Upgrade Computer Memory

My Thoughts on Computer RAM Memory Brands, Compatibility and the Computer Makers.

2006-03-07T15:28:00.000-06:00

These are my opinions only. I have been upgrading computer memory as a job for 6 years now and do an average of 25 to 30 computers a day. A lot of people may disagree with opinions but this is what I have discovered.

Some say Micron Memory or Kingston, others say Corsair memory for speed. Some people are convinced that you have to match your computer memory already installed.

I am convinced that you do NOT have to match your current memory brand installed in your computer.

It is more important to get memory that matches the specs of the computer memory needed. I am not talking about speed (a good rule of thumb is matching your current speed, or go one memory speed higher) but architecture. You may go to your local store and buy a RAM memory module that matches what is printed in your manual but it still may have the wrong architecture. You can find a 256 PC133 168 pin CL3 memory module, but it may be an 8 chip (high density) part. This would not work in a machine that the BIOS will only read low density, 16 chip memory.
Memory manufacturers change the numbers on the chipsets to recognize when the batch was made. This makes looking for a specific part a chore, especially in older computers and servers.
Computer manufacturers (I call them computer assemblers. They do not make anything that goes into a computer.) recommend different computer memory brands for different reasons. But mostly it is because they have a contract with a certain manufacturer to save on upfront costs. If a computer company (this could be Dell, Apple or anyone) say that only their memory will work, they are lying. They just know the correct architecture.

Memory Brands:

Getting a name branded module is a good thing to do. But remember, just because you or your buddy that works in an IT department have not heard of the brand does NOT mean it isn’t a name brand. Everyone has heard of Micron and Samsung. Some have heard of Hynix and Infineon. But there are a lot of other quality brands.
A lot of brands are assemblers, not manufacturers, of computer memory. Kingston is the most well known of this type. They manufacture the circuit board, but not the chips that do the work. They will buy chips from Micron and others.
Some chip manufacturers even use other company’s chips on the memory they produce because the architecture within their chipsets will not work with certain systems. Buy a part from Crucial (Micron’s retail store) for an Apple, and you will get a Samsung chip.
The best way to determine where to buy RAM memory is by what the company has to offer. If the memory company guarantees it to work for your system or you get 100% back and they provide a lifetime guarantee, it is a safe bet. Companies like http://www.upgradecomputermemory.com/ have been good to me and my colleagues.

Intel, Micron to form flash memory venture (from www.stuf.co.nz)

2005-11-21T23:12:00.000-06:00

22 November 2005

NEW YORK: Intel Corp and Micron Technology Inc yesterday said they would form a venture to make flash memory for popular consumer electronics products such as digital cameras, mobile phones and the Apple iPod.

Intel and Micron also said Apple Computer would pay each company $US250 million ($NZ368 million) for a "significant portion" of their share of the venture's output.

Each company will contribute about $US1.2 billion in cash, notes and other assets to form the company, dubbed IM Flash Technologies LLC. Intel and Micron also plan to pay an additional $US1.4 billion each into the company over the next three years.

Micron will own 51 per cent of the new company, and will consolidate financial results on its balance sheet.

IM Flash Technologies will produce NAND flash memory, which companies use in consumer electronics products, as well as removable data storage and handheld communications devices.

The announcement comes as Apple yesterday said it would prepay $US 1.25 billion in the next three months as part of a deal to stock flash memory components used in its iPod digital music and video players.

In addition to Intel and Micron, Apple made deals for a supply of flash memory chips and components through 2010 with Hynix, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba Corp.

"It sounds like it is a new company that is going to do other things, but the first and largest customer is Apple, and it is likely to be the largest customer for a while," said Eric Ross, an analyst at ThinkEquity Partners.

Micron benefits from the deal because it can take advantage of Intel's existing relationship with Apple, said analyst John Lau at Jefferies & Co. Intel, meanwhile, can take advantage of Micron's manufacturing centres.

Micron Chief Executive Steve Appleton, amid speculation of a tie-up with Intel, told a Reuters Summit on November 2 that the company saw partnerships as a key strategy to improve performance.

The computer industry would move in coming years to using flash memory instead of hard disk drives for primary storage devices, Appleton said.

Surging flash memory sales have helped Micron's financial performance. Appleton said he expects flash memory to replace disk drives in notebook computers within five years as prices decline.
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That would bring dramatic increases in battery-powered computer operation as flash memory, with no moving parts, uses far less energy than hard drives with whirling disks.

Makers of mobile phones, music players and other portable digital devices are increasingly using NAND memory because it is suitable for pictures and music downloads and is cheaper than the technology used in Intel's flash memory, called NOR.

IM Flash will manufacture its products exclusively for Intel and Micron.

Initial production is expected to start in early 2006 at several Micron facilities, including one in Manassas, Virginia, that Micron said it is expanding.

Memory Bandwidth vs. Latency Timings

2005-06-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

This is an excerpt from a PCStats.com article

When Intel released the i865PE/i875P alongside the Intel Pentium 4C processors, the DDR memory game changed forever. With a DDR memory controller now capable of running dual channel, the Pentium 4 was no longer to be bandwidth limited as it had been with the i845 series. Those single channel DDR chipsets, like the i845PE for instance, could only provide half the bandwidth required by the Pentium 4 processor due to its single channel memory controller.

