Front-side bus

The front-side bus (FSB) is a computer communication interface (<a href="/facts/Bus_(computing)/R45TKwS7">bus</a>) that was often used in <a href="/facts/Intel/SMF0gJJX">Intel</a>-chip-based computers during the 1990s and 2000s. The EV6 bus served the same function for competing AMD CPUs. Both typically carry data between the <a href="/facts/Central_processing_unit/Jxp1bqMV">central processing unit</a> (CPU) and a memory controller hub, known as the <a href="/facts/Northbridge_(computing)/XFbfH4Kl">northbridge</a>.
Depending on the implementation, some computers may also have a <a href="/facts/Back-side_bus/V84P5DL2">back-side bus</a> that connects the CPU to the <a href="/facts/CPU_cache/x8BYFcdv">cache</a>. This bus and the cache connected to it are faster than accessing the system memory (or RAM) via the front-side bus. The speed of the front side bus is often used as an important measure of the performance of a computer.
The original front-side bus architecture was replaced by <a href="/facts/HyperTransport/6CPnQ1RL">HyperTransport</a>, <a href="/facts/Intel_QuickPath_Interconnect/BUfedB2U">Intel QuickPath Interconnect</a>, and <a href="/facts/Direct_Media_Interface/ylK0cfmm">Direct Media Interface</a>, followed by <a href="/facts/Intel_Ultra_Path_Interconnect/Mpl8nWUW">Intel Ultra Path Interconnect</a> and AMD's <a href="/facts/Infinity_Fabric/6CPnQ1RL">Infinity Fabric</a>.

Front-side bus open-in-new

Front-side bus