Sandra Prior

Memory Technology

The hype about DDR memory exposed.

Despite every tech-site shouting about it, when DDR (double data rate) first appeared it promised so much, delivered little and cost the Earth. The same happened with DDR2, now DDR3 and sure as chips are chips it’ll happen with DDR4. It also happened with RAMBUS, which is a better technology and was even backed by Intel but this serial-based memory was doomed as not only did all the previous shortcomings apply but also RAMBUS's litigious nature as a company vexed many in the industry - its Wikipedia page is breathtaking reading.

It's a shame, as memory is the last bastion of the parallel interface and it's causing problems. Intel wants to introduce triple-channel DDR3 memory with its next X58 chipset, but fitting all those lines onto a motherboard is going to be a nightmare. So much so, it seems that it could increase the number of layers used by up to six or even eight, which will significantly increase costs.

Intel's platforms already support DDR2 and DDR3, and AMD will get DDR3 with the introduction of socket AM3 - the AM3 processors will work in AM2 sockets - and its next 800 series chipset release. Just in time for reasonable pricing to make an appearance. But don't expect much more than a 5-10 per cent speed increase.

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