[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | System Memory | Memory Speed, Access and Timing ]

The Processor-Memory Bottleneck

The memory bus is actually a major limiting factor to overall system performance. Older computers had the processor running at the same speed as the memory bus, but newer ones have the processor running at 2, 3 or even more times the speed of the memory. The more that the processor is running faster than the memory, the more often it will have to wait for information from the memory. This is why the system cache is so important, because it is much faster than the main memory, which means the processor can do more useful work and less waiting.

Next: DRAM Speed, System Timing and Overall Memory Speed

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