Memory Specs.. What do they mean?

[chipman21]

Was getting ready to purchase a 512mb stick of DDR memory when I noticed some differences in the specs between the two sticks I was comparing. One stick listed 32x64 and the other 64x64. Could someone please enlighten me as to exactly what this means and which one is the "better" option. I'm guessing it has soemthing to do with the size of the memory chips on the stick. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.:cool:

Chipman21

[Hiro]

I believe (not completely positive though) that those are the dimensions at which the memory is physically organized on the stick itself.

[Tico]

I didn't know so I checkes crucial.com and came up with this...
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If you are shopping through Crucial's advanced search or are shopping by motherboard, you may see your module configuration written in the format 16Meg x 64, 16Meg x 72, etc. In this format, the second number gives the width of the data path in bits. If this number is divisible by nine, it is a parity or ECC module; otherwise, it is a non-parity module.

You can determine the size of your module from this format by multiplying the two numbers together, then dividing by eight or nine, whichever results in an even number. This gives you the size of your module in megabytes (MB).
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So i guess you are looking at ECC and non-ECC ranm....

[Speedfreak]

Those 2 that you are comparing are both 512MB sticks?

[chipman21]

Yes,

Both sticks are 512mb. They are from OCsystem.com. One is listed ac PC2400 and the other is PC2100, but I wouldn't think that would make a difference, but I could be wrong.

Stick #1
512MB DDR SDRAM, 266MHz, PC2100, CL2.5, 64x64, 2.5V, Non-Parity, Non-ECC, 184-pin. Industry Standard.

Stick #2
OCSystem 512MB PC2400 DDR SDRAM, 300MHz, PC2400, CL2/CAS 2, 6 layer PCB 32x64, 6ns, 2.5V, Non-Parity, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 184pin. Comes with aluminum heat spreader.

[bachviet]

Originally posted by chipman21
Yes,

Both sticks are 512mb. They are from OCsystem.com. One is listed ac PC2400 and the other is PC2100, but I wouldn't think that would make a difference, but I could be wrong.

Stick #1
512MB DDR SDRAM, 266MHz, PC2100, CL2.5, 64x64, 2.5V, Non-Parity, Non-ECC, 184-pin. Industry Standard.

Stick #2
OCSystem 512MB PC2400 DDR SDRAM, 300MHz, PC2400, CL2/CAS 2, 6 layer PCB 32x64, 6ns, 2.5V, Non-Parity, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 184pin. Comes with aluminum heat spreader.
Go with the PC2400 since it's goin' to be faster (CAS2 vs. CAS2.5)! Also it's guaranty for O/Cing up to 150Mhz!

[Bires]

Those 2 that you are comparing are both 512MB sticks?

64x64 is infact a 512MB Module, but a module that is 32x64 is only 256MB.

[Speedfreak]

Originally posted by Bires


64x64 is infact a 512MB Module, but a module that is 32x64 is only 256MB.

That is what I was thinking because the first number tells the size of each chip. In these cases, 32MB or 64MB.