What is the drawback of 32-bit RDRAM?

[MadRat]

Why isn't everyone enthusiastic about this 32-bit 9.6 GB/s memory?

 

[Vegito]

i think it's just the price that they'll try to shove down our throat.. but intel isn't gonna support them much longer..

 

[Pabster]

Perhaps because of the insane cost of the modules?

I'd expect such a card to easily sell for $450-$500. RDRAM also has inherent drawbacks, which you ought to be familiar with. I'm a bit puzzled why they'd even consider RDRAM, actually. (And, please, no one comment that DDR has reached a limit.)

 

[Guilty]

Wasn't the entire idea of RDRAM to reduce pin count from SDRAM? Making it 32-bit will surely add to the pin count negating the whole idea. RDRAM runs too hot and has too many latency issues, it's as plain as that (Not to mention almost nothing really takes advantage of the bandwidth it offers today).

Secondly as DDR frequency increases and DDR-II (Not QDR, that is simply to costly to make PCB layer and trace wise) is implemented RDRAM will be but an embarassing memory in Intel's history. Hopefully they dont make the same mistake again and try to force a completely new and proprietary standard down everyones throats.

 

[Damascus]

<< Wasn't the entire idea of RDRAM to reduce pin count from SDRAM? Making it 32-bit will surely add to the pin count negating the whole idea. >>



I seem to recall something like that, but not exactly. I think it was "high
data rate per pin".

 

[Athlon4all]

Sorry Pabster, I'm gonna say it. DDR is reaching it's limits. The last breath of life is QBM, but that's it. PC2700 is the end. And, while it will still live on with Athlon and Hammer early on, It's on it's way out. MadRat, I am very enthustic, because it will not be any more expensive to produce. The increase in pin count is very small (only the middle unused connector is added), and if Tulloch hadn't been cancled, then it would've reduced pin count because of the loss of Dual Channels! And, it will still have a smaller pin count than SDRAM and a significant smaller pin count that Dual Channel DDR. I personally am very enthusiastic about it. It should, eventually take over DDR. Now DDR-II, well we'll see. And about the latency, well Ace Hardware's RDRAM article proves that latency is only gonna get better as frequency increases.