Anatomy of Computer

Here, I would like to give you a little insight of your computer, So that you can also brag about your knowladge about hardware to your family and friends or atleast dont end up looking like an Old-Skool when your kids talk in some lingo like DDR, HD graphics , HDMI etc. Well.. Here's a pic that might be like your desktop ,more or less. I'm sure you must be aware of all the parts shown here. But just to revise, ( and make my report look more complete)I'll give a short introduction.

Moniter- Now this is moniter ( because you can

moniter whats happening inside yoour computer with it's help) . It is the most common output device which you'll come across. ( By output device, I mean, It shows you some output from the computer... quite obvious.. huh.. )

CPU- Central Processing Unit. (Now that

sounds something Hi-tech..) All of your computer's work is done inside this box. When we talk about a computer in general, we talk about CPU. Every other component ( moniter, keyboard, mouse, priner.. or whatever...) is to input something or output something from it. Understand it like this, when you watch a movie on your computer (Moniter, to be precise), Its because CPU takes input in form of a file( from DVD ), understands what it wants to say(information), and sends signals to your moniter to show that information(movie). Got that? Good.

Keyboard- Well.. there's not much

to say about this. Keyboard is there to give some instructions to CPU,

genrally text or numeric instructions.

Mouse- Honestly, I dont know why its called

a mouse, maybe because it looks like one. Its used to give directional or positioning coordinates to the CPU. We can position tne curser wherever we want on the screen with its help. With Point and click mechanism, it also helps us to select any icon or manipulate its properties.

Okay. So far so good. Now we will look CPU and Moniter with details. Especially CPU, because as i said... thats what computer is.

Lets have a look inside CPU.

Anatomy of CPU

Pretty much inside that box.. huh.. I'll try to explain you the working of every component and their significance along with a little bit of history and a little insight into future. ( and yeah, the good part.. It'll leave you with a lot of cool lingo like ATX,

SATA etc.) I'll also try to give an account of how the Computer Hardware companies Like HCL align their buisness plans with the evolving technology. Lets get started.

The Case- The Skeleton of the computer, many people think of it as

nothing more than something to bolt thecomponents to keep them protected. But it provides two very important funtions- Airflow and Noise Insulation.

Airflow is possibly the most important job of a good case. Components can get very hot, and good airflow is needed to get that heat away from the components. Without sufficient cooling, they can become less reliable over time and degrade faster. The computer case itself also helps in Noise insulation. (i.e. To keep your comuter

quite.)Computer parts can make a surprising amount of noise (the processors heatsink fan and hard drives are themain culprits; discrete graphics cards can be very loud, too), and the case can beinstrumental in making sure most of it doesn't reach your ears. Computer cases comes in various sizes. We can have any of them according to our requirement.What we generally have, is an MIDI case, we can also have a small MINI-ITX for a computer that doesnt do more work than browsing or word editing etc. or a FULL-TOWER case for gaming purpose etc.

Expansion Bays, as we saw in the first figure, are of two sizes, 5.25 inches and 3.5 inches. They are used to accomodate hard disks and optical drives etc. Some good brands making cases are Asus, Cooler Master, Antec etc.

Power Supply- The power

supply is probably best described as being the heart of the computer. It provides all of the other components in the computer with well, power. It's responsible for converting AC electricity from the mains into the more usable, lower power DC before distributing it to the other components. The power rating of a power supply is most often referred to as its wattage. You can usually tell the power rating of a PSU just by looking at its model number.An example of power rating of 550 watt power supply is as follows:

Efficinecy of power supply can be represented by graph. This graph represents the relation between efficiency of power supply and load offered by computer.this graph shows power supply is most efficient around 50% load. Every power supply use the same standardised connectors , They are Molex connecter, SATA connecter, Floppy connecter, 20+4 Connecter (Motherboard connecter), 4+4connecter ( CPU connecter), 6+2Connecter(PCIe connecter). Some good brands for PSUs are Corsair, Antec, Cooler Master.

Motherboard: Motherboard is not called 'Mother'board for nothing,

Everything in the computer is connected to the motherboard whether its by directly slotting into it or via cables.All the parts communicate through motherboard, too.The motherboard is the most obvious component inside a computer. Although this one is slightly harder to fit into our body metaphor, the closest thing I can think of is the torso of the computer. Motherboards are generally split into two different groups; those for AMD processors and those for Intel processors. However, they are almost entirely the same the only difference is the CPU socket and therefore the processors which are compatible.

