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Random Access Memory
 ˜


° After the session, the students will be able

to:
° Define RAM
° Familiarize the operations of SRAM and DRAM
° Enumerate the different types of RAM
° Enumerate the different types of RAM module
° Compare and contrast SRAM and DRAM
° Select an appropriate RAM based on the used
of the computer
  

° 0t is the best known form of computer

memory
° 0t stand for Random Access Memory
° Random ƛ no pattern/in any order
° 0t refers to the fact that any piece of data can be
returned in a constant time,
time, regardless of its
physical location and whether or not it is related to
the previous piece of data.
° 0t allows us to access the stored data in
any order
  

° 0t is composed of cell, which is the

intersection of rows (word lines) and
columns (bit lines).
° We can access any memory cell directly if
you know the row and column that
intersect at that cell.
   
° 0t is the opposite of RAM
° 0t stands for Serial Access Memory
° Serial
° 0t refers to sequence or chain
° 0t store and accessed data in memory
sequentially
° 0f the data is not in the current location, each
memory cell is checked until the needed data is
found.
° Examples
° Cassette Tape, Magnetic disk, and Optical disk
     

° DRAM
° SRAM
  

° 0t stands for Dynamic Random Access

Memory
° 0t uses a paired transistor and capacitor to
store a bit of data.
° Capacitor holds the bit of data as 0 or 1.
° Transistor acts as a switch that lets the
control circuitry on the memory chip read the
capacitor or change its state.
   
° Capacitor can be compared with bucket with leak.
° 0n a matter of a few milliseconds a full bucket becomes
empty.
° Therefore, for dynamic memory to work, either the CPU
or the

   has to come along and
recharge all of the capacitors holding a 1 before they
discharge.
° To do this, the memory controller reads the memory and
then writes it right back.
° This refresh operation happens automatically thousands
of times per second.
° This     is where dynamic RAM gets its
name
   

° Dynamic RAM has to be dynamically

refreshed all of the time or it forgets what
it is holding.
° Disadvantage
° 0t takes time to refresh the memory.
° Advantage
° The circuit is simple and economical
   

° Circuit of DRAM:
°  

 and  




° 0dentifying each row and column
°  
° §eeping track of the refresh sequence
° 

° Reading and restoring the signal from a cell
°  
° Telling a cell whether it should take a charge or
not
| 
   

° 0t stands Static Random Access Memory

° 0t uses of 
  to holds each bit of memory
° A flip-
flip-flop for a memory cell takes four or six
transistors along with some wiring, 
   

° 0t exhibits data remanence,

remanence, but is still volatile in
the conventional sense that data is eventually
lost when the memory is not powered.
    

° This storage cell has two

stable states which are
used to denote 6 and .
° Two additional access
transistors serve to
control the access to a
storage cell during read
and write operations
    

° Advantage
° static RAM significantly faster than dynamic
RAM
° Disadvantage
° static memory cell takes up a lot more space
on a chip than a dynamic memory cell
° expensive
  
° 
° Static random access memory uses multiple transistors, typically
four to six, for each memory cell but doesn't have a capacitor in
each cell. 0t is used primarily for cache
cache..
° 
° 
 

 

 has memory cells with a
paired transistor and capacitor requiring constant refreshing.
° 
°   

 

 

 takes
advantage of the burst mode concept to greatly improve
performance. 0t does this by staying on the row containing the
requested bit and moving rapidly through the columns, reading
each bit as it goes. The idea is that most of the time the data
needed by the CPU will be in sequence. Maximum transfer rate
to L2 cache is approximately 528 MBps.
  
°  
°   
    

 is
just like SDRAM except that is has higher bandwidth,
meaning greater speed. Maximum transfer rate to L2
cache is approximately 1,064 MBps (for DDR SDRAM
133 MHZ).
°   
° 0t has the ability to operate the external data bus
twice the data rate as DDR SDRAM. This is achieved
by improved bus signaling
signaling,, and by operating the
memory cells at half the clock rate (one quarter of
the data transfer rate), rather than at the clock rate
as in the original DDR
  

° ! 
° 0t has the ability to transfer 0/O data at eight times
the data rate of the memory cells it contains, thus
enabling higher bus rates and higher peak rates than
earlier memory technologies
° ë||"
| 

° Another self contained DRAM module for notebooks,

cards of this type are not proprietary and should work
with any notebook computer whose system bus
matches the memory card's configuration
 



° 0t refers to the type of board and

connector
° Types:
° ", which stands for 
", 





° [2-pin connector for increased bandwidth and
[2-
allowed for up to 256 MB of RAM.
°
 



 (D0MM).

 
° 168-pin or 184-
168- 184-pin connector and allowed a
capacity from 8 MB to 1 GB per module
 "|
 



° Types:
° 



 (R0MM)


° is comparable in size and pin configuration to
D0MM but uses a special memory bus to greatly
increase speed.
° 
 
 

 




 (SOD0MM)
° SOD0MM cards are small, about 2 x 1 inch (5 x 2.5
cm), and have 144 or 200 pins. Capacity ranges
from 16 MB to 1 GB per module.
  

 


° 0f you are running Windows XP

° Minimum: 128MB
° At 64MB, you may experience frequent
application problems.
° Optimal performance with standard desktop
applications, 256MB is recommended.
  

 


° 0f you are running Windows 95/98,

° Minimum: 32 MB,
° Optimum Performance: 64 MB.

° Windows NT/2000
° Minimum: needs at least 64 MB,
° Optimum Performace: 128 MB or more.
  

 


° Linux works happily on a system with only

4 MB of RAM.
° 0f you plan to add X-
X-Windows or do much
serious work, however, you'll probably
want 64 MB.
° Mac OS X systems should have a minimum
of 128 MB, or for optimal performance,
512 MB.