- DDR3 memory is designed to be four times faster than standard DDR memory and twice as fast as DDR2. As of October 2010, DDR3 is the fastest type of RAM commercially available. The actual speed of any RAM will vary between specific memory modules and computer configurations.
- DDR3 memory names include numbers that designate the speed of a given memory module. These numbers, typically following "PC3-," denote the RAM peak transfer rate in megabytes per second (MB/s). For example, PC3-8533 transfers a maximum of 8,533 megabytes of data per second, whereas PC3-12800 has a peak transfer rate of 12,800 MB/s, making it the faster of the two.
- Each computer model requires a specific type of RAM. If a computer specifies PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM, another type--for example, PC3-6400 DDR3 SDRAM--won't function properly, making comparing the two a moot point. However, many manufacturers offer the same types of memory, so consider consulting expert reviews of the same RAM type from different manufacturers to see if one typically has better performance.
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