DDR3 vs. DDR4
The two biggest drivers of speed for a PC are storage (SSDs vs. hard drives) and RAM. More RAM improves PC performance, not just for hardcore applications like games but also more common apps like web browsers.
The DDR in DDR3 and DDR4 stands for Double Data Rate, and RAM stands for Random Access Memory. DDR
Comparison chart
DDR3 versus DDR4 comparison chart |
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DDR3 |
DDR4 |
|
Voltage |
1.5 Volts (standard); 1.65 Volts (high performance); 1.35 V (low voltage) |
1.2 Volts (standard); 1.35 V (high performance); 1.05 V (low voltage) |
Speed |
800 Mhz, 1066 Mhz, 1333 Mhz, 1600 Mhz and 1866 Mhz |
800 Mhz, 1600 Mhz, 2133 Mhz |
Modules |
240-pin DIMM (same size as DDR2 but are electrically incompatible with DDR2 DIMMs and have a different key notch location). DDR3 SO-DIMMs have 204 pins. |
288-pin DIMMs but similar in size to 240-pin DDR3 DIMMs. DDR4 SO-DIMMs have 260 pins. |
Prefetch Buffer |
8n |
8n |
Bus clock |
400-1066 MHz |
1066-2133 MHz |
Internal Rate |
100-266 MHz |
100-266 MHz |
Transfer Rate |
0.80-2.13 GT/s (gigatransfers per second) |
2.13-4.26 GT/s (gigatransfers per second) |
Channel Bandwidth |
6.40-17.0 GBps |
12.80-25.60 GBps |
Release date |
2007 |
September 2012 |
The DDR4 standard offers higher module density, better reliability, higher transfer rates and decreased voltage thereby providing increased speed and better power efficiency. It is also a standard designed with the future in mind; e.g., it supports 3D stacking of dies with through-silicon-vias (TSVs) which allows increasing module density by stacking up to 8 dies.
DDR4 vs DDR3 DIMMs
DDR3 modules use 240 pins and DDR4 DIMMs use 288 pins. Both DDR3 and DDR4 DIMMs are 5¼ inch (133.35 mm) in length but the pins in DDR4 are spaced closer (0.85mm) than DDR3 (1mm).
They are also different in height and thickness — the increased height of DDR4 modules (31.25mm instead of DDR3's 30.35mm) makes signal routing easier, and the increased thickness (1.2mm vs. DDR3's 1mm) accommodates more signal layers.
The position of the notch on DDR4 memory modules is also different from DDR3 modules. This prevents accidental insertion of the wrong type of memory because they are not backward compatible.
Module Density
The DDR4 standard allows for DIMMs of up to 64 GiB in capacity, compared to DDR3's maximum of 16 GiB per DIMM.
Speed
DDR4 is designed for transfer ratesof 2.13 to 4.26 GT/s, which is significantly higher than DDR3's transfer rates of 0.8 to 2.13 GT/s.
DIMM Type |
Data Rate |
Module Name |
Peak Transfer Rate |
DDR4-2133 |
2133 MT/s |
PC4-17000 |
17064 MB/s |
DDR4-2400 |
2400 MT/s |
PC4-19200 |
19200 MB/s |
DDR4-2666 |
2600 MT/s |
PC4-20800 |
20800 MB/s |
DDR4-2800 |
2800 MT/s |
PC4-22400 |
22400 MB/s |
DDR4-3000 |
3000 MT/s |
PC4-24000 |
24000 MB/s |
DDR4-3200 |
3200 MT/s |
PC4-25600 |
25600 MB/s |
But this does not always translate to better practical performance, as shown in the following video.
AnandTech also ran tests comparing DDR3 and DDR4 and concluded that
Overall, comparing DDR4 to DDR3, there is little difference to separate the two. In a couple of small instances one is better than the other, but on those edge cases it might be prudent to say that we cannot make a final decision until we can synchronize the rest of the system, such as the size of CPU caches. When we can perform such tests, we will run some more numbers.
