DDR4

By Brian White | December 15, 2023
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DDR4 stands for “Double Data Rate 4.” It is a type of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) with a high bandwidth interface. Released in 2014, DDR4 is the fourth generation of DDR memory, succeeding DDR3.

What is DDR4?

Key characteristics of DDR4 memory:

  1. Higher Transfer Rates: DDR4 offers higher speed and efficiency compared to its predecessors. It typically starts at 2133 MHz, which is a significant increase over the 800 MHz starting speed of DDR3.

  2. Increased Capacity: DDR4 supports larger memory capacities per module. Modules can range in capacity from 4 GB up to 128 GB, allowing for more memory in systems, especially beneficial in servers and high-performance computing setups.

  3. Lower Voltage: DDR4 operates at a lower voltage of 1.2V compared to 1.5V for DDR3. This reduction in voltage leads to lower power consumption and reduced heat generation, which is advantageous for system stability and energy efficiency.

  4. Enhanced Data Integrity: DDR4 incorporates additional features for improved reliability, such as CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) for data reliability and on-die ECC (Error-Correcting Code) capabilities for minor data corruption detection and correction.

  5. Improved Physical Design: The physical layout of DDR4 modules (DIMMs) is different from its predecessors, including a different pin layout. DDR4 DIMMs have 288 pins compared to 240 pins for DDR3. This change in design makes DDR4 incompatible with DDR3 slots.

  6. Other Features: DDR4 also includes enhancements like DBI (Data Bus Inversion) for data integrity and POD (Pseudo Open Drain) for power saving.

DDR4 has been widely adopted in various applications ranging from personal computers and laptops to servers and gaming consoles, offering significant performance improvements over DDR3 memory.

When was DDR4 memory released?:
It was released in 2014 and products came to market that same year.

When was DDR5 memory released?:
DDR5, introduced in 2020, improves on these even further while adding channel architecture improvements, but like DDR4, is not backwards compatible with previous gen DDR SDRAM modules due to different pin configurations.

Read our design article on DDR4 here: How to Implement DDR4