Graphics DRAM is Specifically Designed for use in Graphics devices for the Most Demanding
and Memory-Intensive Graphics Applications, such as 3D Gaming and HD Video Editing.
As the world leader in advanced memory technology, Samsung has remained amongst the first in bringing the latest memory products with the fastest graphics memories like gDDR3 (graphics DDR3) and GDDR5 to the market.
Graphics DRAM is a fixed and dedicated memory, generally combined with the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). It is permanently installed either on the graphics card with the GPU or directly on the system board along with the GPU (for systems with on-board graphics). This memory then not only takes the display and graphics related memory load off the computer's main memory, but also serves to improve the performance of the GPU and the system's display, providing much better visual experiences than would be possible with just the computer's default display adapter.
The usual location of graphics DRAM in the computer's overall architecture is illustrated below:
The most important factors for graphic memory from any generation are operating speed (expressed in GHz) and data processing bandwidth (expressed inGbps). Two of the main graphic memory types in widespread use today are gDDR3 and GDDR5. While gDDR3 has a maximum bandwidth of 2,133Mbps, presently, GDDR5 is the fastest graphic memory in the market with a maximum bandwidth of 7Gbps. Additionally, GDDR5 also has separate x32 I/O lines for maximizing throughput from the memory chip.
With advances in semiconductor development and fabrication technologies, speeds for DRAM have seen a steady rise over the last decade.
The illustration above shows that advancements in graphics DRAM have been much steeper than those in normal DRAM, fueled by demands such as 3D applications and gaming. The fastest graphics DRAM available today - GDDR5 - is capable of data rates of up to 7Gbps per pin, translating to 28GB/sec for the complete memory chip.
The following graph shows the steady increase that high-end graphic card bandwidths have managed to achieve during the last decade, thanks to increases in throughput of DRAM memory, along with other significant advancements in semiconductor technologies:
Graphics DRAM is used in several areas, such as game consoles, graphic cards, on-board graphics in laptop computers, and high-performance computing, such as weather forecasting or financial simulation that need intensive calculations.
Samsung has a vast portfolio of gDDR3 and GDDR5 memory in volume production as outlined in the following table :
| Type | Device | VDD&VDDQ | PXG | Clock Freq.(Data Speed) | Part Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDDR5 | 2Gb C-die |
1.5V±0.045V 1.6V + 0.045V |
170F8GA 12x14 |
1000MHz(4Gbps) 1250MHz(5Gbps) 1500MHz(6Gbps) |
K4G20325FC-HC05 K4G20325FC-HC04 K4G20325FC-HC03 |
MP |
| 2Gb D-die |
1.5V±0.045V | 170F8GA 12x14 |
1250MHz(5Gbps) 1500MHz(6Gbps) 1750MHz(7Gbps) |
K4G20325FC-FC04 K4G20325FC-FC03 K4G20325FC-FC28 |
CS | |
| 1Gb G-die |
1.5V±0.045V 1.6V±0.045V |
170FBGA 10 X 14 |
1000MHz(4Gbps) 1250MHz(5Gbps) 1500MHz(6Gbps) |
K4G10325FG-HC05 K4G10325FG-HC04 K4G10325FG-HC03 |
MP | |
| gDDR3 | 2Gb C-die |
1.5V±0.075V | 96FBGA 7.5 X 13.3 |
800MHz(1.6Gbps) 933MHz(1.866Gbps) 1066MHz(2.133Gbps) |
K4W2G1646C-HC12 K4W2G1646C-HC11 K4W2G1646C-HC1A |
MP |
| 1Gb G-die |
1.5V±0.075V | 96FBGA 7.5 X 13.3 |
800MHz(1.6Gbps) 933MHz(1.866Gbps) 1066MHz(2.133Gbps) |
K4W1G1646G-BC12 K4W1G1646G-BC11 K4W1G1646G-BC1A |
MP |
Key Features
The following table summarizes the key features of Samsung's graphics DRAM:
| gDDR2 | gDDR3 | GDDR3 | GDDR5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization | x16 | x16 | x32 | x32/ x16 |
| Data Speed/Pin | 1066Mbps | 2133Mbps | 2.6Gbps | 7Gbps |
| Bandwidth/Chip | 2.132GB/sec | 4.266GB/sec | 10.4GB/sec | 28GB/s |
| VDD/VDDQ | 1.8V/1.8V | 1.5V/1.5V, 1.35V/1.35V |
1.8V/1.8V | 1.5V/1.5V, 1.35V/1.35V |
| Interface | SSTL_18 | SSTL_15 | POD_18 | POD_15 |
| I/O Control | Bidirectional | Bidirectional | Unidirectional | Separated CLK between CMD/ A8D and Data |
| Package (Dimensions) |
84-FBGA 9mm x 13mm |
84-FBGA 9mm x 13.3mm |
96-FBGA 9mm x 13.3mm |
170 FBGA (Flip-chip) 12mm x 14mm |
| Burst Length | 2, 4 | 4, 8 | 4, 8 | 8 |
| Special features | OCD (Off-Chip Driver)/ ODT (On-Die Termination) |
OCD/Dynamic ODT/Reset |
Read/Write DQS POD (ZQ Calibration) PLL |
New Clocking (Use of differential data clock, WCK, WCK#) CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check)/Address bit DM (Data Masking) DBI (Data Bus Inversion)/ABI (Address Bus Inversion)/Training DDR (Double Pumping) Address Rate/SDR Command Rate/QDR Data Rate Selectable x32/x16 mode |
Benefits
Benefits of using Samsung's GDDR5 graphic DRAM include:
- Exceptional graphics performance due to ultra-fast peak bandwidths of 28GB/sec
- Low power modes with a VDD of 1.35V
- Lesser dependency on system I/Os due to programmable organization of x32 and x16
- Enhanced design flexibility due to industry-standard FBGA package
Applications
The key benefits of using Samsung DRAM memory include:
-
Creating advanced 3D graphics
Samsung's graphics DRAM can be used to create high-quality 3D graphics that require advanced memory and are highly computationally intensive (such as creating a 3D model of a patient's head). -
Creating and editing of specialized video content, such as high-definition (HD) video
HD video displays start from a resolution of 1280 x 760 pixels and are encoded in a special format. Editing such videos also requires significant computing power along with very high amounts of memory for which graphics DRAM is necessary. -
High-performance computing (HPC)
HPC is a term usually applied to the use of supercomputers and cluster-based computers to solve advanced computing problems.
Graphics DRAM is needed to view the results of certain types of HPC, such as weather forecasting. -
3D gaming
3D computer games use 3D computer graphics stored in the computer's memory for computing purposes.
This field has been one of the prime beneficiaries of advances in graphics DRAM technologies, continuously and significantly improving the gamers' experiences.
Along with the latest applications, the newest computer operating systems are also trying to maximize on the technological benefits that the current graphics memory technologies are bringing, to ultimately provide the user with a much richer and better graphics experience.
With Samsung closely working with the industry-leading solution providers and OEMs to bring out the latest and the best graphics technologies to the market in the shortest possible time, you can be sure that your experiences will keep getting better.
