and external devices, the chipset plays a crucial role in determining system performance. The chipset normally consists of two major microchips. These are known as the North bridge and the South Bridge. Developments in chip technologies have meant that chipset and CPU manufacturers are changing the way the chipset layout works, for example some CPU's come with a built in memory controller taking that job from the North Bridge, some chipsets have incorporated the north and south bridge in the same chip. The North Bridge Handles data for the graphics port whether that be AGP or PCI express and the main memory which includes the FSB (Front side bus). Although both chips are required for the PC to work the North Bridge handles most of the very important tasks such as the connection between the CPU and main memory bank. The South Bridge handles data from the PCI x1 slots and can also have integrated components such as Audio and/or onboard graphics. The North and South bridges will have different chip names even though they are very often paired with the same opposite bridge to come under the collective name of the chipset. Below is a diagram of the KT600 chipset from VIA technologies. This diagram shows how the components of your PC are connected to the chipset.

Motherboard Bus The motherboard bus is a set of wires that allows one part of the motherboard to connect and communicate with other parts of the motherboard, including the central processing unit (CPU). It also serves as an interface between the CPU and various external devices. The motherboard bus can be one of two types — internal and external. An internal bus serves as the communication highway of the motherboard. It links the different parts of the computer to the CPU and the main memory. Its primary task is to send data and instructions to the different parts within the motherboard, including the external bus. The external type of motherboard bus, which is also known as the expansion bus, serves as the interface for peripheral devices like hard disks, CD-ROM drives, and flash drives to get connected to the CPU. The shape of each interface is unique. This prevents plugging a device to a wrong port, which could cause damage to the device while being connected to the CPU.

Component Integration The motherboard includes some on-board components, meaning that they are integrated into its printed circuitry:
The chipset, a circuit which controls the majority of resources (including the bus interface with the processor, cache memory and random-access memory, expansion cards, etc.)
The CMOS clock and battery
The BIOS
The system bus and the expansion bus