DDR3? when did this happen and why?

Question

i saw on newegg.com that there is DDR3 RAM and has 240 pins just like DDR2. can i install DDR3 on my computer or what? I know a lot of things about computers but i'm confused on this one.

Answer 1

Well in case you didn't feel like reading through that cut and paste job Josh did, they are not compatible with each other. While they have the same number of pins, they have notches in different locations, so it won't physically fit in a DDR2 slot. This is more of a safety feature, as they would not work in a DDR2 slot anyway, different type of RAM, hence needs a different memory controller.

Answer 2

(It doesnt sound like a download)
DDR3 SDRAM or double-data-rate three synchronous dynamic random access memory is the name of the new DDR memory standard that has been developed as the successor to DDR2 SDRAM.

The memory comes with a promise of a power consumption reduction of 40% compared to current commercial DDR2 modules, due to DDR3's 90 nm fabrication technology, allowing for lower operating currents and voltages (1.5 V, compared to DDR2's 1.8 V or DDR's 2.5 V). "Dual-gate" transistors will be used to reduce leakage of current.

DDR3's prefetch buffer width is 8 bit, whereas DDR2's is 4 bit, and DDR's is 2 bit.

Theoretically, these modules could transfer data at the effective clockrate of 800-1600MHz (for a single clock bandwidth of 400-800MHz), compared to DDR2's current range of 400-1066 MHz (200-533 MHz) or DDR's range of 200-600 MHz (100-300 MHz). To date, such bandwidth requirements have been mainly on the graphics market, where fast transfer of information between framebuffers is required.

Prototypes were announced in early 2005, while the DDR3 specification is expected to be publicly available in mid-2007. Supposedly, Intel has preliminarily announced that they expect to be able to offer support for it in mid 2007 with a version of their upcoming Bearlake chipset. AMD's roadmap indicates their own adoption of DDR3 to come in 2008.

DDR3 DIMMs have 240 pins, the same number as DDR2; however, the DIMMs are physically incompatible, owing to a different key notch location. [1]

The GDDR3 memory, with a similar name but an entirely dissimilar technology, has been in use for several years in high-end graphic cards such as ones from NVIDIA or ATI Technologies, and as main system memory on the Xbox 360. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "DDR3".

Answer 3

Yea you can install if its ddr3, but make sure your motherboard supports the timings and voltages and your psu has enough power

Answer 4

Well....if you have a motherboard that will support PC10600 then sure...go for it...