RDRAM

[Gamingphreek]

Ive always used DDR but can someone explain to me why RDRAM went away. Isn't it pretty damn fast still?

I do know that it was extremely expensive but aside form that what were the signifigant pros and cons?

-Kevin

 

[ScrapSilicon]

RDRam hasn't really gone away just ..marginalized..by the DRamurai ..do a google search..

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
I do know that it was extremely expensive but aside form that what were the signifigant pros and cons?
-Kevin

if you have to pay +50% for 5% increase it pretty much sums it up. Rambus had the license for RDRAM and charged other companies heavy royalities for producing it, so I guess they just decide to choose DDR instead of payin Rambus. As far as I remember the latencies was also worse than on DDR ram.

 

Originally posted by: biostud666

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
I do know that it was extremely expensive but aside form that what were the signifigant pros and cons?
-Kevin

if you have to pay +50% for 5% increase it pretty much sums it up. Rambus had the license for RDRAM and charged other companies heavy royalities for producing it, so I guess they just decide to choose DDR instead of payin Rambus. As far as I remember the latencies was also worse than on DDR ram.

They were worse at lower speeds, but they dropped at higher speeds and more dimms. I believe DDR2 has the opposite problem...its faster at lower speeds, but now they are running into latency issues as they try to ramp it up.

 

[AndyHui]

RDRAM's latency decreases as its clock speed increases. This is opposite to DDR SDRAM, where latency increases as clock speed increases.

RDRAM is some really good technology, but RAMBUS was effectively in the wrong time and the wrong place.

 

[Hammerstein]

Not only that but RAMBUS itself seemed to always be a bit questionable as a company.

But, honestly, as has been said, RDRAM is pretty impressive technology. It just isn't technology meant to be used on P3s or older type P4s. In the future, perhaps, it might become more useful by far.