Final answer:
The Sandy Bridge chipset uses a single chipset housing named the Platform Controller Hub, combining the roles of the previous two-chipset Northbridge and Southbridge design. The earlier Nehalem chipset used two chipset housings, separating high-speed communications and I/O functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sandy Bridge chipset family from Intel typically uses a single chipset housing called a Platform Controller Hub (PCH). This was a change from previous generations such as Nehalem, which used a two-chipset design consisting of a Northbridge and Southbridge. With the introduction of the Sandy Bridge architecture, Intel combined the functionalities of the Northbridge and Southbridge into one chip, which helped to improve performance and reduce power consumption.
The Nehalem chipset, which preceded Sandy Bridge, indeed used two separate chipset housings on the motherboard. The Northbridge was responsible for communications between the CPU, memory, and high-speed graphics interfaces, while the Southbridge handled input/output (I/O) functions, such as onboard audio, network controllers, and connectivity options.