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N64 uses DRDRAM?

M

Maniac9127

Senior member
I was reading Maximum PC, and I read this:


<< DRDRAM is simply Direct Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory, the same memory that Intel has been so fond of lately. We have seen Direct RDRAM in video hardware (most notably in the Nintendo 64), but haven't seen it in any mainstreem videocards. >>



I didn't even know who RAMBUS was when the N64 came out. Does the N64 really use DRDRAM?
 
There was also an incarnation of Creative Lab's 3D Blaster from 1996 that used DRDRAM (I don't recall what chip it used). Then in late 1996 SDRAM prices plummeted, and it has been used in video cards ever since.
 
Yes, it is also found in the Acura 3000 RL v6 version, the new Nintendo Dolphin, I think it's also in the Sega dreamcast (Anyone confirm) ? it's everywhere you want to be without.
 
It's not in the Nintendo Dolphin, now called GameCube. I guess Nintendo realised that Rambus isn't all that it's cracked up to be and switched to IT-SDRAM. The PSX2 on the otherhand has made the switch to Rambus for what reason I can't figure.
 
Velocity uses SGRam, whatever the heck that is.

Nintendo used Rambus, but it's only 2 megs or so, 30 bucks for the 4 meg upgrade. No one would be able to afford a system if it had 32 megs of Rambus in it.
 
Its a pretty decent choice for a console with just 32 megs of mem, so it makes sense in the PS2.
It has a high bandwidth per pin, so the pincount will be kept low, making the mobo cheaper, while not being that expensive in itself since its only 32 megs, and you can bet Sony gets a huge a$$ discount.
 
Its video mem is only 4 megs, so unless its a n UM architechture, texture data wont reside in the main mem.
Dont know what kind of RAM the video mem is though.

Maybe someone with a bit more insight in this knows?

Who cares, consoles all suck anyway(sorry, couldnt help it🙂)
 
I read somewhere that since RDRAM uses less pins to interface with the MB compared with SDRAM, it is a better choice for the space cramped console systems.

Dreamcast uses SDRAM.

Oda
 


<< I read somewhere that since RDRAM uses less pins to interface with the MB compared with SDRAM, it is a better choice for the space cramped console systems. >>



That's exactly why Nintendo opted for IT-SDRAM. It allows them to stack more RAM that is supposedly faster than Rambus unto the motherboard.
 
Fewer pins is a plus in production cost and design, but I'd hardly consider pin count the overriding factor in memory design. 🙂
 
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