Chapter 5: RAM

Question 1

DDR2

Answer 1

runs faster, uses less power than DDR - input/output circuits are clock doubled (240 pins)

Question 2

DDR3L

Answer 2

low-voltage DDR3

Question 3

single-sided RAM

Answer 3

has chips only on one side of the stick

Question 4

non-maskable interrupt

Answer 4

a major error which the CPU cannot ignore, and the operating system has to shut down

Question 5

triple-channel architecture

Answer 5

like dual-channel architecture, but with 3 RAM modules

Question 6

ReadyBoost

Answer 6

a feature in Windows Vista and later that allows you to use a USB flash drive as very fast virtual memory

Question 7

single inline memory module (SIMM)

Answer 7

early RAM sticks - these had redundant connections on both sides of the stick, so they could only provide 32-bit data path

Question 8

DDR3

Answer 8

doubles buffer of DDR2 from 4 to 8 bits, allowing much more bandwidth - clock speeds are quadrupled (240 pins, slotted differently from DDR2)

Question 9

DDR3U

Answer 9

ultra-low-voltage DDR3

Question 10

stick

Answer 10

another name for a module of RAM

Question 11

double-sided RAM

Answer 11

basically two sticks of RAM on one board

Question 12

Windows Memory Diagnostic

Answer 12

(Windows 7 and later) automatically scans the computer’s RAM when there is a problem

Question 13

serial presence detect (SPD)

Answer 13

a chip on the RAM module that stores information about it - used to help the motherboard automatically set up the RAM

Question 14

DDR4

Answer 14

higher density, lower voltage than DDR3 (288 pins)

Question 15

parity RAM

Answer 15

the first type of error-detecting RAM - stored an extra bit of data (parity bit) to verify if data was correct

Question 16

error correction code RAM (ECC RAM)

Answer 16

detects and fixes errors in data on the fly, but at a performance and price cost

Question 17

disk thrashing

Answer 17

excessive use of the hard drive that occurs when the operating system is swapping programs in and out of the page file - a symptom of too little RAM in a machine

Question 18

page file

Answer 18

the file on the hard drive that is used to store open programs when they are unloaded from RAM

Question 19

buffered RAM

Answer 19

RAM that contains a small memory register to act as a buffer to help compensate for RAM errors - used in servers, etc. also called registered RAM

Question 20

bank

Answer 20

DIMM slot

Question 21

quad-channel architecture

Answer 21

like dual-channel architecture, but with 4 RAM modules

Question 22

registered RAM

Answer 22

RAM that contains a small memory register to act as a buffer to help compensate for RAM errors - used in servers, etc. also called buffered RAM

Question 23

Blue Screen of Death

Answer 23

a Windows proprietary crash screen

Question 24

latency

Answer 24

delay in RAM response time

Question 25

swap file

Answer 25

the file on the hard drive that is used to store open programs when they are unloaded from RAM

Question 26

page fault

Answer 26

a mild error that can be caused by memory issues, but not necessarily faulty RAM

Question 27

pinwheel of death

Answer 27

(Mac OS) proprietary crash screen

Question 28

proprietary crash screen

Answer 28

caused by a non-maskable interrupt - “Blue Screen of Death”

Question 29

unbuffered RAM

Answer 29

RAM that does not have a register - most consumer RAM is unbuffered

Question 30

module

Answer 30

another name for a stick of RAM

Question 31

virtual memory

Answer 31

an area of the hard drive that is treated like RAM that stores open programs when a machine’s RAM is running low