DDR1, DDR2, DDR3: Navigating

The RAM Maze

Which DDR Is Which? Here Is A Full Guide To RAM.
Many computer enthusiasts know exactly what they want when they go to configure their new
system. They've researched and picked out a perfectly matching CPU, motherboard and videocard
combination that will meet all their needs. However, when it comes to RAM many users become
totally befuddled. They generally know how much RAM they need (1GB is the effective operating
minimum these days, 2GB if running Vista or using hungry apps like Photoshop), but they don't have
a clue as to what DDR1, DDR2 or DDR3 means.

It turns out that selecting the proper DDR variant is a very important factor that determines how your
overall system will perform, thus every enthusiast/prosumer/gamer should be well-advised to learn
the basics.

Choosing the proper DDR-variant for your PC is critical!

Double Data Rate DIMM is known as DDR-DIMM, DDR DIMM, or most popularly just plain DDR.
Double Data Rate interfaces provide two data transfers per differential clock. The data becomes
registered when the CK goes high [the + side], and /CK goes low [the - side]. DDR1 utilizes the
JEDEC standard for Double Data Rate [DDR I] SDRAM. Like all DDR RAM it is available as
registered or unbuffered. Registered DIMMs are generally known as FB-DIMMs and have their
address and control lines buffered in order to reduce signal loading. FB-DIMMs are considerably
more expensive than unbuffered DIMMs and are generally reserved for server use. There are very
few enthusiast/prosumer/gamers utilizing FB-DIMMs in their rigs. Unbuffered DIMMs don't feature
address lines and control line buffering, so they cost quite a bit less. However, they may be system-
loading limited and are thus generally restricted in the number that can be fitted onto one system.
You'll find that most unbuffered DIMMs these days can only be installed on one motherboard to a
maximum of 4 x 1GB. Buffered or registered DIMMs don't have these limitations and server boards
can accommodate 8 x 1GB, 16 x 1GB or more. An interesting and largely unknown aspect of
unbuffered DDR DIMMs is that they are able to operate one clock cycle faster then FB-DIMMs.

DDR2 memory is the second generation in DDR memory. DDR2 begins with a speed level of
400MHz as the lowest available while the 400MHz speed is actually the highest speed for DDR1.
Therefore, DDR2 picks up where DDR1 leaves off. It's a bit strange but due to different latencies a
400MHz DDR1 will outperform a 400MHz DDR2, but the advantage returns to DDR2 as soon as the
speed reaches the next step 532MHz, which DDR1 cannot reach.

It follows that DDR3 is the third generation in DDR memory. DDR3 begins with a speed level of
800Mbps (400MHz) as the lowest available. As of May, 2010 (a full three years after the rest of this
Hub was written) the highest popularly available DDR3 speed is represented by the Patriot Viper II
Series Sector 5 Edition PC3-20000 2500MHz modules!

Adding to customer confusion is that RAM is often referred to as a DDR-number or a PC-number.

(The Revenge of the Geekizoids continues.) Here is a Chart for the various currently common DDRs
as of May 2010:

Current DDR2

DDR2-400. Memory Clock: 100 MHz. Bus Clock: 200 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
400,000,000. Module Name: PC2-3200.
DDR2-533. Memory Clock: 133 MHz. Bus Clock: 266 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
533,000,000. Module Name: PC2-4200.
DDR2-667. Memory Clock: 166 MHz. Bus Clock: 333 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
667,000,000. Module Name: PC2-5300.
DDR2-800. Memory Clock: 200 MHz. Bus Clock: 400 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
800,000,000. Module Name: PC2-6400.
DDR2-1066. Memory Clock: 266 MHz. Bus Clock: 533 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
1,066,000,000. Module Name: PC2-8500.
Current DDR3

