What is the difference between high density memory and low density memory?

[Jaylio]

Just as in the title, what is the difference in high density memory and low density memory and is the low density better? The reason I ask is that it seems the high density is cheaper.

 

[Vegito]

take a 256 mb stick of sdram

high density will use 1 side of it.. thus shoving 256 on one side.

low density will use 2 side of it, splitting it 128x2

Some old PC can't read the high density ie Abit bx6r2. but new pc shouldn't have any prob

 

[Kingofcomputer]

2 meaning:

1: same size module, using different size of chips, for example, 256MB module using 8 x 256Mbit chips vs 256MB module using 16 x 128Mbit chips.

2: same size module, same number of chips, different organization of the chip, a 256Mbit chip could be 64x4, 32x8, 16x16, or 8x32. The famous PC133 256MB module high density memory is using 16 x (32x4) chips comparing to regular PC133 256MB using 16 x (16x8) chips.

 

[Jaylio]

thanks guys. ONe more thing, is one better than the other to build a new system? Nothing fancy, probably gonna do a xp1700.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

(1) high density is better, like 256MB, if you buy one with 8 x 256Mbit chips, that's single side = one bank.
some chipsets only support 4 banks = 2 slots, but the motherboard manufacturers make the motherboards have 3 slots, the last slot is useless if the first two have already put in two double side modules. if you want to use all 3 slots, 1 module can be double side, other 2 must be single side.

(2) such so-called high density memory is not good, only via and sis chipset support such ??x4 chips, you can't use it on intel chipset motherboard. that's why such PC133 256MB is much cheaper than regular 256MB using ??x4 chips in around 2000. Later regular memory price had dropped to same level and DDR came out, such so-called high density PC133 memory was disappeared.

 

[rjcoolpix880]

The density

 

[Whitedog]

A 64Mbit chip vs. a 256mbit chip = low density vs. high density.

256mbit chips (16 chip DIMM = 512MByte DIMM (that's 256Mbits x 16chips / 8 (8 bits per byte))) are the "standard" right now.

512Mb exist, but are expensive. (that's what they use for the 1GB DIMMS)

I believe there are even 1024Mb chips, but they are certainly not in mass production... To the best of my knowledge.


In other words, Todays "High Density" chips will be tomorrows "Low Density" chips.