Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (
More info?)
ediab,
I believe all recent mobos have northbridge and southbridge chipsets
although AMD64s may have moved the northbridge function to the processor.
Here's some info on northbridge function:
The northbridge typically handles communications between the CPU, RAM, AGP
port or PCI Express, and the southbridge. Some northbridges also contain
integrated video controllers. Because different processors and RAM require
different signalling, a northbridge will typically work with only one or two
classes of CPUs and generaly only one type of RAM. There are a few chipsets
that support two types of RAM (Generally these are available when there is a
shift to a new standard). For example, the northbridge from the nVidia
nForce2 chipset will only work with Duron, Athlon, and Athlon XP processors
combined with DDR SDRAM, the Intel i875 chipset will only work with systems
using Pentium 4 processors or Celeron processors that have a clock speed
greater than 1.3 GHz and utilize DDR SDRAM, and the Intel i915g chipset only
works with the Intel Pentium 4 and the Intel Celeron, but it can use DDR or
DDR2 memory
Wayne
"ediab" <ediab@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:tfednVGB77gVxBPfRVn-rQ@rogers.com...
> thanks for all your responses. i'm not excatly sure it has a Northbridge
> chipset, but i am assuming you are closest to the answer, because the
> larger fan is always on; i'm sure that is the most important one, and the
> smaller one is just that, small without a heatsink. this is what is
> written on the manual: Socket A, VIA VT8366 chipset with Palomino support,
> DDR DRAM.
> "WayneM" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:O9P0dESXFHA.2796@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>> ediab,
>>
>> Is it possible that the second fan on the mobo is for the VIA Northbridge
>> chipset? If this is the situation, that fan may only run under extreme
>> load
>> conditions.
>>
>> Wayne
>>
>> "ediab" <ediab@rogers.com> wrote in message
>> news:782dnZvBVPb2axHfRVn-uA@rogers.com...
>>> Hi, I was cleaning inside the box and noticed there are two fans on the
>>> mobo. I left the case open for the hell of it and noticed one of the
>>> fans never comes on (the smaller one which says cpu cooler); the larger
>>> one has a heatsink beneath it but no writing on the actual fan and is
>>> always on. Could someone please clarify any of this, and should I have
>>> the small one replaced? Thanks in advance.
>>>
>>> Asus A7V266 with an Athlon, Win. XP Pro
>>>
>>
>>
>
>