Archive for the ‘Computer Terminology’ Category

Memory Spec Terms

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

NON-ECC/Non-parity – Most desktop and laptop computers take NON-ECC or Non-parity memory.

ECC/Parity – ECC or parity modules look for errors in data and are most often found in servers and other mission-critical applications used by large networks and businesses.

Unbuffered – Most PCs and workstations use unbuffered memory which is faster than registered memory.

Registered/Buffered – Registered or buffered modules delay all information transferred to the module by one clock cycle. This type of memory is primarily used in servers.

Fully buffered – Designed for next-generation servers, features an advanced memory buffer.

CL – CAS (column address strobe) latency, which is the number of clock cycles it takes before data starts to flow after a command is received. Lower CL is faster. Modules with different CL can be mixed on a system, but the system will only run at the highest (slowest) CL.

Component configuration – (For example: 64Meg x 64) Indicates the size of the memory chip components on the module.

Voltage – For example 2.6V. Indicates the power used by the module. The lower the better.