DDR3 SDRAM : The Future RAM

DDR3 SDRAM or double-data-rate three synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory interface technology used for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronic devices.

The new Intel P35 chipset, known as Bearlake during development, supports either DDR2 or DDR3 memory. This presented a perfect opportunity to look at the performance of both DDR3 and DDR2 on the new P35 chipset.

DDR3 boasting higher Megahertz ratings than DDR2 - but at the expense of increased latency.As manufacturers have pushed DDR2 well beyond its originally intended PC2-6400 (800MHz effective data rate) and since there does not appear to be any letup in the "need for speed", memory manufacturers have started making DDR3 devices in order to far surpass the bandwidth they can easily get from DDR2 devices - and reduce power consumption and heat generation at the same time.
DDR3's run at lower voltages - they generate less heat.

Features

DDR3 SDRAM Components:

• Introduction of asynchronous RESET pin
• Support of system level flight time compensation
• On-DIMM mirror friendly DRAM pin out
• Introduction of CWL (CAS Write Latency) per clock bin

DDR3 Modules:

• Fly-by command/address/control bus with on-DIMM termination
• High precision calibration resistors

Advantages compared with DDR2

• Higher bandwidth performance, effectively up to 1600 MHz
• Improved latencies as measured in nanoseconds.
• Higher performance at low power (longer battery life in laptops)
• Enhanced low power features