<P> In computing, the term chipset commonly refers to a set of specialized chips on a computer's motherboard or an expansion card . In personal computers, the first chipset for the IBM PC AT of 1984 was the NEAT chipset developed by Chips and Technologies for the Intel 80286 CPU . </P> <P> In home computers, game consoles and arcade - game hardware of the 1980s and 1990s, the term chipset was used for the custom audio and graphics chips . Examples include the Commodore Amiga's Original Chip Set or SEGA's System 16 chipset . </P> <P> The term chipset often refers to a specific pair of chips on the motherboard: the northbridge and the southbridge . The northbridge links the CPU to very high - speed devices, especially RAM and graphics controllers, and the southbridge connects to lower - speed peripheral buses (such as PCI or ISA). In many modern chipsets, the southbridge contains some on - chip integrated peripherals, such as Ethernet, USB, and audio devices . </P> <P> Motherboards and their chipsets often come from different manufacturers . As of 2015, manufacturers of chipsets for x86 motherboards include AMD, Broadcom, Intel, NVIDIA, SiS and VIA Technologies . Apple computers and Unix workstations have traditionally used custom - designed chipsets . Some server manufacturers also develop custom chipsets for their products . </P>

Where is the chipset located on the motherboard