What is ddr. How to find out which RAM: DDR, DDR2, DDR3 or DDR4. DIMM Facts

Here, once again, I was asked how the type of RAM can be determined by appearance. Because such a question pops up from time to time, I decided that it’s better to show it once than to explain it on my fingers a hundred times, and write an illustrated mini-reviewer of RAM types for PC.

Not everyone is interested in this, so I hide it under the cat. Read

The most common types of RAM that have been used and are used in personal computers in everyday life are called SIMM, DIMM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3. You are unlikely to see SIMM and DIMM already, but DDR, DDR2 or DDR3 are now installed in most personal computers. So, in order

SIMM

SIMM for 30 contacts. They were used in personal computers with processors from 286 to 486. Now it is already a rarity. SIMM for 72 pins. Memory of this type was of two types FPM (Fast Page Mode) and EDO (Extended Data Out).

The FPM type was used on computers with 486 processors and in the first Pentiums until 1995. Then came EDO. Unlike its predecessors, EDO starts fetching the next block of memory at the same time it sends the previous block to the CPU.

Structurally, they are the same, you can only distinguish by marking. Personal computers that supported EDO could also work with FPM, but vice versa - not always.

DIMM

So called the type of memory SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM). Starting in 1996, most Intel chipsets began to support this type of memory module, making it very popular until 2001. Most computers with Pentium and Celeron processors used this type of memory.

DDR

DDR (Double Data Rate) was the evolution of SDRAM. This kind of memory modules first appeared on the market in 2001. The main difference between DDR and SDRAM is that instead of doubling the clock speed to speed things up, these modules transfer data twice in one clock cycle.

DDR2

DDR2 (Double Data Rate 2) is a newer version of DDR that should theoretically be twice as fast. DDR2 memory first appeared in 2003, and the chipsets that support it - in mid-2004. The main difference between DDR2 and DDR is the ability to operate at a significantly higher clock frequency due to design improvements. In appearance, it differs from DDR in the number of contacts: it has increased from 184 (for DDR) to 240 (for DDR2).

DDR3

Like DDR2 memory modules, they are available as a 240-pin printed circuit board (120 pins on each side of the module), but they are not electrically compatible with the latter, and for this reason they have a different “key” arrangement.

And finally, there is another type of RAM - RIMM (Rambus). Appeared on the market in 1999. It is based on traditional DRAM, but with a radically changed architecture. In personal computers, this type of RAM did not take root and was used very rarely. Such modules were used in the Sony Playstation 2 and Nintendo 64 game consoles.

SIMM for 30 contacts.

When buying a flash drive, many people ask themselves the question: "how to choose the right flash drive." Of course, choosing a flash drive is not so difficult if you know exactly for what purposes it is purchased. In this article I will try to give a complete answer to the question posed. I decided to write only about what to look for when buying.

A flash drive (USB drive) is a drive designed to store and transfer information. The flash drive works very simply without batteries. You just need to connect it to the USB port of your PC.

1. Flash drive interface

At the moment there are 2 interfaces: USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. If you decide to buy a USB flash drive, then I recommend taking a USB 3.0 USB flash drive. This interface was made recently, its main feature is a high data transfer rate. We'll talk about speeds a little later.

This is one of the main parameters that you need to look at first. Now flash drives are sold from 1 GB to 256 GB. The cost of a flash drive will directly depend on the amount of memory. Here you need to immediately decide for what purpose a flash drive is bought. If you are going to store text documents on it, then 1 GB is enough. For downloading and transferring movies, music, photos, etc. you need to take the more, the better. To date, the most popular are flash drives with a capacity of 8GB to 16GB.

3. Body material

The body can be made of plastic, glass, wood, metal, etc. Flash drives are mostly made of plastic. There is nothing I can advise here, it all depends on the preferences of the buyer.

4. Transfer rate

Earlier I wrote that there are two standards USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Now I will explain how they differ. The USB 2.0 standard has a read speed of up to 18 Mbps and a write speed of up to 10 Mbps. The USB 3.0 standard has a read speed of 20-70 Mbps, and a write speed of 15-70 Mbps. Here, I think, nothing needs to be explained.

Now in stores you can find flash drives of different shapes and sizes. They can be in the form of jewelry, fancy animals, etc. Here I would advise taking flash drives that have a protective cap.

