Question

There are two naming conventions used for DDR-SDRAM that are based on speed: DDRxxx and PCyyyy. What does PCyyyy refer to?

Answer 1

The PCyyyy naming convention in DDR-SDRAM refers to the theoretical data transfer rate of the memory module, with 'yyyy' indicating the bandwidth in megabytes per second.

Step-by-step explanation:

The PCyyyy number in memory card naming conventions such as for DDR-SDRAM refers to the theoretical bandwidth in megabytes per second (MB/s) that the memory can achieve. It's a measure used to indicate data transfer rates or memory speed. The 'PC' stands for prefetched data cycles per second, and the 'yyyy' is a numerical value. For example, PC3200 represents a DDR-SDRAM memory module that has a theoretical peak bandwidth of 3200 MB/s.

It's important to note that while DDRxxx indicates the double data rate (DDR) times the base clock speed in MHz, PCyyyy shows the theoretical bandwidth in MB/s. Between PCyyyy and DDRxxx, PCyyyy is often considered to present more of a real-world indicator of the memory card's capabilities, particularly important when considering system compatibility and performance needs.