Platform Controller Hub
Encyclopedia
The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) is a family of Intel
microchip
s. I/O Functions have been reassigned between the PCH, a new central hub, and the CPU. Some northbridge
functions, the memory controller and PCI-e lanes, were integrated into the CPU while the PCH took over the remaining functions in addition to the traditional roles of the southbridge
.
. The speed of CPU kept increasing, but the bandwidth of the front-side bus (FSB) (connection between the CPU and the motherboard) did not, thus a bottleneck would occur.
Before the Platform Controller Hub, a motherboard would have a two piece chipset consisting of a northbridge chip and a southbridge chip. As a solution to the bottleneck, several functions belonging to the traditional northbridge
and southbridge
chipsets were rearranged. The northbridge is now eliminated completely and its functions, the integrated memory controller (IMC) and graphics lanes, are now incorporated into the CPU die or package.
The PCH then incorporates a few of the remaining northbridge functions(e.g clocking) in addition to all of the southbridge's functions. The system clock is previously a connection and is now fused in with the PCH. Two different connections exist between the PCH and the CPU: Flexible Display Interface
(FDI) and Direct Media Interface
(DMI). The FDI is only used when the chipset requires supporting a processor with integrated graphics.
With the northbridge functions integrated to the CPU, much of the bandwidth needed for chipsets are now relieved.
chipsets were the first to introduce a PCH. This first PCH is codenamed Ibex Peak.
This has the following variations:
Lincroft microprocessors.
This has the following variations:
Pineview microprocessors.
This has the following variations:
Tunnel Creek microprocessors.
It connects to the processor via PCI-E
(vs. DMI
as other PCHs do).
This has the following variations:
processors.
This has the following variations:
Lincroft microprocessors.
This has the following variations:
will have integrated USB 3.0
Tylersburg based platform will likely be replaced by Waimea Bay which includes a Sandy Bridge-E CPU and an X79
Patsburg PCH.
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
microchip
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s. I/O Functions have been reassigned between the PCH, a new central hub, and the CPU. Some northbridge
Northbridge (computing)
The northbridge has historically been one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge. Increasingly these functions have migrated to the CPU chip itself, beginning with memory and graphics controllers. For Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Fusion...
functions, the memory controller and PCI-e lanes, were integrated into the CPU while the PCH took over the remaining functions in addition to the traditional roles of the southbridge
Southbridge (computing)
The southbridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a personal computer motherboard, the other being the northbridge. The southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset...
.
History
The new PCH-oriented platform architecture was designed to address the eventual problem of a bottleneck between the processor and the motherboardMotherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
. The speed of CPU kept increasing, but the bandwidth of the front-side bus (FSB) (connection between the CPU and the motherboard) did not, thus a bottleneck would occur.
Before the Platform Controller Hub, a motherboard would have a two piece chipset consisting of a northbridge chip and a southbridge chip. As a solution to the bottleneck, several functions belonging to the traditional northbridge
Northbridge (computing)
The northbridge has historically been one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge. Increasingly these functions have migrated to the CPU chip itself, beginning with memory and graphics controllers. For Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Fusion...
and southbridge
Southbridge (computing)
The southbridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a personal computer motherboard, the other being the northbridge. The southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset...
chipsets were rearranged. The northbridge is now eliminated completely and its functions, the integrated memory controller (IMC) and graphics lanes, are now incorporated into the CPU die or package.
The PCH then incorporates a few of the remaining northbridge functions(e.g clocking) in addition to all of the southbridge's functions. The system clock is previously a connection and is now fused in with the PCH. Two different connections exist between the PCH and the CPU: Flexible Display Interface
Flexible Display Interface
FDI or Flexible Display Interface is an interconnect created by Intel in order to allow the communication of the HD Graphics integrated GPU found on supported CPUs with the PCH southbridge where display connectors are attached...
(FDI) and Direct Media Interface
Direct Media Interface
The Direct Media Interface is the link between an Intel northbridge and an Intel southbridge on a computer motherboard. It was first used between the 9xx chipsets and the ICH6, released in 2004. Previous chipsets had used the Hub Interface to perform the same function. Server chipsets use a...
(DMI). The FDI is only used when the chipset requires supporting a processor with integrated graphics.
With the northbridge functions integrated to the CPU, much of the bandwidth needed for chipsets are now relieved.
Ibex Peak
The Intel 5 SeriesIntel 5 Series
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 and a single chipset...
chipsets were the first to introduce a PCH. This first PCH is codenamed Ibex Peak.
This has the following variations:
- BD3400 (PCH 3400) Server
- BD3420 (PCH 3420) Server
- BD3450 (PCH 3450) Server
- BD82P55 (PCH P55Intel P55The Intel P55 is the first desktop chipset from Intel based on the PCH chipset design. The P55 Express chipset uses the LGA 1156 socket. Compatible CPUs include the Core i3, i5, and i7 processor line along with a Pentium Processor G6950...
