Ch 7: RAM Flashcards
What does the ‘S’ in SDRAM mean and how is it different from DRAM?
‘S’ stands for synchronous. Synchronous DRAM is tied to the System Clock along with the MCC and CPU.
A CPU is only as fast as the RAM provided OR RAM is only as good as the CPU provided?
A CPU is only as fast as the RAM provided. RAM is the bottle neck.
Rambus DRAM was different from mainstream SDRAM because it employed a ______-_______ architecture.
Dual-Channel
RDRAM required 2 RIMMs (sticks) or what in lieu of 2 sticks in order to take advantage of dual-channel architecture?
Continuity RIMM
In 2003, Intel stopped production RDRAM-related motherboards and MCC. What kind of RAM did the PC industry adopt? hint: double-data rate
DDR SDRAM
In order to take advantage of dual-channel architecture, how must the system SRAM be configured?
There can ONLY be 2 filled slots. If a 3rd slot is filled the system will use the full amount of RAM, BUT will deactivate the dual-channel feature.
Most common pin count for SDRAM on desktops
168-pin
Most common pin count for SDRAM on desktops
168-pin
168-pin DIMMs cater to what type of RAM?
SDRAM on desktops
168-pin DIMMs cater to what type of RAM?
SDRAM on desktops
68-pin, 144-pin, 172-pin micro-DIMM, and 200-pin SDRAM applies to what kind of machine?
Laptop
68-pin, 144-pin, 172-pin micro-DIMM, and 200-pin SDRAM applies to what kind of machine?
Laptop
When a DIMM is able to take advantage of all 64-bits of the data bus we say that it fills up the…
…bank
When a DIMM is able to take advantage of all 64-bits of the data bus we say that it fills up the…
…bank
When a memory module only occupies half of the bits on a data bus, like in some laptops, it is said to only fill up a…
half bank
When a memory module only occupies half of the bits on a data bus, like in some laptops, it is said to only fill up a…
half bank
What new feature did Rambus DRAM employ?
dual-channel memory
184-pin memory module denotes what kind(s) of memory?
Either desktop RDRAM or DDR SDRAM
What is the PC speed rating of DDR550?
550 x 8 = PC4400
What is the DDR speed rating on a PC 3500 system?
3500 / 8 = DDR433
Instead of DIMMs, what kind of memory module does RDRAM employ?
RIMMs
What is the primary difference between DDR and RDRAM?
Unlike RDRAM, DDR does not require that all slots be filled. RDRAM requires all banks to be filled with either Continuity RAM sticks or identical RIMMs.
What 2 features make DDR2 faster than DDR memory?
Input-Output circuits are doubled. Buffers are added.
What are the pin counts for DDR2 memory modules?
240-pin DIMM, 200-pin SO-DIMM
There can be no empty slots in an RDRAM system. What instead must take the place of empty slots?
Continuity RIMM
There can be no empty slots in an RDRAM system. What instead must take the place of empty slots?
Continuity RIMM
What new feature did Rambus DRAM employ?
dual-channel memory
What new feature did Rambus DRAM employ?
dual-channel memory
How does one obtain a PCxxxx speed rating?
Maximum RAM bytes per second x RAM width = PCxxxx
What is the PC speed rating of DDR550?
550 x 8 = PC4400
What is the DDR speed rating on a PC 3500 system?
3500 / 8 = DDR433
What must be done to take advantage of the dual-channel feature with DDR SDRAM?
Identical sticks of RAM must be inserted into paired slots. Refer to the motherboard manual to find out which slots are paired.
What is the primary difference between DDR and RDRAM
Unlike RDRAM, DDR does not require that all slots be filled. RDRAM requires all banks to be filled with either Continuity RAM sticks or identical RIMMs.
What makes DDR2 faster than DDR memory, primarily?
Core speed is not increased, but the Input-Output circuits are doubled.
What are the pin counts for DDR2 memory modules?
240-pin DIMM, 200-pin SO-DIMM
What makes DDR3 faster than DDR2?
DDR3 doubles the buffer size of DDR2 from 4 bits to 8 bits
What is XMP? How does it improve performance?
Extended Memory Profile. Power Users can overclock the RAM speed.
30% less electricity consumption is the advantage of which type of RAM?
DDR3
Some DDR3 motherboards support how many channels?
Triple Channel Memory
