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The right chipset
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Selecting the right chipset for PCs is as crucial as deciding which processor and how much memory one needs.
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CUSTOMERS SHOPPING for a PC have learnt to ask for the right processor, memory and graphics that meet their requirement. But how many of us ever bother to ask what chipset — the system co-processor that works with the main processor on the motherboard and does the actual number crunching routines — we want? While the chipset may seem a matter of minor detail, the multiple flavours recently released by Intel dictate that we know what to ask for.
Life has become complicated in recent weeks because Intel has now introduced three different types of the basic 845 chipset. Suffixed 845 E, G and GL, these new releases go beyond the year-old 845 since they now accept not just any old SDRAM, but the faster variety called DDR (Double Data Rate). How do you decide which flavour of 845 is for you? Here's a rough guide.
-- 845E (think of it as E for `Elite') is meant for the high-end users whose Pentium 4 clocks the top speeds of 2.4 or 2.53 gigahertz. Supports DDR SDRAM, as well as the old RDRAM if you choose.
-- 845G (think of it as `General') is meant for the broad range of home and office users. Supports a slower type of DDR SDRAM but also allows usage of SDRAM.
-- 845GL (must be named for the `General-to-Low end') is for those who use the older Pentium 4s or the budget Celeron chips. The problem is that, with chips like the Celeron, games and 3D graphics will seem very slow because the chipset grabs about 48 MB from the main memory to deliver these functions.
The 845GL will render obsolete the 810 and 815 chipsets that are common in this segment. Armed with this information, you should be able to specify a chipset that will help the PC deliver the best performance you can expect at the price you can afford.
A.VISHNU
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