Intel I/O Controller Hub – Part 2

A family of Intel southbridge microchips, I/O Controller Hub (ICH) is used to manage data communications between a CPU and a motherboard. This specifically holds for Intel chipsets based on the Intel Hub Architecture. It is designed to be paired with a second support chip known as a northbridge. The ICH is used to connect and control peripheral devices.

ICH2

Since customers were not willing to pay the high prices for RDRAM or buy i810 or i440BX motherboards, the hastily developed 82815 northbridge, which supported PC-133 SDRAM, became Intel’s method to recover in the middle class segment. The ICH1 or the new ICH2 (360 pins) can be placed to the side of the 82815 and can also be used with Intel’s 82850 chipset. For the first time, a Fast Ethernet chip (82559) was integrated into the southbridge, depending upon an external PHY chip. Variants:

82801BA (ICH2)
82801BAM (ICH2-M) Mobile

ICH3

ICH3 was delivered in 2001 and was available in two versions: the server version, ICH3-S, running with the E7501 Northbridge, and the mobile version, ICH3-M, which worked with the i830 and i845 northbridges. The changes were limited in comparison with the ICH2: “Native Mode” support in the PATA Controller; up to six USB-1.1 devices; SMBus 2.0; and the newest SpeedStep version, which allowed power-saving devices to be switched off during operation. The chip had 421 pins. Variants:

82801CA (ICH3-S) Server
82801CAM (ICH3-M) Mobile

ICH4

Delivered in 2002, the ICH4 was Intel’s southbridge. The support of USB 2.0 on all six ports was the most important innovation. Sound support was improved and corresponded the newest AC’97 specification, version 2.3. It also had 421 pins. Variants: