System and method for multi-frame received queuing with sorting in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) system

An ATM information system processes information at the frame level using a processor including a device driver; a system memory and an adapter for sorting data cells into partially completed frames stored in the system memory using control information provided by the device driver. A controller in the adapter determines when an end of frame indication is received in a cell and updates a pointer in system memory for a completed frame list to a recently completed frame. The device driver processes frames in a completed frame list according a priority of the list. The device driver processing is independent of the sorting and storing of completed frames received in the system memory which improves the performance of the driver and the ability to handle delay sensitive traffic.