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DDR and DDR2 Fight for Notebooks

Two Generations of DDR for Laptops Compared

by Yaroslav Lyssenko

[ 06/30/2005 | 11:08 AM ]

DDR2 memory was introduced over a year ago, but because of its high price and questionable performance benefit it is still not as widespread as DDR SDRAM. Apart from higher bandwidth, the new standard of memory provides another interesting feature, such as lower power consumption compared to the DDR, which is crucial for mobile computers. Legit Reviews has posted an article containing a comparison between DDR and DDR2 memory installed in notebook PCs.

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“Previous generation DDR1 notebook memory modules ran at PC-2700 (333MHz) at 2.5V or 2.6V depending on what IC’s are used on the modules. Most TSOP based DDR1 modules were set to run at 2.6V while micro-BGA ran at 2.5V due to lower power consumption. Desktop Computers with DDR1 PC-3200 (400MHz) modules had a suggested voltage of 2.7 Volts, so notebook memory was power hungry to say the least. DDR2 notebook SODIMMS are rated at 1.8 Volts, which is nearly a full Volt (0.8V) lower than DDR1 SODIMMs and feature IC’s based on the FBGA process. Our Kingston 512MB PC-2700 module pictured on top was built on the 32MB x 16 configuration and the new 512MB PC2-4300 modules are built using the 64MB x 8. This means that notebooks with DDR2 modules require up to 65% less voltage than those running DDR400, thus improving battery life. Samsung, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, ran internal tests and showed that a notebook PC equipped with Samsung DDR2 memory lasted close to 10% longer before requiring recharging,” writes the author.

“It turns out that DDR2 memory looks pretty impressive when paired with a 533MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) Intel Dothan based processor. A significant performance increase was noted over our previous generation notebook, which is always a good thing. More processing power means better productivity and hopefully less time in front of the computer, which is a good thing,” concludes Legit Reviews.