[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | Video Cards | Video Memory Function and Speed ]

DRAM Rated Speed

In addition to different DRAM technologies used in video cards, different cards also sometimes use different speeds of memory. This is relevant mostly for the older technologies such as FPM and EDO DRAM. Some cards using regular DRAM use, say, 60 ns access time DRAM and others may use 50 or 40 ns DRAM. Faster memory here leads to increased bandwidth; the difference in overall performance can be significant but usually isn't that great. The memory type (DRAM, EDO, VRAM etc.) is usually more important as a distinguishing factor.

Note: Some manufacturers use different speeds of DRAM on retail and OEM versions of their cards. See here for more on retail vs. OEM.

Next: Memory Bandwidth, Speed and Performance

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