Memory system tradeoffs: embedded DRAM in SoCs, Chip-on-Board, multichip packages or memory modules

By Phan Hoang, Virtium Technology
Embedded.com (03/24/09, 01:10:00 AM EDT)

For design engineers developing the next generation motherboards, DRAM memory is becoming a major concern as end-users demand more memory. Software operating systems are getting larger and the applications are demanding more RAM than ever before.
New technologies, such as server virtualization, multi-core processor chips and dense blade servers have all increased the demand for memory. The more processing power you put on a CPU chip, the more you need to support it with memory. System designers are struggling to fit more and more memory onto smaller motherboards.

In making up your mind, it is necessary to consider in the context of your design the answers to the following questions:

1. System Memory Sizing: What is the quantity of memory required for all the software applications or data manipulation required from the computer system?

2. Memory Space and Memory Form-Factor Considerations: How much physical space in the computer (SoC, main-board etc..) will be allocated for the memory?

3. ystem Memory Bandwidth: How fast are the processor instructions and data being executed or processed to support the intensity of the computing task?

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