Motherboard Size: There are many different motherboard sizes, ranging

from Mobile-ITX (measuring just 60 x 60mm) to WTX (which is a crazy 356 x 425mm). Generally ATX or micro-ATX (ATX stands for Advanced Technology eXtendible, these are the standerd size developed by Intel to create a standerd) size are the common ones, but mini-ITX is gaining popularity. Difference in sizes account for the upgadability provided by the boards as well as the number of expansion slots ( for connecting graphics card, sound card etc),IDE ports ( for connecting some old Hard Drives) and SATA ports( for connecting new Hard Drives) offered by motherboards.

While ATX is generally Used for general purpose computing. Micro-ATX is good for a budget PC which do limited stuff, like browsing the net, working with word document etc, mini-ITX is generally used in netbooks.

Chipsets in motherboard.- Components which are connected to the

motherboard are controlled and connected by the chipset. This usually comprises of a northbridge chip and a southbridge chip.Here's a picture showing the location of the northbridge and southbridge chips: the chipsets themselves are almost always manufactured by the CPU manufacturer; that is, an AMD motherboard will almost always have a chipset made by AMD themselves, and Intel makes the chipsets for Intel motherboards.

The northbridge chip allows the CPU, RAM and Graphics Card(s) (via PCIExpress lanes) to communicate between each other as well as connecting with the southbridge.It also works as RAM controller.In some new systems, RAM controller and PCIExpress is incorporated in Motherboard itself , so Northbridge no longer exists. The southbridge is responsible for the communication between the other components, external devices, audio and the network with the northbridge.

Main motherboard slots: Slots are provided in the motherboard for

different components to fit into it and communicate with each other. Main motherboard slots are as follows: CPU Slot: This is where the processor is installed. All modern CPU sockets use some form of lever to lock the processor down against the motherboard to ensure that there is a good connection between the pins and contacts of the motherboard and processor. There are quite a few common socket designs but they all look relatively similar, as you can see in the following figure:

RAM Slot: This is where the computer's memory is installed. Most modern motherboards have two channels and either two or four slots (one or two for each channel).(Dual Channel- two 64bit data channels provide Double memory bandwidth between processer and memory hence decreasing the

chances of bottleneck due to difference in CPU bus speed and memory speed. ( CPU speed is generally much greater than memeory speed and it cant keep up) ( TOM's Hardware detect 5% performance increase b/w single and double channel configration))

In the figure, You can see RAM slots being named as DIMM-A2 etc, here, DIMM is a RAM slot standerd, A represents channel number, 1 represents slot number within that channel, quite simple.

Power Connecters slots: These slots are used to insert connecters from,
you guessed it... power supply.The 20+4 Pin(Motherboard connecter) and 4+4 Pin(CPU Connecter) connectors are slotted in their individual slots.. The 4+4 pin socket is always right near the CPU socket. There are a few places where you may find the 20+4 Pin socket, but more often than not it's right on the edge furthest from the back of the case, near the RAM slots.

Expansion Slot : PCI and PCIExpress slots are present in most of the

motherboards for graphics card, sound card etc. to be connected to the motherboard. PCIExpress comes in various lengths and offering various bandwitdths ( i.e. The speed with which motherboard and the component present in PCIExpress slot can communicate). Some of them are PCI1X, PCI4X, PCI16X.

The interesting thing about the PCI Express slot is that any PCIE device can work in any PCIE slot as long as it fits. For example, a graphics card with a PCIE 16x connecter can work in a 1x slot if you were to cut out the plastic back of the slot. Likewise, a PCI Express 1x device will work perfectly in a 16x slot. The only real difference between the slots is the number of lanes which the slot has, and therefore the amount of bandwidth between the device and the motherboard (that is, the amount of data which can be sent between the two at the same time).So while yes, you could use a graphics card in a 1x slot, it probably wouldn't be a very enjoyable experience.

Connecters: Various connecters are present in motherboard to attach

components like hard disk, speakers , moniter and pretty much everything else. Connecters are standerdised for various devices according to the bandwidth they provide. Different connecters include Front panel connecter( which is used to connect power and reset buttons as well as LEDs etc. present on chasis), IDE Connecter (These were main hard disk and optical drive connecters untill the introduction of SATA connecters), SATA Connecter ( Used in same prospect as IDE connecters but much faster than them, they have

eventually replaced them), USB Connecters ( Universal serial bus, These connectors are used to add extra external USB ports such as USB ports on thefront panel of the PC, or to connect internal USB devices such as internal card readers), Firewire Connecters, Front panel Audio connecters etc.