DDR3-800. Memory Clock: 100 MHz. Bus Clock: 400 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
800,000,000. Module Name: PC3-6400.
DDR3-1066. Memory Clock: 133 MHz. Bus Clock: 533 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
1,066,000,000. Module Name: PC3-8500.
DDR3-1333. Memory Clock: 166 MHz. Bus Clock: 667 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
1,333,000,000. Module Name: PC3-10600.
DDR3-1600. Memory Clock: 200 MHz. Bus Clock: 800 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
1,600,000,000. Module Name: PC3-12800.
DDR3-1800. Memory Clock: 225 MHz. Bus Clock: 900 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
1,800,000,000. Module Name: PC3-14400.
DDR3-1866. Memory Clock: 233 MHz. Bus Clock: 933 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
1,866,000,000. Module Name: PC3-14900.
DDR3-2000. Memory Clock: 250 MHz. Bus Clock: 1000 MHz. Data Transfers/Sec.:
2,000,000,000. Module Name: PC3-16000.
Now which CPU/chipset matches which RAM? It would take an encyclopaedia to list all the CPUs
and all the chipsets and their "best-fit" DDRs. Before finalizing your system configuration you should
research your CPU manufacturer's RAM recommendations and fit that exact type of DDR to it. You
would be just as foolish in using a PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 with an AMD Sempron 2800+ as you
would be to burden down your Intel QX6800 with a PC1600 DDR-200. Every CPU/chipset combo
has its proper DDR fit, and you should find out exactly what they are and stick to them. Fitting a
slower than recommended DDR to your system will bottleneck critical RAM functions and could slow
your otherwise very speedy system to a tortoise crawl.

There are many other factors involved in choosing the right RAM for your rig. Latencies are critical,
but the details are too extensive to include here and will form the basis of a future blog. There are
also a mind-boggling array of RAM brand names and pricepoints. Generally, you get what you pay
for and as long as you are comparing various brands at the same retailer, the price will be a fairly
good indicator of quality. Some of the leading manufacturers include:

Centon

Corsair

Crucial

Kingston

OCZ

Patriot

A couple of more points to remember. First, RAM heat spreaders may or may not be worth the extra
cost. I can see that they would be useful only in the tiniest minority of high-load, prolonged-heavy-
use situations. Don't ever touch your RAM (or other PC internal components) without being
thoroughly grounded with a good static strap. Static can zap your circuitry before you know it.

If you follow these guidelines and thoroughly research the proper DDR for your system, you'll be
rewarded with years of speedy and trouble-free computing. A bit of prior study is a small price to pay!

What are the Different Motherboard

Components and Their Functions?
Understanding your motherboard components and functions is simple... Join us as we
explain the different parts of a motherboard with pictures.

At the first glance, the components of a motherboard can appear complicated... even
daunting to some. How are we supposed to figure out this big jumble of connectors, ports,
slots, sockets and heat sinks?

Good news: Finding your way around a motherboard isn't hard... You simply need to be
able to identify the different motherboard parts and understand their functions.

Join us as we take you on a guided tour of the different motherboard components (complete
with photos and plain English descriptions):
24

1. Back Panel Connectors and ports for connecting the computer to external devices such as
Connectors & Ports display ports, audio ports, USB ports, Ethernet ports, PS/2 ports etc. See
image below for a close-up view.

For details on the individual back panel ports, click here for our guide to
computer cable connections.
2. PCI Slots PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect

Slot for older expansion cards such as sound cards, network cards, connector
cards. See image below for a close-up view.

Have been largely replaced by PCI-Express x1 slots (see motherboard parts #3

below).

3. PCI Express x1 Slot for modern expansion cards such as sound cards, network cards (Wi-Fi,
Slots Ethernet, Bluetooth), connector cards (USB, FireWire, eSATA) and certain
low-end graphics cards. See image below for a close-up view.

4. PCI Express Slot for discrete graphic cards and high bandwidth devices such as top-end
x16 Slot solid state drives. See image below for a close-up view.

5. Northbridge Also known as Memory Controller Hub (MCH).

Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate with the RAM and graphics card.
 Beginning from Intel Sandy Bridge in 2011, this motherboard component is no
longer present as it has been integrated within the CPU itself.

6. CPU Socket Insert CPU here. To learn how to install a CPU, click here for our guide to
installing a CPU.

7. ATX 12V Connects to the 4-pin power cable of a power supply unit which supplies
Power Connector power to the CPU.

8. Front Panel USBConnects to USB 2.0 ports at the front or top of a computer case. See image
2.0 Connectors above for a close-up view.