6. Password protection

There are flash drives that have a password protection feature. Such protection is carried out using a program that is located in the flash drive itself. The password can be set both on the entire flash drive, and on part of the data in it. Such a flash drive will primarily be useful to people who transfer corporate information in it. According to the manufacturers, if you lose it, you don't have to worry about your data. Not so simple. If such a flash drive falls into the hands of an understanding person, then hacking it is just a matter of time.

Such flash drives look very beautiful, but I would not recommend buying them. Because they are very fragile and often break in half. But if you are a neat person, then feel free to take it.

Conclusion

Nuances, as you noticed, a lot. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. In my opinion, the most important parameters when choosing: the standard of a flash drive, the volume and speed of writing and reading. And everything else: design, material, options - this is just a personal choice of everyone.

Good afternoon my dear friends. In today's article, I want to talk about how to choose the right mouse pad. When buying a rug, many do not attach any importance to this. But as it turned out, this moment needs to be given special attention, because. mat determine one of the indicators of comfort while working at a PC. For an avid gamer, choosing a rug is a completely different story. Consider what options for mouse pads have been invented today.

Mat options

1. Aluminum
2. Glass
3. Plastic
4. Rubberized
5. Double sided
6. Helium

And now I would like to talk about each species in more detail.

1. First, I want to consider three options at once: plastic, aluminum and glass. These mats are very popular with gamers. For example, plastic mats are easier to find commercially. On such mats, the mouse glides quickly and accurately. And most importantly, these mats are suitable for both laser and optical mice. Aluminum and glass mats will be a little more difficult to find. And yes, they will cost a lot. The truth is for what - they will serve for a very long time. Rugs of these types have small flaws. Many people say that they rustle and feel a little cool when used, which may cause discomfort for some users.

2. Rubberized (rag) mats have a soft glide, but the accuracy of their movements is worse. For ordinary users, such a rug will be just right. Yes, and they are much cheaper than the previous ones.

3. Double-sided mousepads are, in my opinion, a very interesting kind of mousepads. As the name implies, these rugs have two sides. As a rule, one side is high-speed, and the other is high-precision. It happens that each side is designed for a certain game.

4. Helium pads have a silicone cushion. She allegedly supports her hand and relieves tension from it. For me personally, they were the most uncomfortable. By appointment, they are designed for office workers, since they sit at the computer all day. For ordinary users and gamers, these mats are not suitable. The mouse slides very poorly on the surface of such rugs, and their accuracy is not the best.

Mat sizes

There are three types of rugs: large, medium and small. It all depends on the taste of the user. But as is commonly believed, large rugs are well suited for games. Small and medium ones are taken mainly for work.

Rugs design

In this regard, there are no restrictions. It all depends on what you want to see on your rug. The blessing now on rugs that only do not draw. The most popular are the logos of computer games such as DotA, Warcraft, ruler, etc. But if it happened that you could not find a rug with the pattern you need, do not be upset. Now you can order a print on the rug. But such rugs have a minus: when printing is applied to the surface of the rug, its properties deteriorate. Design for quality.

On this I want to end the article. From myself I wish you to make the right choice and be happy with it.
Who does not have a mouse or wants to replace it with another, I advise you to look at the article:.

Monoblocks from Microsoft have replenished with a new monoblock model called Surface Studio. Microsoft presented its new product recently at an exhibition in New York.

On a note! I wrote an article a couple of weeks ago where I reviewed the Surface monoblock. This monoblock was presented earlier. Click on to view the article.

Design

Microsoft calls its new product the thinnest monoblock in the world. With a weight of 9.56 kg, the thickness of the display is only 12.5 mm, the other dimensions are 637.35x438.9 mm. The display dimensions are 28 inches with a resolution greater than 4K (4500x3000 pixels), aspect ratio 3:2.

On a note! The display resolution of 4500x3000 pixels corresponds to 13.5 million pixels. This is 63% more than 4K resolution.

The monoblock display itself is touch-sensitive, enclosed in an aluminum case. On such a display, it is very convenient to draw with a stylus, which ultimately opens up new possibilities for using a monoblock. In my opinion, this monoblock model will appeal to creative people (photographers, designers, etc.).

On a note! For people of creative professions, I advise you to look at an article where I considered monoblocks of similar functionality. Click on the selected one: .

To everything written above, I would add that the main feature of the monoblock will be its ability to instantly turn into a tablet with a huge work surface.

On a note! By the way, Microsoft has another amazing candy bar. To find out about it, go to.

Specifications

I will present the characteristics in the form of a photograph.

