RAM (random access memory)

 RAM is a semiconductor that stores charges

with transistors and capacitors.
 DRAM- Dynamic RAM
– Most popular type of electronic memory in the
PC world.
– Must be refreshed constantly or it loses its
contents
 SRAM- Static RAM- very expensive
– does not have to be refreshed
 RAM Random Access Memory

 OriginallyRAM had a 640 K limit

 The 8088 could use only use 256 K per row

 Needed improved MCC before more RAM

could be added
 MCC and Parity

 MCC- Memory Controller Chip

– “Fetches” memory for the CPU from RAM
 Parity
– Extra chip
– For error detection
– Usually seen as a “ninth” or odd number chip
– MCC must be designed to handle parity
Evolution of RAM packages

 DIPPS- first generation of DRAM chips

– 2 rows on either side
– easy to install wrong or break
– Installed a chip at a time
– Needed to create a row
– So why have to install all chips?
 30 pin SIPPS

 Page 160- With SIPPS RAM was on a small

board that installed on motherboard
 Memory was more than one bit wide, so
you could have more memory and fewer
rows
 But pins were still easy to break
 30 Pin SIMMS

 No visible pins hanging off, so you couldn’t

break it
 Always 8 bits wide, though depths could
vary
 Can’t tell depth by looking at it

 Whether you need parity depends on

motherboard
 You can disable parity in CMOS
 Access in Nanoseconds (ns)
 The
lower the better. 200 ns on the 8088,
now less than 50 ns
 Banking

 Accessing more than one row of DRAM at

a time
 Only possible with the 286 and later

 Width of RAM must equal external data bus

 RAM was always 8 bits wide

 More rows were added to equal data bus

 8 bits times 4 rows equals 32 bits

 Banking continued

 All SIMMs in the same bank must be

identical
 You can have different total types but all of
the members of one bank must be identical
 All SIMMs in bank should be same speed

 Totally “populated” or totally

“unpopulated”
 On to the 72 pin SIMMs

 Modern Computers needed too many 30 pin

SIMMs to make a bank to match the
modern 64 bit data bus
 New memory needed, to eliminate space

 The 72 pin SIMM is 32 bits wide, not 8 bits

like previous RAM like 30 pin SIMMs
 Only 2 SIMMs needed for bank in Pentium
 168 Pin DIMM
 DIMM: Dual-inline memory module (has
DRAM chips on both sides)
 64 bits wide, not 32

 Each side of each pin has separate function

 SO-DIMMS used in laptops and have only

72 pins so are much shorter
 A bank is formed when

 X * Width of SIMM chip=Width of external

data bus X=sticks in one bank
 Can you mix DIMMs and SIMMs?
 Types of RAM

 EDO- Extended data out- doesn’t need to

be refreshed as often. Can be on either 72
pin SIMM or 168 pin DIMM. Don’t mix
with FPM RAM
 SDRAM- Synchronized DRAM tied to
system clock, 5 times faster than DRAM. Is
available only on DIMMs
 ECC RAM- Errors detected and fixed
 ROM- Read-only memory

 PROM- Programmable Read Only

Memory- can be programmed only once
and are then read only- cannot be erased or
changed
 EPROM- Erasable Programmable Read
Only Memory
 EEPROM- Electrically Erasable Read-Only
Memory