The South Bridge of the motherboard: what is it and what is it for? Why is the southern bridge heated?

All more or less literate users of PCs and laptops probably heard about such concepts as the north bridge and the south bridge. However, it is one thing to hear, and quite another to understand what it is and what it is for. If these components fail, repairmen confine themselves to an impersonal phrase such as "burned north / south bridge, replacement is required". And no one will bother to explain to the poor user what exactly happened to his computer. And knowing this is very useful. So let's examine this topic in this article.

What is the south bridge?

The south bridge of the motherboard is a controller that is responsible for the operation of some important components of the computer. It manages the operation of USB ports, PCI slots, power, direct memory access controller, interrupt controller, real-time clock, sound controller and other important components. Without this component, the normal operation of the computer is not possible. It simply will not turn on if the bridge suddenly fails. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor it.

Of course, if the south bridge of the laptop goes down, it's not as fatal as in the case of the north, but still unpleasant. In fact then the personal computer or the laptop simply will not be launched. But with diagnostics there are no problems. It is immediately understandable that it burned down. But let's move on to this very diagnosis and figure out how to understand that this bridge was out of order.

Troubleshooting

As a rule, diagnosing a malfunction is the first step to understanding the problem and understanding the next steps. How to understand that the southern bridge "ordered to live long"? Very simple. In most cases, the computer just does not turn on and nastily squeaks. But here everything depends on the degree of damage to the controller. In the case of laptops, USB ports, a touchpad and other peripherals that depend entirely on this bridge may not work.

Also, the symptom of the malfunction of this particular element may be an incorrect global time in the BIOS and the operating system itself. The option with complete disappearance of sound is also possible. Even the fact that the south bridge is warming above the permissible temperature can be a very disturbing symptom. It can only mean one thing: very soon it will burn out. Therefore, urgent measures must be taken.

Causes of breakage

There may be many, but the most common is overheating. The South Bridge, in fact, is a chipset. Therefore, it needs high-quality cooling. If the cooling system of a PC or laptop is malfunctioning, it is very likely that the controller will burn out. Also very popular are physical injuries. A small impact in the right place is enough - and the fragile structure of the chipset will be irretrievably damaged. And this is the direct way to the service center. Without this, nothing at all.

Also, the likelihood of liquid getting to the motherboard near the location of the south bridge is very high. One drop is enough to cause a short circuit. The controller will burn very quickly. Another common cause of failure is the marriage of the chipset. But it is very easy to verify, as manufacturers spread the list of defective controllers. They will break anyway. And it does not matter, the south bridge is either north or north.

Repairs

The whole trouble is that repair of such a component is impossible. Only the replacement of the south bridge will help. The fact is that a person can not repair a chipset, because it was created by high-tech robots. The person does not have enough accuracy. And there are no such tools for anyone. So without a visit to the service center repairmen still can not do. Just do not give your computer in the hands of all the "folk craftsmen" who promise to change the bridge at half price. Such a grief-specialist can easily kill not only all bridges, but also other fragile components of the computer. Apply only to professionals.

If you have a known defective controller installed in the motherboard on the site of the south bridge, and the manufacturer confirms it, you can change it immediately after the purchase. It will not cost you a penny, because this is a guarantee case. You will simply install the chipset without a defect. It is better not to pull and immediately contact an authorized service center, for the consequences can be very sad when you put this case on hold.

Prevention

To ensure that the south bridge of the motherboard worked for a long time and without any problems, it is necessary to observe very simple rules for operating a computer or a laptop. First, do not neglect the cleaning of the device from dirt and dust. Even a small layer of dust can damage the bridge controller. And clogged with cooler coolers and ventilation slots can easily lead to overheating and failure of the element. Secondly, do not expose the device to physical effects. The slightest damage can have the most unfortunate consequences. Neglect this is not worth it, because you can lose not only the south bridge of the device.

Third, do not have the habit of eating and drinking around the laptop. Spilled tea and coffee can provoke fatal consequences. One drop of any liquid is enough to cause a short circuit, and the south bridge is out of order. Also, do not bring your laptop to the bathroom. Even if you do not paw it with wet hands, nobody canceled the condensate. Fourth, keep away from laptop or PC pets. Wool very quickly clogs the ventilation slots, coolers and other components of the cooling system. Hence the overheating and exit of the south bridge is out of order. Use your device carefully. And then you will not have problems.

Conclusion

So, above was considered such a component of the motherboard of a computer or laptop, like the south bridge. Now you know what he is responsible for. Although this controller is not as important as the north bridge, but without it you can not turn on the PC or laptop. In order for this component to be intact and secure, it is enough to follow simple rules for safe operation of the computer. Then your laptop will serve you faithfully for a long time. Now you know how to diagnose the failure of this particular component of the system. And never refer to "folk craftsmen". Better trust the gadget to professionals.