When it comes to improving the doing of your Pc, purchasing added Ram is perhaps the least high-priced yet most efficient route a man can take. While the explication appears simple, the dizzying array of memory available for purchase today can make the actual decision process problematic for all but the most tech-savvy individuals. A very wide option of differing Ram types are available for purchase today, Sdram, Edo, Rdram, and Dram to name a few. Knowing how to decide what Ram types are compatible with your current Pc setup and what Ram option will give you the many doing are key to manufacture the strict decision.
The purpose of this guide is to give the reader a general understanding of what Ram is, what types of Ram exist, and how to decide what Ram would make the best purchase choice.
Pc2700 Ddr
What is Ram?
The acronym Ram stands for Random way Memory. Ram is where data is stored within your Pc so that said data can be accessed by your Pc's processor, or Cpu. Ram should be determined as temporary memory within your Pc, in order for Ram to sound its data warehouse it must receive a continual pulse of electricity. Any data that exists solely within a Pc's Ram will be deleted when the Pc is shut off or loses power.
Pc's use several base technologies to store data internally on a more permanent level than Ram. These warehouse mediums comprise Rom - Read Only Memory, Hard Drives - which store data magnetically in a permanent - or depending on your usage - semi-permanent fashion, Cdrws, Dvdrws, Floppy Disks and Tapes. All of these data warehouse methods can be determined more trustworthy than Ram data storage, however none of them offer the speed of data way that Ram does.
Ram shop data that is primary for a Pcs immediate doing and does so in an highly fast and trustworthy way. Ram allows for a Pc to operate at speeds that would be unachievable if it were replaced by more permanent data warehouse mediums. Think of Ram as a "fast lane" on an expressway. Ram allows for a function or application's most foremost data to have the fastest possible way to the processor. Ram exists as a "fast lane" for data that needs immediate attentiveness by your Pcs Cpu. As such, the more Ram your Pc has accesses to, the more "fast lanes" that are available for your Pc's functions and applications to way your Pc's Cpu, the faster your Pc will perform.
Types of Ram
Sdram, Ddr-Sdram and Rambus are the three major types of Ram, or Pc memory, in use today.
Modern Ram
Before the introduction of Sdram, Pc memory operated asynchronously from a Pc's Clock Speed. This asynchronous doing would originate data bottlenecks within a Pc itself and slow total performance. Clock speed is the speed at which a microprocessor executes instructions; every computer contains an internal clock that regulates the rate at which data is processed and synchronizes a Pc's private components. As it stands to reason, the faster a Pc's clock speed, the faster a Pc's Cpu can process data. Before Ram was synchronized to operate at the same speed as the rest of a Pc's components, a Pc's Cpu would be would be forced into the occasional delay while waiting for the Ram to be available to accept data. In theory, as long as Sdram operated at the same speed as the law clock, it would be available to the law on a regular and consistent basis - thus eliminating data bottlenecks. By regulating Ram and tying its doing to the law clock, memory manufacturers have been forced to increase memory doing to match Pc clock speeds.
Sdram:
Sdram - Synchronous Dynamic Random way Memory - was the natural corollary of the Pc industries quest for better Ram and Pc performance.
Sdram is available 66, 100 and 133Mhz speeds, known as Pc66, Pc100 and Pc133 respectively. 66Mhz Ram, in theory, would achieve 66.6 million cycles per second and would be compatible with a 66Mhz clock speed. generally memory is determined to be backward compatible, so a pc with a clock speed of 100Mhz could accept a memory module with a clock speed of 100Mhz. The drawback being that the memory will only operate at the 100Mhz speed.
Sdram is no longer the memory of option for modern Pc's, however, due to the many Pcs still on the market that use Sdram, it is inevitable that memory manufacturers will continue to produce this memory for some time. Sdram has been in the marketplace for some time and as such is widely available for purchase as a used yet guaranteed product. This used availability offers the buyer the chance to save a great deal of money on its purchase, yet reduce a bare minimum with regard to reliability as Ram has no consuming parts and is generally very durable and long lasting.
Ddr-Sdram:
Ddr and Ddr2 - double Data Rate Sdram - was again a natural corollary of the Pc Industries quest for better Ram and Pc Performance. Ddr memory has been available since the late 1990's and is a great leap forward in Ram performance. Essentially, Ddr Ram achieves its improved doing by transferring data to the processor twice, instead of once in the case of Sdram, per clock cycle. Theoretically, a Ram module that refreshes the processor twice per clock cycle should equate to twice the doing offered by Sdram. In reality Ddr does not truly offer twice the doing of Sdram, however it is a signification correction over the older standard.
