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SRam and DRam

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  • SRam and DRam

    Wasn't really sure where to put this question, so I hope the board admins don't mind me putting it here.

    To start, I know this is probably a really dumb question, but I can't help myself sometimes.:) I ask out of curiosity.

    I'm wondering... do any computer manufacturers make custom built machines with L1 and L2 cache SRam replacing DRam as the system memory? Everything I read says only small amounts of SRam are used for cache, because of the cost. Is the cost so exorbitant that no one would ever consider using it? If not, does anyone have any wild guesses as to how much it would cost to build a machine using, say 128 MB of SRam, instead of DRam?

  • #2
    The reason for the DRAM and other "slower" ram is because, as you said, SRAM is expensive. I'm not quite sure of the price, but the processors that have 1-2MB of cache tend to be quite expensive---though these are marketed at servers and that could be another reason why these processors are soooo expensive. It could be done, but I imagine that it would be too expensive for it to be affordable, just because of the speeds they need to run at---and these are simply stock to boot. Add overclocking in and you've got to have this stuff running 3GHz or better.

    My guess for a 128MB stick of SRAM to be used as a replacement for DRAM would be at least a grand in USD.

    A quote will put this in perspective:"A PC is ultimately served by infinite amounts of SRAM, but this would prove to be infinitely expensvie."

    Also, they'd probably have to redesign chipsets somewhat to support the SRAM, as it doesn't need to be refreshed like DRAM does--another reason for it's uber cost.

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