23-05-2014, 11:27 AM
About RAM
[attachment=63573]
What is RAM?
This page should be read together with modules 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, which deal with system board, system bus, I/O bus and chip sets. When we talk about motherboard and chip sets, we cannot ignore RAM. Warning: RAM and RAM chips is a very complicated, technical subject area. I can in no way give a complete, comprehensive description of this subject.
RAM is our working memory storage. All the data, which the PC uses and works with during operation, are stored here. Data are stored on drives, typically the hard drive. However, for the CPU to work with those data, they must be read into the working memory storage, which is made up of RAM chips. To examine RAM, we need to look at the following:
RAM types (FPM, EDO, ECC, and SD RAM)
RAM modules (SIMM and DIMM) in different versions
RAM and the system bus
First, let us look back in time. Not too many years ago, Bill Gates said, that with 1 MB RAM, we had a memory capacity, which would never be fully utilized. That turned out to be untrue.
Historical review
Back in the 80s, PCs were equipped with RAM in quantities of 64 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB and finally 1 MB. Think of a home computer like Commodore 64. It had 64 KB RAM, and it worked fine.
Around 1990, advanced operating systems, like Windows , appeared on the market, That started the RAM race. The PC needed more and more RAM. That worked fine with the 386 processor, which could address larger amount of RAM. The first Windows operated PCs could address 2 MB RAM, but 4 MB soon became the standard. The race has continued through the 90s, as RAM prices have dropped dramatically.
Today. it would be foolish to consider less than 32 MB RAM in a PC. Many have much more. 128 MB is in no way too much for a "power user" with Windows 95/98, it is important with plenty of RAM. Click here to read about the swap file and RAM considerations. Windows 98 is a little better at handling memory, but still a lot af RAM is a good thing.
RAM types
The traditional RAM type is DRAM (dynamic RAM). The other type is SRAM (static RAM). SRAM continues to remember its content, while DRAM must be refreshed every few milli seconds. DRAM consists of micro capacitors, while SRAM consists of off/on switches. Therefore, SRAM can respond much faster than DRAM. SRAM can be made with a rise time as short as 4 ns. It is used in different versions in L2 cache RAM (for example pipe line BURST Cache SRAM).
A brief explanation of DRAM types
FPM was the traditional RAM for PCs, before the EDO was introduced. It is mounted in SIMM modules of 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 MB. Typically, it is found in 60 ns or 70 ns versions. 60 ns is the fastest and the one to use. You cannot mix different speeds on the same Pentium motherboard.
EDO (Extended Data Out) RAM is an improvement of FPM RAM. Data are read faster. EDO extends the time that output data is valid, which betters timing issues between the CPU and RAM and this way improves the performance.
By switching from FPM to EDO, one could expect a performance improvement of 2 to 5 percent. EDO RAM was usually sold in 60 ns versions. A 50 ns version was available at higher cost.
EDO has now been replaced by the even faster SDRAM.
Evolutionary changes of design
Where RDRAM requires completely new production plants, DDR represents an evolutionary progress. The chip manufactures may re-use their SDRAM fabs for the production without many problems.
Hence it seems quite natural and in tune with the previous changes in RAM technology that we use the DDR standard for a couple of years. Before Rambus (or something even better) enters the market.
Comparing bandwidth
Below you see the theoretical bandwidts of different RAM types. However, SDRAM does not perform as good as the figures show. This is due to latencies; the CPU and other units cannot read the data at these speeds; they have to wait some clock circles in between each reading before the data transfers start. The same goes for DDR RAM.
[attachment=63573]
What is RAM?
This page should be read together with modules 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, which deal with system board, system bus, I/O bus and chip sets. When we talk about motherboard and chip sets, we cannot ignore RAM. Warning: RAM and RAM chips is a very complicated, technical subject area. I can in no way give a complete, comprehensive description of this subject.
RAM is our working memory storage. All the data, which the PC uses and works with during operation, are stored here. Data are stored on drives, typically the hard drive. However, for the CPU to work with those data, they must be read into the working memory storage, which is made up of RAM chips. To examine RAM, we need to look at the following:
RAM types (FPM, EDO, ECC, and SD RAM)
RAM modules (SIMM and DIMM) in different versions
RAM and the system bus
First, let us look back in time. Not too many years ago, Bill Gates said, that with 1 MB RAM, we had a memory capacity, which would never be fully utilized. That turned out to be untrue.
Historical review
Back in the 80s, PCs were equipped with RAM in quantities of 64 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB and finally 1 MB. Think of a home computer like Commodore 64. It had 64 KB RAM, and it worked fine.
Around 1990, advanced operating systems, like Windows , appeared on the market, That started the RAM race. The PC needed more and more RAM. That worked fine with the 386 processor, which could address larger amount of RAM. The first Windows operated PCs could address 2 MB RAM, but 4 MB soon became the standard. The race has continued through the 90s, as RAM prices have dropped dramatically.
Today. it would be foolish to consider less than 32 MB RAM in a PC. Many have much more. 128 MB is in no way too much for a "power user" with Windows 95/98, it is important with plenty of RAM. Click here to read about the swap file and RAM considerations. Windows 98 is a little better at handling memory, but still a lot af RAM is a good thing.
RAM types
The traditional RAM type is DRAM (dynamic RAM). The other type is SRAM (static RAM). SRAM continues to remember its content, while DRAM must be refreshed every few milli seconds. DRAM consists of micro capacitors, while SRAM consists of off/on switches. Therefore, SRAM can respond much faster than DRAM. SRAM can be made with a rise time as short as 4 ns. It is used in different versions in L2 cache RAM (for example pipe line BURST Cache SRAM).
A brief explanation of DRAM types
FPM was the traditional RAM for PCs, before the EDO was introduced. It is mounted in SIMM modules of 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 MB. Typically, it is found in 60 ns or 70 ns versions. 60 ns is the fastest and the one to use. You cannot mix different speeds on the same Pentium motherboard.
EDO (Extended Data Out) RAM is an improvement of FPM RAM. Data are read faster. EDO extends the time that output data is valid, which betters timing issues between the CPU and RAM and this way improves the performance.
By switching from FPM to EDO, one could expect a performance improvement of 2 to 5 percent. EDO RAM was usually sold in 60 ns versions. A 50 ns version was available at higher cost.
EDO has now been replaced by the even faster SDRAM.
Evolutionary changes of design
Where RDRAM requires completely new production plants, DDR represents an evolutionary progress. The chip manufactures may re-use their SDRAM fabs for the production without many problems.
Hence it seems quite natural and in tune with the previous changes in RAM technology that we use the DDR standard for a couple of years. Before Rambus (or something even better) enters the market.
Comparing bandwidth
Below you see the theoretical bandwidts of different RAM types. However, SDRAM does not perform as good as the figures show. This is due to latencies; the CPU and other units cannot read the data at these speeds; they have to wait some clock circles in between each reading before the data transfers start. The same goes for DDR RAM.