Types of Ddr and Ddr2 memory that are available comprise Pc1600 - 200Mhz, Pc2100 - 266Mhz, Pc2700 - 333Mhz, Pc3200 - 400Mhz, Pc3500 - 433Mhz, Pc3700 - 466Mhz, Pc4000 - 500Mhz, Pc4200 - 533Mhz and Pc4400 - 566Mhz. The first whole represents the maximum memory bandwidth, in megabytes, that a Ram module can provide per second. The second number, Mhz, is the clock speed that the module is compatible with. As with Sdram, the memory is backward compatible, a Pc2100 chip with a 266Mhz clock speed with work with a Pc with a clock speed of both 266Mhz and 200Mhz.
Ddr and Ddr2 memory are the current accepted in the Pc manufactures and will continue to be artificial for some time. As with Sdram, Ddr and Ddr2 types have been in the market for some time and are available as used or refurbished. Both used and refurbished Ddr memory can offer huge savings when purchased while giving the user similar reliability to new product.
Rambus:
Rambus - Rdram - was advanced by the Rambus Corporation and can be determined to be a ownership version of Ram as only the Rambus enterprise manufacturers it. Rambus is a high-performance version of Ram generally found in high-end enterprise class Pcs. Today very few manufacturers use the Rambus accepted as Ddr and Ddr2 memory offers similar, and in some cases better performance. Rambus memory can be found in speeds of Pc800, Pc1066 and Pc1200. generally you can purchase Rambus Pc800-() the () will comprise a whole that references the chips speed in nano-seconds, i.e. Pc800-45.
Memory and Performance:
While adding more memory does not ensure faster performance, not having enough memory will warrant slow downs. Having plenty of memory installed on your Pc helps to ensure that your Pc operates at its peak speeds and efficiency. Adding memory approximately always results in a doing boost, especially if you run larger applications or multiple applications simultaneously. It is foremost to note that if you triple your current installed memory you will not see a three-fold boost in performance. You will approximately always see some gain in performance, but you will go a long way in eliminating slow downs.
It will always be my contention and a good rule of thumb that you can never have too much memory. Maxing out you configuration with memory will help to warrant the peak doing of your Pc.
How to pick Memory:
Choosing memory is dependent on several factors. First is the observation of compatibility. either you are building a new Pc or plainly adding memory to an existing system, it is of key importance that the memory you purchase is compatible with your motherboard. Most motherboards accept a specific accepted of memory, Sdram, Ddr, Ddr2 or Rambus. To decide what type of memory that your Pc will accept, you can either consult your motherboards owners' manual, or, if this is not available, considering the motherboard for brand and model whole will allow you to go online and decide the compatible memory type.
Generally a motherboard that accepts Sdram will accept memory modules that have a higher rated speed in Mhz than what is specified by the board's manufacturer. For example, if your current motherboard has a clock speed of 66Mhz and accepts Pc66 Sdram, you can install either Pc100 or Pc133 Ram chips. The board will only use the memory at its maximum speed however, so a Pc133 Sdram module will only operate at 66Mhz speed. It is foremost to decide what Ram speeds - Mhz - that your board is compatible with before manufacture a purchase.
You should also consult either you owners by hand or online documentation to decide the maximum memory that your board will maintain and physically explore the board to decide how many available memory slots there are. generally you will want to use the largest and fastest Ram chips that your board will maintain and fill all available slots with matching memory speeds. For example, your board has three available slots and currently one is in use by a Ddr Pc2100 266Mhz Ram module. You explore that your board will accept Ddr Ram up to Pc2700 333Mhz speeds. If you were to fill the remaining to slots with Pc2700 memory, your memory would only function at the speed of the slowest Ram module, in this case 266 Mhz.
New vs. Used:
Due to the sheer whole of memory artificial within the last years, you will find an plenty of used memory for sale. When it comes to getting the most for your money, it should be noted that purchasing used memory is a great way to save money while getting similar reliability and doing as compared to new. Ram has no consuming parts to speak of and as such is highly durable and reliable.
Spend some time researching prices in the middle of new and used memory modules. If you can purchase used or refurbished modules from vendors who will offer warranties, you may be manufacture a major mistake spending that extra money on new Ram.
A tiny study on your part can help you to not only ensure that you see the maximum doing out of your Pc set up, but also go a long way toward saving you money both in the short and long term.
Copyright 2006 www.hcditrading.com, Brad Calli
A Guide to Pc Memory
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