Following figure shows different connecters in the motherboard:

The I/O Panel: Input Output panel is there to provide external interface in
the chasis of CPU so that we can plu different devices like USB sticks, moniter etc. to them. ( thats right, we generally plug our USB stick in USB slot present in chasis instead of opening CPU and inserting USB in motherboard) Following figure will give an overview of different I/O slots present. (You'll have seen most of them):

Video connecters are used to connect your monitor (screen) to your computer. You would connect the monitor to your motherboards I/O Panel only if you dont have a separate graphics card.The three most common video connectors are VGA, DVI and HDMI. Since HDMI is the latest standerd , I'll discuss it in some more details here

HDMI is the new connector for connecting pretty much anything to new, high definition TVs. HDMI is very similar to DVI(The old standerd that connects TVs to PCs cameras etc.) , but with one crucial difference; HDMI is also able to carry an audio signal, so both sound and video are transferred with just one cable. It is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. ( Uncompressed data means higher quality of video and sound, but requires more bandwidth)

HDMI connects digital audio/video sources (such as set-top boxes,DVD players,HD DVD players,Blu-Ray players,PCs,PlayStation3 and Xbox 360, and AV receivers) to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, video projectors, tablet computers, and digital televisions.

HDMI has also evolved over the years. It has many versions now. Here's a table comparing the HDMI versions:

As we have seen in comparision chart above that as the HDMI is evolving, it is including more type of data to be carried through it (HDMI 1.4 carries Ethternet data with it too),which is a very good example of standerdization. It may be possible in future to connect every device with a PC through a single connecter like HDMI or USB. PS/2 connecters were the standers connecters for mouse and keyboard before USB. USB is called Universal serial bus for nothing, they are used to connect pretty much anything, from Pen drive to USB modem to mouse, Keyborad

a lot more. I'll discuss USB in little details here because it has become a very important connecter now a days: communication, I/P and O/P ports etc.) developed by Intel, Compaq, DEC, IBM, Microsoft, NEC, Nortel with the goal of developing a standerd which makes it fundamentally easier to connect external devices to PC and making software configeration for these devices very easy. It is used for connection, communication and power supply between PC and devices. USB allows high-speed, easy connection of peripherals to a PC. When plugged in, everything configures automatically. USB is the most successful interconnect in the history of personal computing and has migrated into consumer electronics (CE) and mobile products.

USB is the set of specifications (i.e. Protocols for

SPEED: USB was initially released with the speed of 12 mbps in 1995, ( even then it was far better than other devices like CD or floppy, if you have ever burned a DVD you'll know what I'm saying). Currently wiith its latest standerd USB 3.0 it has got whopping speed of 5 gbps today. USB Versions : Each sucessive version of USB boasts of higher speed
and and additional technologies that take them to whole new level. I'll discuss some of them: USB 1.0 : It is basically the first standard definition of USB it supports a low speed rate of 1.5 Mbit/s. It is intended primarily to save cost in low-bandwidth human interface devices (HID) such as keyboards, mice, and joysticks,pendrives. USB1.1 : USB 1.0 does not allow for extension cables or pass-through monitors (due to timing and power limitations). USB1.1 removed these problems and introduced speed of 12 mbps. USB 2.0 : Also known as Hi-speed USB, it introduced a speed of 480 mbps. But thats not all, USB 2.0 came with a whole lot of functionalities, some of them are as follows: USB On-The-Go is a superb feature which was added to USB 2.0, it allows two USB devices to talk to each other without requiring the services of a personal computer (PC). Portable computing devices such as handhelds, cell phones and digital cameras that connect to the PC as a

USB peripheral benefit from having additional capability to connect to other USB devices directly. For instance, users can perform functions such as sending photos from a digital camera to a printer, PDA, cell phone, or sending music files from an MP3 player to another portable player, PDA or cell phone. Battery Charging Specification adds suppport for dedicated chargers (power supplies with USB connectors), host chargers (USB hosts that can act as chargers) and the No Dead Battery provision which allows devices to temporarily draw 100 mA current after they have been attached. If a USB device is connected to dedicated charger, maximum current drawn by the device may be as high as 1.8 A.( which means standerd charging options for devices) USB 3.0 : Also called Superspeed USB ,it boasts a much more higher data transfer bandwidth of SuperSpeed (USB 3.0) rate at 5.0 Gbit/s. The USB 3.0 specification was released by Intel and partners in August 2008. The new connectors will be backward compatible but they will include a new wiring system to allow for full duplex communication. In addition, the USB 3.0 specification will be optimized for low power and improved protocol efficiency.
USB Connecters : Here's a figure showing standerd USB Connecters:

