---
tags:
  - hardware
  - computer-architecture
---

# Chipset and controllers

A **controller** is simply a circuit that controls a process. The **chipset** is
a combination of controllers placed on the same piece of silicon.

The chipset manages the data flow between the different components that comprise
the [motherboard](Motherboard.md): processor,
[memory](Memory.md),
[harddisk](What_are_disks.md) and peripherals.

Buses run in and out of the chipset into these key motherboard components. The
main chipset is a kind of junction that sits between the memory and CPU through
which the [system bus](Bus.md) passes.

The chipset is sometimes called the "glue" or "traffic controller" of the
motherboard or _an intelligent intersection of buses_.
