Intel 5 Series is a computing architecture introduced in 2008 that improves the efficiency and balances the use of communication channels in the motherboard. The architecture consists primarily of a

central processing unit A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just Processor (computing), processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes Instruction (computing), instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU per ...

(CPU) (connected to the graphics card and memory) and a single

chipset In a computer system, a chipset is a set of electronic components in one or more integrated circuits known as a "Data Flow Management System" that manages the data flow between the processor, memory and peripherals. It is usually found on the mo ...

(connected to motherboard components). All motherboard communications and activities circle around these two devices. The architecture is a product of adjustments made to the Intel 4 Series to deliver higher performance motherboards while maintaining efficiency and low power. The changes revolve around chipset and processor design, in conjunction with a rearrangement of functions and controllers. The result is the first major change in many years of computing.

Design concept

The concept of the architecture was to improve motherboard mechanics to keep pace with the CPU as it gained more speed and multiplied in number of cores. In the previous architecture, the CPU was communicating heavily with the motherboard's central component, the Northbridge chipset, as it was the intermediary between the CPU, memory, and, in most cases, graphics card. The CPU would communicate with the Northbridge chipset when it needed data from the memory or when it needed to output graphics to the display. This arrangement caused the communication channel known as the

front-side bus A front-side bus (FSB) is a computer communication interface (bus) that was often used in Intel-chip-based computers during the 1990s and 2000s. The EV6 bus served the same function for competing AMD CPUs. Both typically carry data between the ...

(FSB) to be heavily used. It was not long till either the FSB would reach full capacity or operate inefficiently with more cores. With the memory controller and/or graphics core moved into the processor, the reliance of separate motherboard chipsets for these functions are reduced.

Ibex Peak

Intel 5 Series (Ibex Peak) Motherboard Solution The ''Ibex Peak'' chipset includes only

Platform Controller Hub The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) is a family of Intel's single-chip chipsets, first introduced in 2009. It is the successor to the Intel Hub Architecture, which used two chips - a northbridge and southbridge, and first appeared in the Intel 5 ...

(PCH) per model, which provides peripheral connections, and display controllers for CPU with integrated graphics via Flexible Display Interface (excluding P-models). Additionally, the PCH is connected to the CPU via

Direct Media Interface In computing, Direct Media Interface (DMI) is Intel's proprietary link between the northbridge and southbridge on a computer motherboard. It was first used between the 9xx chipsets and the ICH6, released in 2004. Previous Intel chipsets had us ...

(DMI). Taking advantage of Intel ''Nehalem'' CPUs with integrated graphics and PCI Express ports, the

Intel Management Engine The Intel Management Engine (ME), also known as the Intel Manageability Engine, is an autonomous subsystem that has been incorporated in virtually all of Intel's processor chipsets since 2008. It is located in the Platform Controller Hub of mo ...

(ME) and a display controller for integrated graphics, once housed in north bridge, are moved into the

(PCH). The

I/O Controller Hub I/O Controller Hub (ICH) is a family of Intel southbridge microchips used to manage data communications between a CPU and a motherboard, specifically Intel chipsets based on the Intel Hub Architecture. It is designed to be paired with a second su ...

(ICH) function is integrated into the PCH, removing the need for separate north bridge and south bridge.

Tylersburg

The ''Tylersburg'' family of chipsets is for Socket

LGA 1366 LGA 1366 (land grid array 1366), also known as Socket B, is an Intel CPU socket. This socket supersedes Intel's LGA 775 (Socket T) in the high-end and performance desktop segments. It also replaces the server-oriented LGA 771 (Socket J) in the e ...

supporting CPUs with triple channel memory controllers. Unlike the ''Ibex Peak'' chipsets, The Tylersburg family of chipsets do not include the PCH, and the I/O Hub mainly provides extra PCI Express 2.0 ports. Peripheral connections are provided by I/O Controller Hub (ICH) connected to the DMI interface. Intel 5 series IOH support ICH10, while Intel 5500 Series IOH support ICH9 or ICH10.

Single socket Nehalem-based chipset

* ¹ Nehalem moves the memory controller into the processor, thereby obsoleting the north bridge. Despite that, LGA 1366 still features a north and a south bridge. The X58 IOH acts as a bridge from the QPI to PCI Express peripherals and DMI to the ICH10/ICH10R southbridge. * ² X58 TDP includes the X58 IOH TDP in addition to the ICH10/ICH10R TDP.

Dual socket Nehalem-based Xeon chipsets

The Nehalem-based Xeons for dual-socket systems, initially launched as the Xeon 55xx series, feature a very different system structure: the memory controllers are on the CPU, and the CPUs can communicate with one another as peers without going via the chipset. This means that the 5500 and 5520 (initial codename Tylersburg-EP) chipsets are essentially

QPI The Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) is a point-to-point processor interconnect developed by Intel which replaced the front-side bus (FSB) in Xeon, Itanium, and certain desktop platforms starting in 2008. It increased the scalability and availab ...

to PCI Express interfaces; the 5520 is more intended for graphical workstations and the 5500 for servers that do not need vast amounts of PCI Express connectivity

Notes

References

{{Reflist

External links

Ibex Peak

*Intel 5 series
H55H57

P55Q57
*Mobile Intel 5 series
PM55QM57QS57Intel 5 Series Chipset and Intel 3400 Series ChipsetSupport for the Intel 5 Series ChipsetIntel's "Ibex Peak"

Tylersburg

*Intel 5500 series
55005520
Intel chipsets

Design concept

Ibex Peak

Tylersburg

Single socket Nehalem-based chipset

Dual socket Nehalem-based Xeon chipsets

See also

Notes

References

External links

Ibex Peak

Tylersburg