Randall R Schulz wrote:
Sandy,
On Friday 18 February 2005 14:41, Sandy Drobic wrote:
...
Can't comment on sun hardware, but imho onboard nic directly connected to the chipset is a recent development, I think Intels ICH6 and nForce 3/4 have that feature.
I have a (so-far) late-model Intel board, their D865PERL. The block diagram indicates that both the 10/100 Base-T and optional gigabit Ethernet ports do indeed attach directly to the ICH and the MCH, resp. (The I/O controller hub and memory controller hub, resp. are parts of the so-called "chipset.") I find it mildly interesting that the 10/100 Base-T and gigabit interfaces do not both attach either to the MCH or the ICH but rather are split between them. The PCI bus (as well as the PATA and SATA interfaces, the USB buses and the on-board audio) are also attached to the ICH. The IEEE1394 interface is connected via the PCI bus.
I do not know about Intel, but I remember reading a while back review on TomsHardware.com that nVidia's nForce2 chipsets purposely put the gigabit on the MCH to avoid bottlenecking on the ICH. It makes sense splitting them off like that - though its definitely a custom hack for the chipset folks at that point. - Richard