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16GB DIMMs on the way
The new MetaRAM chipset makes several DRAM chips appear as one to the memory controller
You probably think that a 4GB dual-channel memory kit is about as big as it gets, but a new technology has now been developed that allows memory makers to pile up to 16GB of RAM on to a single DDR2 DIMM.
Founded by AMD's former chief technology officer (CTO), Fred Weber, MetaRAM has developed a new chipset that mediates between the memory controller and the RAM. The chipset allows you to stack up four 1Gb DRAM chips together, while fooling the memory controller into thinking that it's looking at a single 4Gb chip. The end result is that this overcomes the limitations of your memory controller, making it think that it's just controlling a high-capacity DIMM using a standard array of DRAM chips.
MetaRAM claims that the technology 'accelerates DRAM density by 2-4 years,' meaning that you no longer have to wait for high-capacity DRAM chips to be developed and drop in price before they become practical. If used with smaller DRAM chips, the technology could also have the effect of bringing down the price of 2GB DIMMs too, as they could use a stack of smaller and cheaper DRAM chips, rather than expensive high-capacity chips.
The company says that it basically bridges the' persistent gap between memory and processing improvements - processor computing power doubles doubles every 18 months, while memory capacity lags, doubling only every 36 months - a gap that is limiting system performance.'
It's not just about adding extra memory to a DIMM, though, MetaRAM also claims that its chipset will help memory makers to push clock speeds higher. 'Because the MetaSDRAM chipset acts as a buffer between the SDRAM and memory controller,' says the company, 'it reduces the electrical loading on the memory bus, and the variance in I/O timing thereby improving the signal integrity in the channel.'
Both Hynix and SMART Modules have already announced new 8GB DIMMs that will use the technology. MetaRAM is currently targeting servers and workstations, as a standard desktop computer can't really use this amount of RAM at the moment. However, this is certainly a technology that's worth keeping an eye on as 64-bit operating systems become commonplace.
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Isn't the limit on Vista Premium (64 bit) something like 16GB? I know Vista Ultimate (64 bit) can handle over 100GB.
Comment by l3v1ck at 1:04am 7th March 2008
true true at least someone on here has got humour HEY GUYS.... lol he he hee
Comment by smiler_16 at 1:15am 5th March 2008
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm
Comment by _irad_ at 6:22pm 4th March 2008
philipwalduck seems to think its perfectly reasonable to spend £3-4k on a computerjust so you can play ONE game...Anyone else think that's a reasonable thing to do? would you spend however muchit takes just to be able to play Crysis at it's highest settings?
Comment by EdArch at 11:57am 4th March 2008
Well, I just recently built a PC for my boss, I work building websites, and he already is using 5GB about of the 8GB that I installed for him, and that's only using one of the couple virtual machines that he plans to use in the future. VMs monster memory if you're running several of them simultaneously, add into that, video encoding and very large image manipulation an effects application, then 8GB starts to look quite inadequate; and that was the most that I could fit in his current motherboard. So this technology, combined with the new 2Gb density modules due out this year will make for the ability to support 128GB of RAM in a home system. Expensive, and rediculously over the top? Certainly, but there will be people that can use it in time, and maybe even now.
Comment by Assassin8or at 11:16am 1st March 2008
theoeticall an x64 processer with a 64bit address bus we would e abl to acces 16 exabytes of main memory so a mere 16Gb of RAM bareley scratches the surface of wat is tehnically possible. further research is required to make memory cheaper and faster,maybe a new architecture for memoryneeds o be looked at but couple 4 x 16 Gb of RAM with a pair of then new sextuple core processer announced by intel recently and skullltrail m/board with 4 nVidia 9600GTX's in 4 way and a Terabyte system drive and a pair (or more) of fully stuffed Nexsan SataBeast and you should have a system that can run crysis at a reasonable resolution and decent frame rate!
Comment by philipwalduck at 7:37pm 29th February 2008
Amazing that so many people think the consumer market is the only one. And that domestic MS OS are the only relevant OS to consider. what about Windows 2000 server, 2k3, Unix/Linux. Win 2008 is launched....today I think. It won't be long before 16Gb sticks are swallowed up. I seem to remember once upon a time it was possible to reserve part of your ram to mount as a disk drive - I can see this facility being reintroduced with the ability to have 64Gb on a single board.
Comment by Landy_Ed at 7:27am 28th February 2008
XP64 can use 16Gb of RAM and 16Tb of virtual memory. Slip of the ol' middle-of-the-keyboard finger there :-/
Comment by EdArch at 3:08am 28th February 2008
If this is going to multiply capacity by using smaller chips which are lower in cost and usually have lower latencies than larger capacity chips/modules then this would be great. Oh and WinXP x64 can recognise 16Tb of RAM so I don't know where the ppl arguing about mythical OS' are getting their info from. However I think it might be more a case of whether or not your actual programs/games can utilise this. I have 4Gb but some of my 32-bit programs can't see/use all of it even tho WinXP64 (as well as some of my other 32-bit apps) can. This will be hugely useful for anyone doing 3D, film, professional music recording, animation etc. Maybe the issue here is s/w developers creating patches that enable existing programs to take advantage of this. Same way they should all be coding their s/w to utilise multi-core processors better. The tech is here, too many people are avoiding it.
Comment by EdArch at 2:47am 28th February 2008
Vue 6 when rendering can burn all 4GB of RAM easily. massive memory ftw! Poor AMD, lost a real money maker...
Comment by DudQuitter at 9:13pm 27th February 2008
this looks like the best technology being in development right now... because if you look at the goings on all the devs are just creating the same tech for smaller chips or boards but now this looks like something we need especially us crysis gamers... if you have crysis try take out all of your ram and just run it with 1Gig and then test as you raise the amount in the system how much the frame rate jumps up... its about time this yech came along
Comment by smiler_16 at 7:48pm 27th February 2008
are you guys the ones who keep slating vista before even testing it out because im sure you have no idea what your talking about. as jonlumb said x64 os's from microsoft support much higher than just 4GB... im using vista HP 64 my self and it is brilliant by the way definateley worth the upgrade and all of the compatabillity stories you've heard is complete rubbish... maybe it was true this time last year but now its long gone and vista has become brilliant
Comment by smiler_16 at 7:36pm 27th February 2008
Whilst 32bit Vista does have this 4Gb total limit, this is not the case for 64bit. MS outline the following: # 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Basic: 8GB # 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Premium: 16GB # 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate: 128GB See here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/aa366778.aspx
Comment by jonlumb at 7:24pm 27th February 2008
I like the sound of this. It'll be great for household PC's in a couple of years time.
Comment by aberdeen at 7:22pm 27th February 2008
I can see LAN gaming cafes and anyone else using servers being quite pleased about this announcement, and it may have usages on dual CPU boards where the user may want 8Gb per chip (if it can be shared in that way) for ultra high end tasks. Nobody at home will benefit for a long time to come unless it's built into the mythical Windows 7.
Comment by KHenry_07 at 5:43pm 27th February 2008
When people mention that they've just bought 8gb of ram people tend to point out what an obvious waste of money it is with current OS not recognising some of it. Surely new OS' will have be to brought out before theres any use even for 8gb and with Microsoft's current turn out rate you might be holding your breathe if you want any new OS this side of 2010.
Comment by cjash at 5:28pm 27th February 2008
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