Samsung shows working DDR3 memory

The Koreans were showing their GDDR4 and DDR3 memory modules inside IDF Technology Showcase pavilion, but what was most impressive was the fact that the memory was running and looping 3DMark06 all the time. The DIMMs were packed in 1GB modules, and the memory was actually running on Intel's Test Platform, containing next-generation Intel Bearlake chipset (probably will end up branded as i985X or i995X).

The company representatives talked about the specs and possible clock-speeds of both DDR3 and GDDR4 - the DDR3 starts at 800 MHz and goes up to 1.6GHz, while GDDR4 is starting at 1GHz DDR (2GHz) and ending all the way at 2.2-2.4 GHz DDR (4-4.8 GHz), which will yield in pretty incredible bandwidth numbers, especially in the graphics arena. DDR3 modules are ready in typical DIMM, Universal DIMM and SO-DIMM packaging, so all of the platforms will be supported from day one.

When asked upon a possibility of seeing GDDR4 as the system memory, Samsung's engineer gave a different answer to the ones we received from members of Intel's FB-DIMM camp. Basically, the biggest issue of seeing GDDR4 becoming a system memory isn't its orientation towards graphic processors, but rather an issue of thermal nature. GDDR4 would consume far more power than the companies are able to push through the DIMMs, so it remains to be seen when will the wedding of high-bandwidth high-consuming graphics and low-bandwidth low-power consumption system memory will happen. µ