DDR4 VS DDR3: LITTLE

COMPARISON & WHAT TO EXPECT

Posted by Leo Bien Durana On September 14, 2013 0 Comment

DDR4 DRAM memory technology is set to replace DDR3 soon later this year,
but what is DDR4 exactly, and what are the advantages of such technology
compared to the DDR3? Well then, lets take a brief look at DDR4, along the
advantages that it promises to the table, with the help of a nice infographic
from our friends at Crucial Memory.

EFFICIENT, FASTER, & HIGHER CAPACITY MODULES:

Compared to DDR3, the DDR4 technology features a lower power
consumption @ 1.2v in order to operate at its standard frequency. Low
voltage standards are around 1.05v, which is great for mobile devices.
Capacity is a huge leap too at 16GB/stick, compared to DDR3s 8GB/stick,
thanks to DDR4s higher density modules. Speed is rated at 2133Mhz, and is
effectively twice as fast compared to the DDR3s 1000Mhz standards.

Theoretically, DDR4 is going to be much faster compared to DDR3, but will

introduce higher latency compared to DDR3.

IN CLOSING:
The future of memory technology with DDR4 is looking great, but there are

caveats. You see, DDR3 uses Multi-Drop BUS topology, while the next-gen
DDR4 will utilize Point-to-Point topology. In laymans term, DDR4 will only
operate at Single Channel with 1 stick, Dual Channel with 2 sticks, and will
only operate at Quad Channel with 4 sticks respectively. That said, youre left
with little headroom for upgrade, as youre bound with a maximum of 32GB
for Dual Channel configuration for example.

Feature/Opt
ion

DDR3

DDR4

DDR4 Advanta

Voltage (core and

I/O)

1.5V

1.2V

Reduces memory power

demand

VREF inputs

2 DQs and
CMD/ADDR

1 CMD/ADDR

VREFDQ now internal

Low voltage standard

Yes
(DDR3L at 1.35V)

Anticipated
(likely 1.05V)

Memory power reductions

Data rate (Mb/s)

800, 1066, 1333,

1600, 1866,
2133

1600, 1866,
2133, 2400,
2667, 3200

Migration to higherspeed I

Densities

512Mb8Gb

2Gb16Gb

Better enablement for lar

capacity memory subsyst

Internal banks

16

More banks

Bank groups (BG)

Faster burst accesses

tCK DLL enabled

300 MHz to 800

MHz

667 MHz to 1.6

GHz

Higher data rates

tCK DLL disabled

10 MHz to 125
MHz (optional)

Undefined to 125
MHz

DLL-off now fully supporte

Read latency

AL + CL

AL + CL

Expanded values

Write latency

AL + CWL

AL + CWL

Expanded values

DQ driver (ALT)

40

48

Optimized for PtP (point-t

point) applications

DQ bus

SSTL15

POD12

Mitigate I/O noise and pow

RTT values (in )

120, 60, 40, 30,

20

240, 120, 80, 60,

48, 40, 34

Support higher data rates

RTT not allowed

READ bursts

Disables during
READ bursts

Ease-of-use

ODT modes

Nominal,
dynamic

Nominal,
dynamic, park

Additional control mode;

supports OTF value chang

ODT control

ODT signaling

ODT signaling not

Ease of ODT control, allow

Multipurpose register
(MPR)

required

required

non-ODT routing on PtP

applications

Four registers 1
defined, 3 RFU

Four registers 3
defined, 1 RFU

Provides additional specia

readout

In addition, no current motherboard and CPU in the market supports DDR4.

Meaning you have to buy a new motherboard, and CPU to take advantage of
the said technology which will be probably available upon the release of the
next-gen chipsets and micro-processors. Reports suggests that Intels
upcoming Enthusiasts grade Haswell-E chips will support DDR4, while AMD
will support it probably in the late 2014 based on JEDECs roadmap. Like any
other technological advancements, expect the initial cost of DDR4 to hurt
your wallet.
Intel and several memory manufacturers showcased the DDR4 technology at
the recently concluded Intel Developer Forum, and event suggests that DDR4
will see its first real world action with servers, rather than with consumer
grade hardwares with the exception of the soon to be released Haswell-E
which is based on Intels server grade chips.