Supero C2SBM-Q, User Manual

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Chapter 1: Introduction
1-9
1-2 Chipset Overview
The Intel Q35 Chipset is specially designed for use with Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad
processors. It consists of two primary components: the Graphic Memory Control-
ler Hub (GMCH) and the I/O Controller Hub (ICH9DO). The GMCH manages the
data flow between the CPU interface, the System Memory interface, the External
Graphics interface, and the I/O Controller through the DMI (Direct Media) Interface.
The ICH9DO provides a multitude of I/O related functions.
Graphic Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
Utilizing a single LGA 775 socket processor, the Q35 GMCH supports an FSB
frequency of 1333/1066/800 MHz. Host-initiated I/O cycles are decoded to the PCI-
Express, the DMI, or the GMCH configuration space. Host-initiated memory cycles
are decoded to PCI-Express, DMI or system memory. The GMCH supports 36-bit
host bus addressing and a Cache Line Size of 64 bytes.
The GMCH supports one or two channels of DDR2 memory with up to two DIMMs
per channel with a maximum bandwidth of 6.4 GB/s in asymmetric mode or 12.8
GB/s in symmetric mode using DDR2 800 MHz memory. It also supports an op-
portunistic refresh scheme, a memory thermal management scheme and Partial
Writes to Memory using Data Mask (DM) signals.
The GMCH contains one PCI-Express x16 port intended for an external PCI-Express
graphics card that is compatible with the PCI Express Base Specification revision
1.1. This PCI-E x16 port runs at a frequency of 2.5 GB/s on each lane and supports
a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 40 GB/s in each direction for an aggregate of 8
GB/s @ x16. It supports traditional PCI-/AGP-style traffic and a PCI-Exp. Enhanced
Addressing Mechanism with advanced capabilities in automatic discovery, negotia-
tion and training of link out of reset.
Providing the high-speed, chip-to-chip connection between the GMCH and ICH9
is the Direct Media Interface (DMI). The DMI integrates advanced priority-based
servicing, allowing for concurrent traffic, true isochronous transfer capabilities and
permitting current as well as legacy software to function seamlessly.
Intel ICH9DO System Features
The Intel 9th Generation I/O Controller Hub (ICH9DO) supports a variety of I/O
related functions and PCI devices, including the following:
DMI-to PCI Bridge •
LPC Controller •
SATA Controllers #1 and #2 •
Thermal Subsystem •
SMBus Controller •
USB FS/LS UHCI Controllers #1, #2 •
Note: For more information on the ICH9DO, please refer to Intel's website.