Ehthernet port is the standerd networking port which you use to connect internet. Firewire port is used to connect some hard drives or video related file operations. eSATA is a relatively new connector which allows a hard drive in an external enclosure to perform and act like an internal drive; in fact, an eSATA connector usually requires sacrificing one of the SATA ports provided by the motherboards southbridge. Audio connecters are the ones you use to connect speakers. TRS ports. Well, these are pretty common ports used to connect your

headphone, MP3 player etc. Good Brands for motherboard: The two brands which are arguably the highest quality are Asus and Gigabyte. Other brands which have mixed recommendations are MSI, DFI and ASRock

The Processer : The CPU (Central Processing Unit) or processor is the brain of the computer its where all the calculations are carried out. While RAM and hard drives are important, they simply act as storage while data manipulation is carried out by the processor. Some Gaming systems have a saparate GPU (Graphics processer unit) which handles the Graphics for the comuter which is quite a big task and requires fair amount of processing power. Her's a picture of intel's i7 980x processer:

Two typical components of a CPU are the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations, and the control unit (CU), which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.

Brief History of CPUs: Early computers had to be physically rewired in

order to perform different tasks, which caused these machines to be called "fixed-program computers." Since the term "CPU" is generally defined as an (computer program) execution device, the earliest devices that could rightly be called CPUs came with the advent of the stored-program

computer. Here I'll give a brief on development in CPUs from time to time with the help of intel Processers released at different times: Intel developed its first processer which was a 4 bit processer in 1971.

x86 Architecture. In 1978 came the first generation of Lagacy 8086(8

bit) processer followed by many generations such as 80286(16 bit) 80386 ( 32 bit) and Pentium I , II , III, 4 etc. ( ya.. Pentium is x86 lagacy. Pentium prcessers were Superscaler Architecture...we'll come to that soon.).In 2005 it came with the its first dual core processer , Pentium D. X86 architecture ruled the market quite long .. from 1978 to 2005 ( thats long....) .

Core Architecture In 2006, Intel launched its First Core architecture

based processer, Core solo .Followed by Core duo( which was a dual core processer), Core 2 duo, Core 2 quad the same year. Core i7, Core i5, and finally core i3 followed. Now 2nd generation of core processers are available too.

Multiple Cores Up until 2004,

all processors had just one core, or processing unit. A processor was made faster by increasing that cores clock speed. The disadvantage to this was that higher clock speeds generated much more heat, leading to massive, noisy heatsinks. It eventually reached the stage where it was simply infeasible to keep increasing the clock speed. The solution was to create a processor with two cores that is, a single processor with two smaller, lower speed processing units which can carry out different instructions. The benefit in this is obvious why force a single unit harder and harder to do lots of things at once when you can split the work between two slightly less capable units? Many hands make light work, as they say.

The following diagram shows various CPUs developed by Intel and AMD.

Working of CPU : CPU is incharge of processing data.

When you double click on an icon to run a program, here is what happens: 1.The program, which is stored inside the hard disk drive, is transferred to the RAM memory. A program is a series of instructions to the CPU. 2.The CPU, using a circuit called memory controller, loads the program data from the RAM memory. 3.The data, now inside the CPU, is processed, with the help of instructions stored inside the ROM. 4.What happens next will depend on the program. The CPU could continue to load and executing the program or could do something with the processed data, like displaying something on the screen. This is generally called as Fetch, Decode, Execute.

Things to know about a CPU : The most common thing which you hear
about a CPU is its Clock Speed ( 2.3 GHz processer etc.. Have heard that before?). Two other important things to know about a CPU is its Cache Memory and FSB Speed(Front Side Bus Speed).

Clock Speed : One of the most common things youll see when looking

at CPU specifications is the processors clock speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), with 1GHz being equal to 1 billion hertz or cycles per second. Generally, this means that a 1GHz processor is able to carry out 1 billion calculations every second (But Thats not the case always). As a general rule of thumb a processor with a higher clock speed is more powerful than one with a lower clock speed.

