In autumn 2007, chipsets of the third line from the manufacturer Intel were presented . The G31 chipset is integrated, and it replaced the old 945G chipsets. The south bridge has been used from older versions, which allows you to resolve the conflict regarding PATA support.
Specifications
The system bus of the G31 chipset called QPB 800 operates at a frequency of 1066 megahertz. This device is capable of supporting a dual-channel DDR2 RAM data transfer mode with a frequency of up to 800 megahertz. The maximum amount of RAM is four gigabytes. The type of chipset G31 is not designed to work with servers, so it is called pseudo-synchronous.
As for the integrated graphics adapter, the GMA 3100 provides good image quality and supports DirectX ninth version.
The data transfer rate between the bridges is two gigabytes per second, that is, one gigabyte per second goes in one direction.
The chipset is capable of supporting the operation of four SerialATA channels, which, according to the characteristics of the G31 chipset, means the ability to connect four hard drives that will work in SATA 300 mode. The last designation shows the data transfer speed inside the system, that is, the maximum speed will reach 300 megabytes per second.
As for energy consumption, there is nothing to worry about, since motherboards based on the G31 chipset are budget ones and do not have advanced functions.
Supported Processors
Motherboards with G31 chipset support processors created on the Core 2 Duo microarchitecture with a processor bus frequency of no more than 1066 megahertz. The heat dissipation of processors working with this chipset is about 50 watts. The chipset also works with Pentium and Celeron processors, but only with support for socket 775.
Overclocking potential
For an example of overclocking the G31 chipset , the Foxconn motherboard was taken as the basis . To use the board's memory settings, you need to go to the overclocking section called Fox Central Control Unit. After that, you need to choose the optimal frequency, that is, the highest. The higher the frequency, the higher the performance. Having chosen the highest value, you need to look in the system monitoring section. There, the temperature of the current state of the entire system will be displayed.
Now you can go directly to overclocking, and for this you need to proceed to the Fox Central Control Unit section. Choosing the maximum value, you can look at the performance gain. The G31 chipset is capable of overclocking the processor from 333 to a stable 600 megahertz.
An example of a motherboard with this chipset
As an example of the motherboard, a microATX format model from Asus is presented. This device is capable of working with dual-core processors, as well as with quad-core representatives of the Intel Core 2 and Quad Core series. The socket on the motherboard is P5KPL-AM 775, which means that the processors will fit only 45nm.
A universal system bus operating at frequencies of 800, 1066, 1333 and 1600 megahertz can support DDR2 RAM, reaching 1066 megahertz in operation.
To unleash the full potential of the processors running on this motherboard, you can overclock the system bus to 1600 megahertz.
As you know, to work with applications that use three-dimensional graphics, was more productive, on the motherboard there are two slots for RAM. The motherboard can support dual-channel data flow with a frequency of up to 1066 megahertz, which will increase the speed of demanding applications.
To implement and play modern computer games at that time, the PCI architecture was improved. Now this bus is called PCI Express. Four times the bandwidth allows you to enjoy every second in three-dimensional games.
Also, the G31-based motherboard has support for high-quality sound, additional settings for the BIOS from the manufacturer, a controller for system cooling, which optimizes its operation.
Conclusion
The choice of the rest of the equipment depends on the choice of a motherboard that runs on a particular chipset. Thanks to the chipset, the capabilities of the entire system are changing: the number of supported processors, component frequencies, integrated graphics processor parameters, power consumption, and much more.
Depending on the chipset, it can be assumed how powerful the system will be, what will be its overclocking potential. Choose you.
Motherboards based on the G31 chipset are budget-friendly and are not designed for server-side manipulations and other advanced functions. This version of the motherboard is ideal for the average user, that is, for working with simple applications, surfing sites and launching not too demanding games.
Different manufacturers add many additional functions to their motherboards, for example, such as power management or restoring BIOS program settings.