Rambus memory (RDRAM®)

Rambus memory (RDRAM®) is a revolutionary step from SDRAM. It's a new memory design with changes to the bus structure and how signals are carried. RDRAM® memory sends less information on the data bus but it sends data more frequently. It also reads data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal, as DDR does. As a result, Rambus memory is able to achieve effective data transfer speeds of 800MHz and higher.

That translates into some great speed for you and your computer.

Performance
Now for the million-dollar question: How do DDR (double directional RAM) and Rambus (RDRAM) memory compare performance wise? Sorry, I know you don't want to hear this — that depends. Both technologies have their own ardent supporters and we have seen several different benchmarks to date that provide conflicting results.

To explain, here's an example that we can all relate to — driving your car to the store. You can take the roundabout freeway and drive 20 miles at 70 MPH. Or, you can take a more direct route and drive just 5 miles at 50 MPH. You might go faster on the freeway but you'll get to the store (Memory Controller) faster on the straight-line route.

Looking to the Future
So which technology will become the memory of choice for the computer industry? That probably won't be clear until sometime in the near future. However, it really doesn't matter to a certain extent.

Generally speaking, motherboards are built to support one type of memory. You cannot mix and match more than one type of SDRAM, DDR, or Rambus memory on the same motherboard in any system. They will not function and will not even fit in the same sockets. The right type of memory to use is the one that your motherboard takes! And no matter what type of memory you use, more is typically better. A memory upgrade is still one of the most cost-effective ways to improve system performance.

A memory upgrade is very inexpensive. For less than the cost of many popular software packages, you can get the RAM you need to improve the speed of your system. According to PC World magazine, "A memory upgrade is the most cost-effective update you can make to your computer." And by upgrading your RAM you may be able to postpone buying a new system for several years.

Rambus memory (RDRAM®)

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