DDR2 RAM Types and Configuration
 
Besides the motherboard and the CPU processor , the other part that make up the computer system are the memory module. There are different types of Memory standards available.
They are :
  1. SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM )
  2. Rambus DRAM
  3. DDR Ram ( Double Data Rate )
  4. DDR2 Ram ( Double Data Rate with twice the speed )
 
What is a RAM? RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It is used as a temporary storage to process data in a computer system.
 
The current standards used are the DDR2 Ram in the market now.The DDR2 Ram comes in sizes from 128Mbyte to 2Gbytes and in speeds from 200 to 533 Mhz clockspeeds.
 
For use in a computer , DDR2 Ram are supplied in DIMMs with 240 pins and a single locating notch.
 
DDR2 Ram was actually introduced in 2003 at two initial speeds – 200Mhz ( PC2-3200 ) and 266Mhz ( PC2 – 4200 ). DDR2 Ram stores memory in cells that are activated with a clock signal to have a synchronizing operation with the external bus of the board.
Like the DDR before, DDR2 Ram transfers data on both the rising and falling edge of the clock.
 
DDR2 Ram are not backwards compatible with the DDR Ram as the notch is in a different location and the pin density is higher than DDR ram. DDR2 Ram is a 240 pin module whereas the DDR Ram have 184 pins only.
 
The major DDR2 Ram suppliers are Micron , Hynix , Crucial , Samsung , Adata , Corsair and prices for the DDR2 Ram module has dropped to one of its lowest at this point in time.Therefore , this is the best time to upgrade and increase your memory now.
 
In most motherboards , the number of slots for accommodating the DDR2 Ram module can range from 2 to as many as 4 slots. Faster Ram generally gives faster performance on a computer so it is best to have the largest memory upgrade that you can afford. This being ,a case of the more the merrier kind of situation.
 
A computer running with the Window XP operating system that doesn’t run memory hungry application software should have 512Mbytes to run comfortably. Such an applications will normally run office application software .
 
JEDEC is the body responsible for standardizing the RAM and it has had the specifications for the DDR2 Ram approved since 2003.
 
Motherboards that support DDR2 Ram and Intel or AMD processors have been available for some time. The next incoming standards for the Memory module is the DDR3 Ram and motherboards supporting this has just been made available -->