The chipset controls the system and its capabilities. All components communicate with the processor through the chipset - it is the hub of all data transfer. The chipset uses the DMA controller and the bus controller to organize the steady flow of data that it controls. The chipset is a series of chips attached directly to the motherboard, and is usually second in size only to the processor. Chipsets are integrated (soldered onto the motherboard) and are not upgradeable without a new motherboard. The chipset is comprised of one or more electronic components that connect such mainboard components as the processor, expansion bus, and internal memory. The speed of the mainboard is determined in part by the speed of the chip set used. After all, if instructions from the processor take a long time to be communicated to an expansion card, the speed of the entire system will suffer.