From the periphery, I note the following: 4 USB ports, a Mini-Display Port connector, an Ethernet network port, a card-reader, a 3.5 mm audio jack, a 1080p webcam, 2 microphones, a 2.1 Dolby Audio Premium audio system, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. It also supports Xbox wireless controllers.

Price

When buying a monoblock, it will be installed with Windows 10 Creators Update. This system should be released in the spring of 2017. This operating system will have updated Paint, Office, etc. The price of a monoblock will be from $ 3,000.
Dear friends, write in the comments what you think about this monoblock, ask your questions. I'll be glad to chat!

OCZ has demonstrated new VX 500 SSDs. These drives will be equipped with Serial ATA 3.0 interface and are made in 2.5-inch form factor.

On a note! For those who are interested in how SSD drives work and how long they live, you can read in an article I wrote earlier:.

The novelties are made using 15-nanometer technology and will be equipped with Tochiba MLC NAND flash memory microchips. The controller in SSD drives will be used by Tochiba TC 35 8790.
The VX 500 drive lineup will consist of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. According to the manufacturer, the sequential read speed will be 550 Mb/s (this is for all drives in this series), but the write speed will be from 485 Mb/s to 512 Mb/s.

The number of input / output operations per second (IOPS) with data blocks of 4 KB in size can reach 92,000 when reading, and 65,000 when writing (this is all arbitrary).
The thickness of OCZ VX 500 drives will be 7 mm. This will allow them to be used in ultrabooks.

Prices of new products will be as follows: 128 GB - $ 64, 256 GB - $ 93, 512 GB - $ 153, 1 TB - $ 337. I think in Russia they will cost more.

Lenovo has unveiled its new IdeaCentre Y910 gaming all-in-one at Gamescom 2016.

On a note! Earlier, I wrote an article where I already considered gaming monoblocks from different manufacturers. This article can be viewed by clicking on this one.

The novelty from Lenovo received a 27-inch frameless display. The display resolution is 2560x1440 pixels (this is QHD format), the refresh rate is 144 Hz, and the response time is 5 ms.

The monoblock will have several configurations. The maximum configuration includes a 6th generation Intel Core i7 processor, a hard drive up to 2 TB or 256 GB. The amount of RAM is 32 GB DDR4. The video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or GeForce GTX 1080 with Pascal architecture will be responsible for the graphics. Thanks to such a video card, it will be possible to connect a virtual reality helmet to the monoblock.
From the periphery of the monoblock, I would single out the Harmon Kardon audio system with 5-watt speakers, the Killer DoubleShot Pro Wi-Fi module, a webcam, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, and HDMI connectors.

In the basic version, the IdeaCentre Y910 monoblock will be available in September 2016 at a price of 1800 euros. But the monoblock with the version of "VR-ready" will appear in October at a price of 2200 euros. It is known that this version will have a GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card.

MediaTek has decided to upgrade its Helio X30 mobile processor. So now the developers from MediaTek are designing a new mobile processor called Helio X35.

I would like to briefly talk about Helio X30. This processor has 10 cores, which are combined into 3 clusters. Helio X30 has 3 variations. The first - the most powerful - consists of Cortex-A73 cores with a frequency of up to 2.8 GHz. There are also blocks with Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of up to 2.2 GHz and Cortex-A35 with a frequency of 2.0 GHz.

The new Helio X35 processor also has 10 cores and is being created using 10nm technology. The clock frequency in this processor will be much higher than that of its predecessor and ranges from 3.0 Hz. The novelty will allow you to use up to 8 GB LPDDR4 RAM. The Power VR 7XT controller will most likely be responsible for the graphics in the processor.
The station itself can be seen in the photographs in the article. In them we can observe the drive bays. One bay with a 3.5" jack and the other with a 2.5" jack. Thus, both a solid state disk (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD) can be connected to the new station.

The dimensions of the Drive Dock station are 160x150x85mm, and the weight is no less than 970 grams.
Many people probably have a question about how the Drive Dock connects to a computer. The answer is: this happens through a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. According to the manufacturer, the sequential read speed will be 434 Mb / s, and in write mode (serial) 406 Mb / s. The novelty will be compatible with Windows and Mac OS.

This device will be very useful for people who work with photo and video materials at a professional level. You can also use Drive Dock to back up files.
The price for a new device will be acceptable - it is $ 90.

On a note! Previously, Renduchinthala worked at Qualcomm. And since November 2015, he moved to a competing company Intel.

In his interview, Renduchintala did not talk about mobile processors, but only said the following, and I quote: "I prefer to talk less and do more."
Thus, the top manager of Intel made an excellent intrigue with his interview. We just have to wait for more announcements in the future.