So, what is clock anyway? Clock is a signal used to sync things inside the computer. So, what clock has to do with performance? To think that clock and performance is the same thing is the most common misconception about processors. If you compare two completely identical CPUs, the one running at a higher clock rate will be faster. In this case, with a higher clock rate, the time

between each clock cycle will be shorter, so things are going to be performed in less time and the performance will be higher. But when you do compare two different processors, this is not necessarily true. If you get two processors with different architectures for example, two different manufacturers, like Intel and AMD things inside the CPU are completely different. Each instruction takes a certain number of clock cycles to be executed. Lets say that processor A takes seven clock cycles to perform a given instruction, and that processor B takes five clock cycles to perform this same instruction. If they are running at the same clock rate, processor B will be faster, because it can process this instruction is less time.

Cache Memory : The Speed of CPU is much faster than the RAM. Since
CPU needs to fetch every instruction from the RAM, this can seriously hinder the performance of Computer, hence Cache is used.

This is a place where the most frequently used data is stored so that it is quickly accessible by the processor. Most recent CPUs have at least 2 levels of cache (L1 and L2), with newer and more powerful ones having a third level (L3). L1 is the fastest but smallest level of cache, whereas the higher levels tend to have much higher quantities but are slower (although still faster than accessing the data from the RAM). Most processors split the cache up amongst the cores, although some do have a single cache for all cores to access. In almost all circumstances more cache is better. Working of Cache When the CPU loads a data from a certain memory position, a circuit called memory cache controller loads into the memory cache a whole block of data below the current position that the CPU has just loaded. Since usually programs flow in a sequential way, the next memory position the CPU will request will probably be the position immediately below the memory position that it has just loaded. Since the memory cache controller already loaded a lot of data below the first memory position read by the CPU, the next data will be inside the memory cache, so the CPU doesnt need to go outside to grab the data: it is already loaded inside in the memory cache embedded in the CPU, which it can access at its internal clock rate ( i.e its own fast speed).

FSB Speed: Front side bus speed is the an external clock, which is used
when transferring data to and from the RAM memory (using the north bridge chip), and a higher internal clock. The more the FSB Speed, the more transfer rate between RAM and CPU will be increasing overall throughput.

To give a real example, on a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 this 3.4 GHz refers to the CPU internal clock, which is obtained multiplying by 17 its 200 MHz external clock.

Intel V/S AMD : Well, its a very controversial issue, both of the
manufecturers have very devoted followings, Today, Intel's market is far above AMD's but as people are becoming more knowledgable about computing stuff, AMD is also gaining popularity... as much i have gained from my Googling about the issue, both have created some excellent and some devastating products, AMD processers are generally much Cheaper than Intel's but intel has much far advantage of its much wider reach in market and compatibility with other products as motherboard and chipst etc.

So, whats the main difference between AMD and Intel processors? It used to be efficiency AMD processors would be just as powerful as Intels while performing at lower clock speeds. Intel focused on increasing clock speeds whereas AMD focused on increasing the amount of work done per cycle. To put it another way, for those looking to upgrade from an older AMDbased system, those looking for a good balance between price and performance and those who dont mind going without cutting edge technology, an AMD-based computer makes the most sense. On the other hand, for those where money is no object or performance is particularly important, an Intel-based system is probably a better bet.

Random Access Memory : RAM (short for Random Access Memory, or main

memory), is similar to the short term memory of the computer. Things the computer accesses regularly (like frequently used program files) or needs to store temporarily (like something you cut or copy to the clipboard in the operating system to paste somewhere else) are stored in RAM. RAM is referred to as random access because anything stored in RAM can be accessed in the same amount of time, regardless of where its stored on the module. This is opposite to Serial access memory( like tape record or hard disk) RAM is an example of volatile memory. This means that all the data stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off while data kept on a hard drive (which is a non-volatile form of storage) is kept safe and sound. Also RAM is quite costly as compared to hard disk.

Sizes of RAM: Earlier every computer manufecturer provided different

size of RAM in its computer which meant that perticular type of RAMs would work with perticular type os computers.

The first standerd size RAM were SIMM, which stands for single in-line memory module. This memory board used a 30-pin connector and was about 3.5 x .75 inches in size (about 9 x 2 cm).Each SIMM could send 8 bits of data at one time, while the system bus could handle 16 bits at a time.hence two RAMs were to be used simultaneously. With development in speed and bandwidth capability, the industry adopted a new standard in dual in-line memory module (DIMM). With a whopping 168-pin or 184-pin connector and a size of 5.4 x 1 inch (about 14 x 2.5 cm), DIMMs range in capacity from 8 MB to 1 GB per module and can be installed singly instead of in pairs. Another standard, Rambus in-line memory module (RIMM), is comparable in size and pin configuration to DIMM but uses a special memory bus to greatly increase speed. Generally Notebooks use RAM based on the small outline dual in-line memory module (SODIMM) configuration. SODIMM cards are small, about 2 x 1 inch (5 x 2.5 cm), and have 144 or 200 pins. Capacity ranges from 16 MB to 1 GB per module .