9. Front Panel Connects to the power switch, reset switch, power LED, hard drive LED and
Connectors front audio ports of a computer case. See image above for a close-up view.

For more details on the individual front panel ports, click here for our guide
to installing a motherboard.

10. IDE Connector Connects to older hard drive disks and optical drives for data transfer. See
image above for a close-up view.

Have been replaced over by SATA connectors (see motherboard component

#13 below).

11. CMOS Battery Supplies power to store BIOS settings and keep the real-time clock running.
See image above for a close-up view.

The CMOS battery found on most motherboards is the CR2032 lithium coin
cell.

12. Southbridge Also known as the Input/Output Controller Hub (ICH).

Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate with PCI slots, PCI-Express x 1
slots (expansion cards), SATA connectors (hard drives, optical drives), USB
ports (USB devices), Ethernet ports and on-board audio.

13. SATA Connects to modern hard disk drives, solid state drives and optical drives for
Connectors data transfer. See image above for a close-up view.

14. Fan Headers Supplies power to the CPU heat sink fan and computer case fans. See image
above for a close-up view.

15. RAM Slots Insert RAM here. To learn how to install RAM, click here for our guide to
installing RAM.

16. ATX Power Connects to the 24-pin ATX power cable of a power supply unit which
Connector supplies power to the motherboard.

17. mSATA Connects to a mSATA solid state drive. In most cases, this SSD is used as
Connector cache to speed up hard disk drives, but it's possible to re-purpose it as a
regular hard drive.

18. Front Panel USB Connects to USB 3.0 ports at the front or top of the computer case.
3.0 Connector

19. Power & Reset Onboard button to turn on, turn off and reboot the computer.
Button
This motherboard component is more common among high end boards.
ARTS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE MOTHERBOARD

The computer Motherboard or shortly MOBO is one of the most important part of the
Personal computer (PC).It is a hardware of the computer installed inside the system
unit(CPU).This MOBO hardware act as the main board or the central or core
assembly of the computer system unit. In other words inside of the CPU case there
are a lot of other hardware's connected to the MOBO, namely: Hard Disk Drive
(HDD), CD/DVD ROM, USB Card reader, FDD Drive, processor, RAM, LAN
card, Wireless LAN card, USB expansion board, VGA Card, and the Power
Supply Unit (PSU).These are all types of hardware's inside the system unit of the
Personal Computer.

Computer motherboard designed to take advantage of the most demand application

of a program. Just like the movie games as high innovative applications of computer
programming. As the form factor of motherboard as a series of versions of the
MOBO from AT, ATX, BTX, LPX, and NLPX. Compatible words being broadcast, that's
why it is the MOBO will synchronize the speed of processor, RAM, and Video Card
(VGA). Unlike only if the MOBO is built-in through the Input/output ports.

So, lets talk about the Motherboard parts and function to enable you to familiarize
the parts and function. This is the most practical approach of the technician. (See
the picture above).
1. I/O ports- This is located in the rear panel of the CPU, this use to connect the
outside hardware or peripherals of the computer.

PS/2 ports- These are used to connect the mouse (green color) and the
keyboard (purple color)

DB 25 female connector (printer port)-This is use to connect the impact

printer, one of that the DOT MATRIX printer, ex. the Epson LX 300 +

DB 9 male connector (Serial or com1 port)-This use to connect a serial

device of the computer, such as the serial mouse and external modem.

VGA port (built-in)- This is use to interface the DB cord of the monitor
screen or to connect the monitor screen of the computer. The fastest video card
versions are based on the standard of the VGA slots, ex: the AGP and PCIe card.

USB 2.0 2 ports- These are the ports of the USB devices of the
computer. Attached externally of the system unit, one of that are the USB flash
drives. As of now the versions or speed of the USB are the 1.0 and 2.0 compatible.

LAN port- This called as Local Area Network of the computer. This is use to
connect the numbers of node or workstations (PC) to form a local area network of
the computer with in their area. Using type of communication media such as the
network switch and router.

Audio Port- This is use to connect the speaker, mike, and MIDI (Musical
Instrument Digital Interface) device of the computer.