) Desktop Base - BD82H55 (PCH H55) Desktop Home
- BD82H57 (PCH H57) Desktop Home
- BD82Q57 (PCH Q57) Desktop Office
- BD82PM55 (PCH PM55) Mobile Base
- BD82HM55 (PCH HM55) Mobile Home
- BD82HM57 (PCH HM57) Mobile Home
- BD82QM57 (PCH QM57) Mobile Office
- BD82QS57 (PCH QS57) Mobile SFF
Issues
- USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
ports hang with bulk and control traffic (erratum 7 & Microsoft KB982091http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982091) - Bogus USB ports will be detected at desktop PCH equipped with 6 USB ports (3420, H55) on the first EHCI controller. This can happen when AC power is removed after entering ACPI S4. Adding AC power back and resuming from S4 may result in non detected or even non functioning USB device (erratum 12)
- Bogus USB ports will be detected at mobile PCH equipped with 6 USB ports (HM55) on the first EHCI controller. This can happen when AC power and battery are removed after entering ACPI S4. Adding AC power or battery back and resuming from S4 may result in non detected or even non functioning USB device (erratum 13)
- Reading the HPETHigh Precision Event TimerThe High Precision Event Timer is a hardware timer used in personal computers. It was developed jointly by Intel and Microsoft and has been incorporated in PC chipsets since circa 2005...
comparator timer immediately after a write, returns the old value (erratum 14) - SATA 6Gb/s devices may not be detected at cold boot or after ACPI S3, S4 resume (erratum 21)
Langwell
Langwell is the codename of a PCH in the Moorestown MID platform chipset. for AtomIntel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
Lincroft microprocessors.
This has the following variations:
- AF82MP20 (PCH MP20)
- AF82MP30 (PCH MP30)
Tiger Point
Tiger Point is the codename of a PCH in the Pine Trail netbook platform chipset for AtomIntel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
Pineview microprocessors.
This has the following variations:
- CG82NM10 (PCH NM10)
Topcliff
Topcliff is the codename of a PCH in the Queens Bay embedded platform chipset for AtomIntel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
Tunnel Creek microprocessors.
It connects to the processor via PCI-E
PCI Express
PCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
(vs. DMI
Direct Media Interface
The Direct Media Interface is the link between an Intel northbridge and an Intel southbridge on a computer motherboard. It was first used between the 9xx chipsets and the ICH6, released in 2004. Previous chipsets had used the Hub Interface to perform the same function. Server chipsets use a...
as other PCHs do).
This has the following variations:
- CS82TPCF (PCH EG20T)
Cougar Point
Cougar Point is the codename of a PCH in Intel 6 Series chipsets for mobile, desktop, and workstation / server platforms. It is most closely associated with Sandy BridgeSandy Bridge (microarchitecture)
Sandy Bridge is the codename for a microarchitecture developed by Intel beginning in 2005 for central processing units in computers to replace the Nehalem microarchitecture...
processors.
This has the following variations:
- BD82C202 (PCH C202) Server
- BD82C204 (PCH C204) Server
- BD82C206 (PCH C206) Workstation / Server
- BD82P67 (PCH P67) Desktop Base
- BD82H67 (PCH H67) Desktop Home
- BD82H61 (PCH H61) Desktop Home
- BD82Z68 (PCH Z68) Combined desktop base and home
- BD82B65 (PCH B65) Desktop Office
- BD82Q67 (PCH Q67) Desktop Office
- BD82HM65 (PCH HM65) Mobile Home
- BD82HM67 (PCH HM67) Mobile Home
- BD82QM67 (PCH QM67) Mobile Office
- BD82QS67 (PCH QS67) Mobile SFF
- BD82UM67 (PCH UM67) Ultra Mobile
Issues
In the first month of Cougar Point's release, January 2011, Intel posted a press release stating a design error had been discovered. Specifically, a transistor in the 3 Gbps PLL clocking tree was receiving too high voltage. The projected result was a 5–15% failure rate within three years of 3 Gbps SATA ports, commonly used for storage devices such as hard drives and DVD drives. Through OEMs, Intel plans to repair or replace all affected products at a cost of $700 million.Whitney Point
Whitney Point is the codename of a PCH in the Oak Trail platform chipset for AtomIntel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
Lincroft microprocessors.
This has the following variations:
- 82SM35 (PCH SM35)
Panther Point
According to Intel roadmaps, the next PCH to replace Cougar Point will be Panther Point and will be paired with Ivy Bridge processors. This chipsetSouthbridge (computing)
The southbridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a personal computer motherboard, the other being the northbridge. The southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset...
will have integrated USB 3.0
USB 3.0
USB 3.0 is the second major revision of the Universal Serial Bus standard for computer connectivity.USB 3.0 has transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s, which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0 . USB 3.0 significantly reduces the time required for data transmission, reduces power consumption, and...
Future
The Intel X58Intel X58
The Intel X58 is an Intel chip designed to connect Intel processors with Intel QuickPath Interconnect interface to peripheral devices. Supported processors implement the Nehalem microarchitecture and therefore have an integrated memory controller , so the X58 does not have a memory interface...
Tylersburg based platform will likely be replaced by Waimea Bay which includes a Sandy Bridge-E CPU and an X79
Intel X79
The Intel X79 is an Intel Platform Controller Hub It is designed to connect an Intel processor through a DMI 2.0 interface to peripheral devices...
Patsburg PCH.
See also
- List of Intel chipsets
- System Controller Hub (SCH)
- I/O Controller HubI/O Controller HubI/O Controller Hub , also known as Intel 82801, is an Intel southbridge on motherboards with Intel chipsets . As with any other southbridge, the ICH is used to connect and control peripheral devices.- ICH :...
(ICH) - PCI IDE ISA Xcelerator (PIIX)