As the new 800 MHz FSB Pentium 4 processors allowed users to hit never before seen highs in terms of bus speed, many memory manufacturers were trying to capitalize on the situation by releasing every increasing degrees of "high speed" memory.

Unfortunately, to run the memory frequency at the same speed as the FSB (or a 1:1 ratio) almost all the high speed DIMM's (Dual Inline Memory Module) have to have very lax timings. Think about it this way, a car built for drag racing can go dead straight super fast, but cannot maneuver as well as an F1 race car. Likewise, the F1 racer is good in the corners but will be left in the dust on the drag strip. In other words, today's high speed memory modules are built for one thing only, and that's top speed, where timings really aren't considered all that much.

Types of RAM (as posted on HowStuffWorks.com)

2005-05-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

Common RAM Types

SRAM
Static random access memory uses multiple transistors, typically four to six, for each memory cell but doesn't have a capacitor in each cell. It is used primarily for cache.

DRAM
Dynamic random access memory has memory cells with a paired transistor and capacitor requiring constant refreshing.

FPM DRAM
Fast page mode dynamic random access memory was the original form of DRAM. It waits through the entire process of locating a bit of data by column and row and then reading the bit before it starts on the next bit. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 176 MBps.

EDO DRAM
Extended data-out dynamic random access memory does not wait for all of the processing of the first bit before continuing to the next one. As soon as the address of the first bit is located, EDO DRAM begins looking for the next bit. It is about five percent faster than FPM. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 264 MBps.

SDRAM
Synchronous dynamic random access memory takes advantage of the burst mode concept to greatly improve performance. It 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. SDRAM is about five percent faster than EDO RAM and is the most common form in desktops today. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 528 MBps.

DDR SDRAM
Double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM 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).

RDRAM
Rambus dynamic random access memory is a radical departure from the previous DRAM architecture. Designed by Rambus, RDRAM uses a Rambus in-line memory module (RIMM), which is similar in size and pin configuration to a standard DIMM. What makes RDRAM so different is its use of a special high-speed data bus called the Rambus channel. RDRAM memory chips work in parallel to achieve a data rate of 800 MHz, or 1,600 MBps. Since they operate at such high speeds, they generate much more heat than other types of chips. To help dissipate the excess heat Rambus chips are fitted with a heat spreader, which looks like a long thin wafer. Just like there are smaller versions of DIMMs, there are also SO-RIMMs, designed for notebook computers.

VRAM
VideoRAM, also known as multiport dynamic random access memory (MPDRAM), is a type of RAM used specifically for video adapters or 3-D accelerators. The "multiport" part comes from the fact that VRAM normally has two independent access ports instead of one, allowing the CPU and graphics processor to access the RAM simultaneously. VRAM is located on the graphics card and comes in a variety of formats, many of which are proprietary. The amount of VRAM is a determining factor in the resolution and color depth of the display. VRAM is also used to hold graphics-specific information such as 3-D geometry data and texture maps. True multiport VRAM tends to be expensive, so today, many graphics cards use SGRAM (synchronous graphics RAM) instead. Performance is nearly the same, but SGRAM is cheaper.

For more memory information, check out the FAQ section at this website: www.ArchMemory.com

Or go here and click the FAQ link: www.UpgradeComputerMemory.com

Elpida Memory press release

2005-04-25T23:56:00.000-05:00

Though this might be of interest (copied from Bloomberg.com)

April 25 (Bloomberg) -- Elpida Memory Inc., the world's fifth- largest memory-chip maker, had a fiscal fourth-quarter loss after chips prices declined more than it expected. The company also forecasts a loss for the current quarter.

Net loss for the three months ended March 31 was 1.7 billion yen ($16 million), the company said today in a statement released to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Elpida, a venture between Hitachi Ltd. and NEC Corp., reported a 491 million yen profit a year ago.

Like Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of memory chips, Elpida is targeting high-end consumer electronics such as mobile phones and DVD recorders. Slowing demand for such products is dragging down prices of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips, the company said.

This is good news for all consumers wanting to speed up there system with more RAM. MG

System Still runs slow....

2005-04-24T23:31:00.000-05:00

FAQ - I've added memory to my system because I was getting messages stating "Not enough memory to run application" and "Not enough system resources to run application". Why am I still getting these messages after adding memory?

Installing more RAM when System Resources are low will not help this situation. System Resources is limited by your operating system. Windows 98, 98SE, and ME all have low available System Resources. You must physically remove unused programs to free up System Resources.

Call 888-648-0527 and talk to the guys at Arch, they know what is what..
www.archmemory.com our the sister site www.UpgradeComputerMemory.com

Upgrade Computer Memory

2005-04-24T23:04:00.000-05:00

Upgrade Computer Memory

Computer memory upgrades are the best way to improve your computer's performance. There are two types of memory in any computer--internal hard drive memory which is responsible for storing all of your files and applications; and RAM memory which is used to store data that is frequently accessed by your computer's microprocessor. Adding internal hard drive memory will improve your computer's ability to store data, but adding RAM computer memory upgrades is the only way to significantly improve the speed at which your computer performs tasks.