Technical Features
JEDEC, the organization that designs DDR standards lists some technical features of DDR4 on their website:
- Three data width offerings: x4, x8 and x16
- New JEDEC POD12 (1.2V) interface standard for DDR4
- Differential signaling for the clock and strobes
- Nominal and dynamic ODT: Improvements to the ODT protocol and a new Park Mode allow for a nominal termination and dynamic write termination without having to drive the ODT pin
- Burst length of 8 and burst chop of 4
- Data masking
- DBI: to help reduce power consumption and improve data signal integrity, this feature informs the DRAM as to whether the true or inverted data should be stored
- 512 K page size for x4 devices: reduces power (less activation power), and extends the usefulness of x4 devices, which allow for more efficient EDC solutions for high-end systems
- Programmable refresh: Reducing performance penalty of dense DDR4 devices by allowing for refresh intervals ranging from 1x to .0625x the normal refresh interval
- CRC computation/validation across the data bus: Enabling error detection capability for data transfers – especially beneficial during write operations and in non-ECC memory applications
- New CA parity for command/address bus: Providing a low-cost method (parity) to verify the integrity of command and address transfers over a link, for all operations
- Per-DRAM Addressability: Can uniquely select and program DRAMs within a memory structure
- DLL off mode supported
Diffen › Technology › Computers › Hardware > DDR3_vs_DDR4
How does GDDR5 and GDDR6 RAM tie into this?
The “G” stands for “Graphics”. GDDR5(X) and its successor standard, GDDR6, refer to RAM used exclusively by graphics processors. The higher number means newer, better, faster… and more expensive. Otherwise, GDDR and DDR are unrelated. There are also some other, non-DDR types of graphics card RAM, like the HBM2 standard seen on AMD’s Vega cards.
DDR3 vs DDR4 Gaming: Will It Impact FPS?
Yes, but probably not in the way you are thinking.
Assuming you are running a DDR3 setup and DDR4 setup with the same speed and capacity…
With a single-channel DDR3 configuration… yeah, your frames are going to suffer, especially in modern games. Upgrade that to a dual-channel DDR3 config and you should be fine, though.
With a single-channel DDR4 configuration… you should actually be fine. A dual-channel configuration is ideal, though, and there is often little reason to not be running dual sticks since that’s how they are most often sold.
Past the speed of single-channel DDR4 or dual-channel DDR3, though… RAM speed doesn’t really impact gaming performance. Specifically, it doesn’t impact your average FPS, which is the usual way that gaming performance is measured.
What it does impact are 1% lows. Your games will always experience the occasional FPS drop, regardless of platform or PC power. The severity of this FPS drop will depend on a multitude of factors, but chief among them is actually your RAM speed. Essentially, the slower your RAM speed, the more drastic and noticeable these FPS drops will become.
While faster RAM will not improve your average or peak FPS, it will improve your lows, which will create a much more consistent gaming experience. This means investing in faster RAM is still worth it, especially when playing modern or competitive games.
As far as size goes, if you’re gaming you will usually want at least 8GB between your sticks although 16GB is becoming a little more popular and might be better if you are wanting to future proof your rig.
Christopher Harper PCguide ddr3-vs-ddr4
DDR3 vs DDR4 Tables
DDR3 |
DDR4 |
Pros |
Pros |
|
|
Cons |
Cons |
|
|
Best For |
Best For |
This product is best for you if you process average-sized files that do not require high speeds. |
This product is suitable for heavy gaming, servers, and establishments that process heavy files at high speed. |
DDR3 |
DDR4 |
||
240-pin interface |
Number of Pins |
288-pin interface |
|
8.5-14.9GB/s |
Data Transfer Rate |
17 - 21.3GB/s |
|
1.5V |
Operating Voltage |
1.2V |
|
1066 MHz |
Clock Speed |
2133 MHz |
|
12.5 nanoseconds |
Latency |
12.75 nanoseconds |
|
Backward incompatible |
Compatibility |
Not backward or forward compatible |
|
Consistently flat surface |
Physical Appearance |
Slightly V-shaped, with longer middle pins |
|
Feature/Option |
DDR3 |
DDR4 |
DDR4 Advantage |
Voltage (core and I/O) |
1.5V |
1.2V |
Reduces memory power demand |