Types of RAM :
The following are some common types of RAM: SRAM: Static random access memory uses multiple transistors, typically four to six, for each memory cell but doesn't have a capacitor in each cell. It is used primarily for cache DRAM: Dynamic random access memory has memory cells with a paired transistor and capacitor requiring constant refreshing. These include FPM DRAM andEDO DRAM. SDRAM: Synchronous dynamic random access memory takes advantage of the burst mode concept to greatly improve performance. It does this by staying on the row containing the requested bit and moving rapidly through the columns, reading each bit as it goes. The idea is that most of the time the data needed by the CPU will be in sequence. SDRAM is about five percent faster than EDO RAM and is the most common form in desktops today. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 528 MBps. It is most generally used RAM. DDR SDRAM: Double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM is just like SDRAM except that is has higher bandwidth, meaning greater speed. Maximum transfer rate to L2 cache is approximately 1,064 MBps (for DDR SDRAM 133 MHZ). RDRAM: Rambus dynamic random access memory is a radical departure from the previous DRAM architecture. Designed by Rambus , RDRAM uses a Rambus in-line memory module (RIMM), which is similar in size and pin configuration to a standard DIMM. What makes RDRAM so different is its use of a special high-speed data bus called the Rambus channel. RDRAM memory chips work in parallel to achieve a data

rate of 800 MHz, or 1,600 MBps. Since they operate at such high speeds, they generate much more heat than other types of chips. To help dissipate the excess heat Rambus chips are fitted with a heat spreader, which looks like a long thin wafer. Just like there are smaller versions of DIMMs, there are also SO-RIMMs, designed for notebook computers. PCMCIA Memory Card: Another self-contained DRAM module for notebooks, cards of this type are not proprietary and should work with any notebook computer whose system bus matches the memory card's configuration. Credit Card Memory: Credit card memory is a proprietary self-contained DRAM memory module that plugs into a special slot for use in notebooks. Here's a figure showing different types of RAMs.

Things to know about a RAM : There are a few things you must know
about RAM ( to gain that geek status you are looking for )

DDR : There's quite a buzz about DDR(Double data rate) RAMs today.

Surely we do understand that these are the latest RAMs, but doesn't know much about them . I would try to explain DDRs in simple teminology to you. We know that the data transfer between CPU and RAM takes place at FSB clock speed. Earlier RAMs used to transfer data at the rising edge of clock cycle to the CPU, but in DDR RAMs the data is transferred on rising as well as falling edge of the clock cycle, this is known as Double pumping. Hence a 100 Hz DDR RAM transfers data at approximately the same speed as 200 Hz Non-DDR RAM. The next generations of DDR RAMs are DDR2 and DDR3. DDR stands for Double Data Rate, with the number following simply being the generation; that is to say, DDR2 replaced DDR as the standard type of memory around 2004. DDR3 in turn became the most common type of memory for new

computers in late 2009. Here's a chart showing the comparision between these generations:

Each generation of DDR runs at different voltages and significantly different speeds;such, newer kinds of RAM are not backwards compatible (nor can you use older generations of DDR in newer motherboards). To prevent this from happening the different generations have notches in different locations along the bottom, making it impossible to plug them into the wrong sockets.

Speed : Each generation of DDR is in general much faster than the last.

However, each generation has multiple speeds. the format DDRx-yyy refers to the data rate measured in MT/s, or MegaTransfer per second (for example, DDR2-800 means DDR2 memory with a data rate of 800MT/s, which usually has a bandwidth of 6400MB/s) Either way, you need to make sure that you get a speed which your motherboard can support.

Voltage :Although this is a minor thing to look for, you also need to make
sure that the voltage which the RAM runs at is compatible with your motherboard too.

Brands : This is another one of those things where different people swear
by different brands. The two manufacturers who tend to be recommended the most are Kingston and Corsair. Other brands like Crucial, Hynix and OCZ seem to produce fairly reliable RAM too, but Kingston and Corsair are the two kings of memory.