Editing Northbridge (computing) (section)

==Evolution==
[[File:IBM ThinkPad T42 Motherboard.jpg|thumb|A part of an [[IBM ThinkPad T42]] laptop motherboard]]
The overall trend in processor design has been to integrate more functions onto fewer components, which decreases overall motherboard cost and improves performance. The [[memory controller]], which handles communication between the CPU and RAM, was moved onto the processor [[Die (integrated circuit)|die]] by AMD beginning with their [[AMD K8]] processors and by Intel with their [[Nehalem (microarchitecture)|Nehalem]] processors. One of the advantages of having the memory controller integrated on the CPU die is to reduce latency from the CPU to memory.

Some northbridge chips have supported dual processors, for example Intel's 5000X memory controller used in the original [[Mac Pro]] from 2006.

Another example of this kind of change is [[Nvidia]]'s [[nForce3]] for [[AMD K8]] systems. It combines all of the features of a normal [[southbridge (computing)|southbridge]] with an [[Accelerated Graphics Port]] (AGP) port and connects directly to the CPU. On [[nForce4]] boards it was marketed as a media communications processor (MCP).

[[AMD Accelerated Processing Unit]] processors feature full integration of northbridge functions onto the CPU chip or package, along with processor cores, memory controller, high speed [[PCI Express]] interface (usually for graphics card), and integrated graphics processing unit ([[iGPU]]). This was an evolution of the AMD K8, since the memory controller was integrated on the CPU die in the AMD64.

The northbridge was replaced by the system agent introduced by the Intel [[Sandy Bridge]] microarchitecture in 2011, which essentially handles all previous Northbridge functions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/3922/intels-sandy-bridge-architecture-exposed/4 |title=The Ring Bus & System Agent - Intel's Sandy Bridge Architecture Exposed |publisher=Anandtech.com |access-date=2015-05-07}}</ref> Intel's Sandy Bridge processors feature full integration of northbridge functions onto the CPU chip, along with processor cores, memory controller, high speed PCI Express interface and integrated [[graphics processing unit]] (GPU). This was a further evolution of the Westmere architecture, which also featured a CPU and GPU [[System in package|in the same package]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/intel_core_i5_2500k_and_core_i7_2600k_sandy_bridge.html |title=Intel Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K (Sandy Bridge) - Introduction |publisher=Legionhardware.com |access-date=2015-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605101205/http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/intel_core_i5_2500k_and_core_i7_2600k_sandy_bridge.html |archive-date=2016-06-05 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Recent AMD processors starting with the [[Zen 2]] have moved some I/O functions out of the CPU die onto an I/O die on the same [[Multi-chip module|MCM]] package as the CPU. This die is not normally considered to be part of the Northbridge, since it is in the same package as the CPU, but it serves some of the same functions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chiplets Are the Future, but They Won't Replace Moore's Law |url=https://www.extremetech.com/computing/280344-chiplets-are-the-future-but-they-wont-replace-moores-law}}</ref>