VREF inputs |
2 – DQs and CMD/ADDR |
1 – CMD/ADDR |
VREFDQ now internal |
Low voltage standard |
Yes |
Anticipated |
Memory power reductions |
Data rate (Mb/s) |
800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133 |
1600, 1866, 2133, 2400, 2667, 3200 |
Migration to higher‐speed I/O |
Densities |
512Mb–8Gb |
2Gb–16Gb |
Better enablement for large-capacity memory subsystems |
Internal banks |
8 |
16 |
More banks |
Bank groups (BG) |
0 |
4 |
Faster burst accesses |
tCK – DLL enabled |
300 MHz to 800 MHz |
667 MHz to 1.6 GHz |
Higher data rates |
tCK – DLL disabled |
10 MHz to 125 MHz (optional) |
Undefined to 125 MHz |
DLL-off now fully supported |
Read latency |
AL + CL |
AL + CL |
Expanded values |
Write latency |
AL + CWL |
AL + CWL |
Expanded values |
DQ driver (ALT) |
40Ω |
48Ω |
Optimized for PtP (point-to-point) applications |
DQ bus |
SSTL15 |
POD12 |
Mitigate I/O noise and power |
RTT values (in Ω) |
120, 60, 40, 30, 20 |
240, 120, 80, 60, 48, 40, 34 |
Support higher data rates |
RTT not allowed |
READ bursts |
Disables during READ bursts |
Ease-of-use |
ODT modes |
Nominal, dynamic |
Nominal, dynamic, park |
Additional control mode; supports OTF value change |
ODT control |
ODT signaling required |
ODT signaling not required |
Ease of ODT control, allows non-ODT routing on PtP applications |
Multipurpose register (MPR) |
Four registers – 1 defined, 3 RFU |
Four registers – 3 defined, 1 RFU |
Provides additional specialty readout |
Similarities and Differences
Differences Between DDR3 and DDR4
While both serve as virtual memory, they have many differences:
Clock Speed
The most obvious difference between these two chips is the clock speed. The DDR4 can gain as much as 2133 MHz clock speed, which is much higher than the maximum 1066MHz for DDR3.
Latency
The difference in clocking speed does not, however, translate to a significant difference in the overall latency. The DDR4 has 12.75, as compared to the 12.5 nanoseconds latency of the DDR3.
Power Consumption
The DDR4 consumes less power than the DDR3. Manufacturers of these memory chips ensure that with every upgrade, they incorporate a power-saving component. That is why the DDR4 is a lower voltage than the DDR3, which in turn uses less power than the DDR2 and DDR.
As earlier noted, DDR4 performs a self-refresh for its content only. DDR3 on the other hand does both a self-refresh and auto-refresh for its content. Refreshing a machine is important in reducing power consumption.
Pins
The hardware of these chips also differs. The DDR3 has 240 pins, while the DDR4 has 288 pins. The pins on the DDR4 are arranged in a way that they tend to converge at the middle, and they are also elongated at the middle. This is unlike DDR3, which has uniformly distributed pins that are similar in size.
Compatibility
Due to these differences in the hardware and appearance of these chips, they are not compatible. You cannot fit a DDR4 chip in a slot made for a DDR3 chip. The two have different key notches, the number of pins, and the size of pins.
Data Transfer Rate
Your DDR3 will transfer between 8.5-14.9 Gigabytes per second while the DDR4 transfers 17-21.3 GBs.
Data Capacity
Both have a data capacity range, so it is possible to get a DDR3 with a higher capacity than the base DDR4 model –but in general, DDR4 has a higher capacity than DDR3. The range for DDR4 is 2GB-128GB. DDR3 has a capacity range of 512MB-32GB.
Similarities Between DDR3 and DDR4
Energy Efficiency
To begin with, both DDR3 and DDR4 memory chips are good power savers.
Power consumption is usually one of the things that necessitate manufacturers to upgrade earlier versions of their electrical products.
Though the power saved by each chip may seem negligible, it makes a huge difference when you are running a huge machine such as a server with several of these chips, or when you have several computers. Lower operating voltage means lower operating costs and less heat output.
Ability to Refresh Contents
Both DDR3 and DDR4 can self-refresh their content to optimize performance and functionality. Self-refreshing their contents also lower their power consumption.
Heat Distribution
One other thing that DDR3 and DDR4 have in common is the heat distribution capacity. Proper management and distribution of electrical heat bring down the risk of your computer overheating or overworking its fan.
Austin | Digitaladvisor ddr3-vs-ddr4
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