2. ATX Power connector(4 pin)- This is use to connect the 4 pin of the power
supply unit(PSU) .This is separate of the 20 or 24 pin of ATX power supply to provide
DC voltage of computer processor.

3. Processors ZIF Socket- Part of MOBO use to hold the processor or CPU chip
(Zero Insertion Force).The compatibility of the socket depends of the computer
processor type. Such as the AM2 socket of the AMD and the socket 775 of the Intel
company.
4. Memory slot (DIMM) - This is called as Dual Inline Memory Module, this is the
slot of computer memory or what we called RAM. The memory slot depends of the
type of the memory. Such as the PC 133 SDRAM and PC 400 SDRAM-DDR 1.

5. ATX Power connector (24 or 28 pin) - A group of connector of the MOBO. This
is separate of the 4 pin power assignments. It provides a DC power output to the
system board (SB) from the output of the Power Supply Unit.

6. Name of the Vendor- this is the manufacturer name. This is important to know
the manufacturer or vendor. So you can download through the internet site the
driver software of the MOBO.

7. CMOS/BIOS BATTERY- In this part, the CMOS/BIOS battery is hold, so that it can
provide 3 volts direct current/voltage to the CMOS IC. To preserve the BIOS settings
of the computer. Such as the time module, hardware information and
settings/parameter, etc.

CMOS-Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

BIOS - Basic Input/output system. Is a set of a program stored in CMOS IC,

use to preserve the BIOS configuration of the computer

CMOS BATTERY PART NUMBER- lithium dry cell CR 2032 3 volts.

8. IDE connector (Intergrated Drive Electronics)- This connector is use to

connect the IDE cable of the HDD(Hard Disk Drive) or CD/DVD ROM to the Mother
Board IDE.

9. Front panel connectors(F-Panel)- This is use to connect the Power LED,HDD

LED, Power Switch, and Reset switch of the computer system unit(CPU).

10. SATA connector-This is Serial Advance Technology Attachment. The new

standard of the IDE connection array of the computer HDD (SATA HDD) to the
motherboard system.
11. CMOS/BIOS jumper- This is use to disable the BIOS default setup. Such as to
disabled the
supervisor password of the BIOS.

How to disable password before the BIOS setup

Turn off CPU
Change jumper to clear
Remove the CMOS battery
Reinsert the BIOS battery
Change jumper to normal
Power up computer
Press del or F2 to enter BIOS setup.

12. USB connector (header) - This is use to connect the USB port of the front
panel USB 2.0 x 2 port.

13. FDD connector- The connector of the FDD cable through the system board.
Normally
there are 34 pins out of it to connect the 3.5 1.44mb Floppy Disk Drive.

14. PCI slots- a part of the computer motherboard use to connect the I/O cards of
the computer. Such as LAN card, WIFI card, USB expansion card, and sound card.

15. Motherboard Version number- here you can get the version of the
motherboard driver software. So that you can download it exactly to the
manufacturer website.

16. CMOS/BIOS IC- This is the type of BIOS IC being use by the computer MOBO.A
set of a program being installed in this IC to preserved the BIOS configuration
settings of the computer. Such as the speed of the CPU chip and RAM, etc.

17. AMR slot- This is the AUDIO Modem Riser. Being use to demodulate and
modulate the analog audio of the computer.
18. PCI express slot- A part of the computer that hold the computer video card
(VGA), the PCIe card. The latest and the fastest card being installed and most
compatible with 3d and 4g gaming of the computer. The old video card type is the
AGP or Accelerated Graphic Ports and
the standard of the PCIe.

19. North Bridge IC- Is a passion name as being north of the PCI buses or the PCI
slots of the MOBO. The true name of the north bridge is MCI or Memory Controller
Hub. Assigned to manage and control the computer memory before the processing
of the CPU chip.

20. South Bridge IC- Is a passion name as being south of the PCI buses or PCI
slots. The true name of the south bridge is I/O Controller HUB (ICH). It is a type of
microchip task to control all the Input and output devices of the computer. Such as
the keyboard and mouse. And the monitor screen of the computer that commonly
found at the rear back of the CPU or system unit.