Everything about RAM-Explained!

The diffference

SD, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 are all
different types of RAM (Random
Access Memory). RAM is a kind of
computer memory that temporarily
stores information, improving your
systems performance. Or in other
words RAM simply holds data for
the processor. The processor also
has its own memory known as the
L2 cache, the cache lies between
the processor and the RAM. The
processor sends and retrieves data
from this cache, when this cache
overflows data is sent to the RAM.
There are mainly four types of
RAM; SD, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3.
They differ in the way they operate
and mainly in their operation
speeds. All RAM's used in
computers today have a
synchronous interface meaning
they wait for a clock signal before
it can respond to clock signals.

SD RAM:
SDRAM stands for synchronous
dynamic random access memory.
SDRAM is Single Data Rate
meaning that SDRAM can accept
one command and transfer one
word of data per clock cycle. As
mentioned above SDRAM's have
synchronous interface therefore
they depend on the computer clock
signals to perform operations.
Typical speeds of SDRAM are 100
and 133 MHz.

DDR SDRAM:
DDR SDRAM stands for double
data rate synchronous dynamic
random access memory. DDR RAM
transfers data twice per clock
cycle, hence the name double data
rate. DDR clock speeds range
between 200 MHz (DDR-200) and
400 MHz (DDR-400). DDR-200
transfers 1600 MB/s, while
DDR-400 transfers 3200 MB/s.
DDR2 SDRAM:
DDR2 SDRAM stands for double
data rate 2 synchronous dynamic
random access memory.DDR2 is
twice as fast as DDR which means
twice as much data is carried to
the module for each clock cycle.
Also due to the design
improvements DDR2 consumes
less power as compared to the
DDR memory. DDR2 speeds range
between 400 MHz (DDR2-400) and
800 MHz (DDR2-800). DDR2-400
transfers 3200 MB/s. DDR2-800
transfers 6400 MB/s.

DDR3 SDRAM:
So by now after reading the above
it is quite obvious what DDR3
SDRAM stands for, double data
rate 3 synchronous dynamic
random access memory. In theory
DDR3 is supposed to act twice as
fast as DDR2 memories. Thus
DDR3 speeds range between 800
MHz (DDR3-800) and 1600 MHz
(DDR3-1600). DDR3-800 transfers
6400 MB/s; DDR3-1600 transfers
12800 MB/s.
Only gamers may notice the
difference between DDR2 and DDR3
speeds, while for everyone else,
even DDR will be sufficient. But if
you are buying a new PC spending
a little extra for the increased
speed is always appreciated.



But in the end it all depends on
your requirements and your
budget. DDR3 will cost a lot more
than DDR2, also for DDR3 speeds
you will also need a motherboard
that can support it, so if you are
planning on upgrading your RAM
to DDR3 you should be certain that
your motherboard can support it. If
your requirements do not involve
heavy gaming or video editing and
video processing then you have no
need for the powerful DDR3
memory.
Hope you liked my explanation
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