In this article, we will look at 3 types of modern RAM for desktop computers:

DDR- is the oldest type of RAM that you can still buy today, but its dawn has already passed, and this is the oldest type of RAM that we will consider. You will have to find far from new motherboards and processors that use this kind of RAM, although many existing systems use DDR RAM. The operating voltage of DDR is 2.5 volts (usually increases when the processor is overclocked), and is the largest consumer of electricity from the 3 types of memory we are considering.
DDR2- This is the most common type of memory used in modern computers. This is not the oldest, but not the newest type of RAM. DDR2 is generally faster than DDR, and therefore DDR2 has a higher data transfer rate than the previous model (the slowest DDR2 model is equal in speed to the fastest DDR model). DDR2 consumes 1.8 volts and, like DDR, the voltage usually increases when the processor is overclocked.
DDR3- fast and new memory type. Again, DDR3 is faster than DDR2, and thus the lowest speed is the same as the fastest DDR2 speed. DDR3 consumes less power than other types of RAM. DDR3 consumes 1.5 volts, and a little more when overclocking the processor

Table 1: JEDEC Memory Specifications

JEDEC- Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (Joint Engineering Council for Electronic Devices)

The most important characteristic on which memory performance depends is its bandwidth, which is expressed as the product of the system bus frequency and the amount of data transferred per cycle. Modern memory has a bus width of 64 bits (or 8 bytes), so the bandwidth of DDR400 memory is 400 MHz x 8 Bytes = 3200 MB per second (or 3.2 GB / s). Hence, another designation for this type of memory follows - PC3200. Recently, dual-channel memory connection is often used, in which its bandwidth (theoretical) doubles. Thus, in the case of two DDR400 modules, we will get the maximum possible data exchange rate of 6.4 GB / s.

But the maximum memory performance is also affected by such important parameters as "memory timings".

It is known that the logical structure of a memory bank is a two-dimensional array - the simplest matrix, each cell of which has its own address, row number and column number. To read the contents of an arbitrary array cell, the memory controller must specify the RAS row number (Row Adress Strobe) and the CAS column number (Column Adress Strobe), from which the data is read. It is clear that there will always be some kind of delay (memory latency) between the issuance of a command and its execution, and these very timings characterize it. There are many different parameters that determine timings, but four of them are most commonly used:

CAS Latency (CAS) - the delay in cycles between the CAS signal and the actual output of data from the corresponding cell. One of the most important characteristics of any memory module;
RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD) - the number of memory bus cycles that must pass after the RAS signal is given before the CAS signal can be sent;
Row Precharge (tRP) - the time it takes to close a page of memory within one bank, spent on recharging it;
Activate to Precharge (tRAS) - strobe active time. The minimum number of cycles between an activation command (RAS) and a precharge command (Precharge), which ends work on this line, or closes the same bank.

If you see the designations "2-2-2-5" or "3-4-4-7" on the modules, you can be sure that these are the parameters mentioned above: CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS.

The standard CAS Latency values for DDR memory are 2 and 2.5 cycles, where CAS Latency 2 means that data will be received only two cycles after the Read command is received. In some systems, values of 3 or 1.5 are possible, and for DDR2-800, for example, the latest version of the JEDEC standard defines this parameter in the range from 4 to 6 cycles, while 4 is an extreme option for selected "overclocker" chips. RAS-CAS and RAS Precharge latency is typically 2, 3, 4, or 5 clocks, while tRAS is slightly longer, from 5 to 15 clocks. Naturally, the lower these timings (at the same clock frequency), the higher the memory performance. For example, a module with a CAS latency of 2.5 usually performs better than one with a latency of 3.0. Moreover, in a number of cases, memory with lower timings, even at a lower clock frequency, turns out to be faster.

Tables 2-4 provide general DDR, DDR2, DDR3 memory speeds and specifications:

Table 2: Common DDR Memory Speeds and Specifications

Table 3: Common DDR2 Memory Speeds and Specifications

A type	Bus frequency	Transfer rate	Timings	Notes
PC3-8500	533	1066	7-7-7-20	more commonly referred to as DDR3-1066
PC3-10666	667	1333	7-7-7-20	more commonly referred to as DDR3-1333
PC3-12800	800	1600	9-9-9-24	more commonly referred to as DDR3-1600
PC3-14400	900	1800	9-9-9-24	more commonly referred to as DDR3-1800
PC3-16000	1000	2000	TBD	more commonly referred to as DDR3-2000

Table 4: Common DDR3 Memory Speeds and Specifications

DDR3 can be called a newcomer among memory models. Memory modules of this kind are only available for about a year. The efficiency of this memory continues to grow, has only recently reached the JEDEC boundaries, and has gone beyond these boundaries. Today, DDR3-1600 (the highest speed of JEDEC) is widely available, and more manufacturers are already offering DDR3-1800). Prototypes of DDR3-2000 are shown on the modern market, and should go on sale at the end of this year - early next year.

