IRAM
Encyclopedia
Released sometime before June 25, 2005, the i-RAM is a solid-state drive
produced by Gigabyte
which has four DIMM
slots to allow PC DDR
RAM
to be used to store data.
It connects via a SATA
port and is seen by the PC as a hard drive, and may therefore be booted from directly. The i-RAM is bottlenecked by the SATA interface, which limits bandwidth to a maximum sustained throughput of 150 MB/s. This speed limitation is offset by near instant access, with latency results of 0.1 ms recorded.
DRAM however is volatile
, so any loss of power will cause loss of data. The i-RAM is powered by plugging into a PCI slot, which powers it while the PC is plugged in (using standby power
if the PC is off). It also has a 10 to 16 hour battery (depending on the configuration), which operates when the PC is unplugged or there is a power outage.
The i-RAM supports Unbuffered/Non-ECC DDR 200/266/333/400 MHz RAM modules of different capacities (up to 1 GiB
), speeds, and brand for a maximum capacity of 4 GiB. Because of this, the i-RAM is very expensive per GB, but offers a non mechanic storage method with higher responsiveness and performance than a traditional hard drive. Unlike modern SSD
s, i-RAM is not silent, it has a built-in fan which makes little noise.
Its main differences are:
Otherwise it appears to be identical to the PCI version. It is unknown quite why this version based on the old PCI design was released rather than the second generation model shown in 2006; design changes would have been minimal due to the programmable Xilinx Spartan chipset. Most pundits expected changes to support 2 GiB RAM modules (possibly DDR2) and most importantly SATA 3 Gbit/s.
.
The drive supports four DDR2 memory modules of up to 2 GiB for a total capacity of up to 8 GiB and the interface supports SATA 3.0 Gbit/s, which doubles the transfer rate compared to i-RAM.
Although this version of the I-RAM was displayed at Computex Taipei 2006, during final revisioning it lost DDR2 and the higher capacity support. The released GC-RAMDISK still only supports up to DDR-400 with a total storage capacity of 4 GiB.
Solid-state drive
A solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
produced by Gigabyte
Gigabyte Technology
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of computer hardware products best known for its motherboards. The company is publicly held and traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange .-Company:...
which has four DIMM
DIMM
A DIMM or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers...
slots to allow PC DDR
Double data rate
In computing, a computer bus operating with double data rate transfers data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal. This is also known as double pumped, dual-pumped, and double transition....
RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
to be used to store data.
It connects via a SATA
Sata
Sata is a traditional dish from the Malaysian state of Terengganu, consisting of spiced fish meat wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on a grill.It is a type of Malaysian fish cake, or otak-otak...
port and is seen by the PC as a hard drive, and may therefore be booted from directly. The i-RAM is bottlenecked by the SATA interface, which limits bandwidth to a maximum sustained throughput of 150 MB/s. This speed limitation is offset by near instant access, with latency results of 0.1 ms recorded.
DRAM however is volatile
Volatile memory
Volatile memory, also known as volatile storage, is computer memory that requires power to maintain the stored information, unlike non-volatile memory which does not require a maintained power supply...
, so any loss of power will cause loss of data. The i-RAM is powered by plugging into a PCI slot, which powers it while the PC is plugged in (using standby power
Standby power
Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity , refers to the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity...
if the PC is off). It also has a 10 to 16 hour battery (depending on the configuration), which operates when the PC is unplugged or there is a power outage.
The i-RAM supports Unbuffered/Non-ECC DDR 200/266/333/400 MHz RAM modules of different capacities (up to 1 GiB
Gib
Gib may refer to:* A castrated male cat or ferret* Gibibit , measurement unit of digitally stored computer information* Gibraltar, British overseas territory* Drywall, construction material...
), speeds, and brand for a maximum capacity of 4 GiB. Because of this, the i-RAM is very expensive per GB, but offers a non mechanic storage method with higher responsiveness and performance than a traditional hard drive. Unlike modern SSD
SSD
-Computing:* Solid-state drive, a type of data storage device which uses memory rather than rotating media* Seven-segment display, a display which uses 7 segments to display mostly numbers* System sequence diagram, a type of UML software engineering diagram...
s, i-RAM is not silent, it has a built-in fan which makes little noise.
Advantages
- Fast transfer rate
- Fast access time
- No moving parts
- Lower cost than traditional solid-state driveSolid-state driveA solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
s - Unlimited write cycles compared to flash memoryFlash memoryFlash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
- Doesn't slow down over time
Disadvantages
- High cost compared to traditional hard drives
- Low capacity (4 GiB maximum)
- Transfer rate restricted by SATA 150 bus (1.5 Gbit/s)
- Not physically compatible with all double-sidedDouble-sided RAMDouble-sided RAM is a type of random-access memory which has its chips divided into two sides , only one of which can be seen at a time by the computer. Initially, these were created by essentially attaching two single-sided SIMM cards to the same PCB, but more modern chips use different wiring...
DDR RAM modules using heat spreaders due to tight spacing - All data is lost if there is a loss of power
- The battery can fail, potentially difficult to find a replacement battery
- Adding memory wipes the data from all sticks
- No support for ECC, leading to possible bit errors
i-RAM BOX
Launched without so much as a press release, the i-RAM BOX became available to purchase in late July or early August 2007. It is essentially a full-width, half-height drive bay implementation of the PCI revision 1.3.Its main differences are:
- Half height 5.25" drive bay format
- Connects to a SATA port instead of the PCI bus
- Uses a standard 24-pin ATXATXATX is a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor. It was the first big change in computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts...
(motherboard) power cable for standby current (Y cable supplied) - Uses a standard 4-pin Molex connector for power in use
- A fan header appears on PCB
- Slightly more spacious PCB layout
Otherwise it appears to be identical to the PCI version. It is unknown quite why this version based on the old PCI design was released rather than the second generation model shown in 2006; design changes would have been minimal due to the programmable Xilinx Spartan chipset. Most pundits expected changes to support 2 GiB RAM modules (possibly DDR2) and most importantly SATA 3 Gbit/s.
Second Generation i-RAM
The second generation i-RAM, GC-RAMDISK, was on display at Computex 2006. Rather than using a PCI slot for powering the drive, Gigabyte had implemented the GC-RAMDISK as a 5.25" drive unit powered from a 4-pin Molex connectorMolex connector
Molex connector is the vernacular term for a two-piece pin and socket interconnection, most frequently disk drive connectors. Pioneered by Molex Connector Company, the two-piece design became an early electronic standard. Molex developed and patented the first examples of this connector style in...
.
The drive supports four DDR2 memory modules of up to 2 GiB for a total capacity of up to 8 GiB and the interface supports SATA 3.0 Gbit/s, which doubles the transfer rate compared to i-RAM.
Although this version of the I-RAM was displayed at Computex Taipei 2006, during final revisioning it lost DDR2 and the higher capacity support. The released GC-RAMDISK still only supports up to DDR-400 with a total storage capacity of 4 GiB.