Hello Guys!
This is my first post about the new DDR4 SDRAM.
DDR4 SDRAM
We all know that new CPU and GPU
architectures roil the market pretty much every year, sometimes more than once
a year. But system memory is different and all the PC’s performance is based on
the system memory.
DDR3 SDRAM
(the third generation of double data rate synchronous DRAM) was introduced way
back in 2007. What took so long? The main reason is that memory manufacturers
compete more on price than performance. Unlike CPU and GPU markets, where two
companies donate the market, memory standards are developed by a committee: the
Joint Electronic Devices Engineering Council (JEDEC). If you want a standard to
develop slowly, do it by committee.
What exactly is DDR4?
DDR4 SDRAM (the fourth generation of double data rate synchronous DRAM)
is the latest variant of memory in computing. DDR4 is able to achieve higher
transfer rates, efficiency and decreased voltage. Samsung manufactured the
first DDR4 memory console in 2011 but this technology is expected to hit the consumer
market sometime in 2014.
DDR3
generally requires 1.5 volts of power to operate and can support transfer rates
only from 800 to 2133 MT/s (million transfers per second). But DDR4 needs 20
percent less i.e. just 1.2 volts and can support transfer rates from 2133 MT/s
to 4266MT/s. DDR4 also supports a new, deep power-down
mode that will allow the host device to go into standby without needing to
refresh its memory. Deep power-down mode is expected to reduce standby power
consumption by 40 to 50 percent.
Less power
draw means less heat and longer battery life, so laptops and servers are
expected to be the biggest beneficiaries of the jump to DDR4, systems will be
cool and efficient.
Mid-range and high-end laptops routinely ship with 8GB to
16GB of memory, so the 20 percent reduction in power consumption is more
important for extending battery life than reducing utility bills. The LCD panel
remains the biggest power draw, and the CPU eats its share of juice, but every
little bit helps.
Smartphones
and tablets will benefit from DDR4 memory, too. Its Snapdragon 810 mobile processor uses low-power DDR4 memory, and
devices using this chip are expected to ship in the first half of 2015.
Snapdragon 810
Finally, DDR4 uses much higher-density chips, so each memory
stick (DIMM (dual inline memory module), technically) will pack a lot more
memory. Where you might buy DDR3 memory in 1- or 2GB kits for desktops and
notebooks, expect to see 4- and 8GB kits with DDR4. And for high-end servers,
each DDR4 DIMM could deliver 64- or even 128GB of memory.
Do you need DDR4 memory?
Before you get too excited about DDR4, note that
it hasn’t even reached bleeding edge status. You can’t buy DDR4
memory today, and your existing hardware wouldn’t be able to use it if you
could. But it’s a safe bet that it will be expensive when it does come to
market. The DDR4 memory’s prices are about 40- to 50 percent higher than DDR3
memory. So if you were to buy 16GB of DDR3 memory at the average price of $140,
the same amount of DDR4 memory would set you back around $210.
DDR4’s lower power requirements and the corresponding
reduction in waste heat will be this technology’s real draw.
An investment in DDR4 will also entail a motherboard upgrade,
because you’ll need a new chipset. Intel’s upcoming X99 chipset will support
DDR4 memory, along with a new Extreme Edition of its Haswell CPU (codenamed
Haswell-E). And it’s precisely that power-user segment that would consider
paying $1000 for Intel’s best processor.
If that doesn’t describe you, you don’t need to worry about jumping into a major upgrade anytime
soon, or even postponing your next PC purchase until models with DDR4 come out.
That’s not to say DDR4 will be a waste of money. It’s just
that in its early days, it won’t deliver significant benefits to anyone beyond
the earliest of adopters.