The percentage of DDR3 memory modules entering the market, according to manufacturers, is still small, in the range of 1%-2%, which means that DDR3 has a long way to go before it matches DDR sales (still in the range of 12%-2%). 16%) and this will allow DDR3 to get closer to DDR2 sales. (25%-35% according to manufacturers).

Now the current RAM standard is DDR4, but there are still many computers with DDR3, DDR2 and even DDR in use. Because of this RAM, many users get confused and forget what kind of RAM is used on their computer. This article will be devoted to solving this problem. Here we will tell you how to find out what kind of RAM is used on a computer DDR, DDR2, DDR3 or DDR4.

If you have the opportunity to open the computer and inspect its components, then you can get all the necessary information from the sticker on the RAM module.

Usually on the sticker you can find an inscription with the name of the memory module. This name begins with the letters "PC" followed by numbers, and it indicates the type of RAM in question and its throughput in megabytes per second (MB/s).

For example, if a memory module says PC1600 or PC-1600, then it is a first-generation DDR module with a bandwidth of 1600 MB/s. If the module says PC2-3200, then it is DDR2 with a bandwidth of 3200 MB/s. If PC3 is DDR3 and so on. In general, the first digit after the letters PC indicates the DDR generation, if this number is not present, then it is a simple first generation DDR.

In some cases, RAM modules do not indicate the name of the module, but the type of RAM and its effective frequency. For example, DDR3 1600 may be written on the module. This means that this is a DDR3 module with an effective memory frequency of 1600 MHz.

In order to correlate the names of modules with the type of RAM, and the bandwidth with the effective frequency, you can use the table that we give below. The names of the modules are indicated on the left side of this table, and the type of RAM that corresponds to it is indicated on the right side.

Module name	RAM type
PC-1600	DDR-200
PC-2100	DDR-266
PC-2400	DDR-300
PC-2700	DDR-333
PC-3200	DDR-400
PC-3500	DDR-433
PC-3700	DDR-466
PC-4000	DDR-500
PC-4200	DDR-533
PC-5600	DDR-700
PC2-3200	DDR2-400
PC2-4200	DDR2-533
PC2-5300	DDR2-667
PC2-5400	DDR2-675
PC2-5600	DDR2-700
PC2-5700	DDR2-711
PC2-6000	DDR2-750
PC2-6400	DDR2-800
PC2-7100	DDR2-888
PC2-7200	DDR2-900
PC2-8000	DDR2-1000
PC2-8500	DDR2-1066
PC2-9200	DDR2-1150
PC2-9600	DDR2-1200
PC3-6400	DDR3-800
PC3-8500	DDR3-1066
PC3-10600	DDR3-1333
PC3-12800	DDR3-1600
PC3-14900	DDR3-1866
PC3-17000	DDR3-2133
PC3-19200	DDR3-2400
PC4-12800	DDR4-1600
PC4-14900	DDR4-1866
PC4-17000	DDR4-2133
PC4-19200	DDR4-2400
PC4-21333	DDR4-2666
PC4-23466	DDR4-2933
PC4-25600	DDR4-3200

In online stores, most often, RAM is indicated by the type of memory and the effective frequency (for example, like DDR3-1333 or DDR4-2400), so if your memory has the name of the module written on it (for example, PC3-10600 or PC4-19200), then you can translate it using a table.

Using special programs

If your RAM modules are already installed in the computer, then you can find out what type they are using special programs.

The easiest option is to use the free program CPU-Z. To do this, launch CPU-Z on your computer and go to the "Memory" tab. Here, in the upper left corner of the window, the type of RAM that is used on your computer will be indicated. And a little lower is the total amount of RAM on your computer.

Also on the "Memory" tab, you can find out the effective frequency at which your RAM operates. To do this, you need to take the value of the real clock frequency, which is indicated in the line " DRAM Frequency", And multiply it by two. For example, in the screenshot below, the frequency is 665.1 MHz, multiply it by 2 and get the effective frequency of 1330.2 MHz.