bit-tech.net

Samsung takes graphics memory to 2000 MHz

Published on 26th February 2007 by Brett Thomas

"They've gone plaid!" - Samsung has taken GDDR4 graphics memory to the 2GHz mark.

Here's a quick but interesting news byte for you all:

It seems like graphics card technology is advancing at a nearly alarming rate. It wasn't that long ago that we were celebrating DDR RAM on chips, and now we're already seeing models with GDDR3 and GDDR4 as a standard. Samsung broke new records in this need for speed last week - its new GDDR4 memory modules have hit 2GHz.

The new modules transmit data at up to 4 GB/s, which is more than a 65% increase over current speeds. The previous versions of GDDR4 have been at 2.4 GB/s. Samsung has been able to do the speed increase thanks to its recent move down to 80nm chip fabrication. Samples are already hitting the company's customers, so this is not any theoretical design or one-off R&D unit. The production units are currently slated to be 64MB chips.

Since Samsung is one of the world's largest chip manufacturers, the move could mean a sudden and sharp increase in graphics card speed just in time for DX10 cards to start permeating the market. Thanks to the smaller fab, the chips should also lower heat output and cost.

Do you have a thought on the next step forward in GDDR? Let us hear about it in our forums.

22 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

Mother-Goose 26th February 2007, 12:48

ahem...pokes ATi....put some of that on the X2900XTX seeing as you are making us wait.

This is gooooood news :D

Bluephoenix 26th February 2007, 13:08

and when Nvidia comes out with its 8900GTX, this is precisely why it will eat any game in existence up to that point (including FSX and Crysis at 2560x1600)

DougEdey 26th February 2007, 13:09

Please please please say this is in the X2900XTX.

Mother-Goose 26th February 2007, 13:57

I know dougy, I forgot you were holding out for it too

DougEdey 26th February 2007, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mother-Gooser
I know dougy, I forgot you were holding out for it too

I wanna wanna wanna!

ElThomsono 26th February 2007, 14:11

Ludicrous speed!

trig 26th February 2007, 15:04

i thought the x1950xtx already had 2000 mhz speed?

flabber 26th February 2007, 15:30

I only expect these things from that fast memory:
- Big problems with new videocards
- No big problems? Big price instead
- No big problems and no big price? Then we'll have to wait about a year
before they'll actually put it in a videocard.

Bút!
If the videocard with this type of memory indeed is a lot faster, and it éven runs
a bit cooler and without that nuclear-powerconsumption... it's going to be my next
card fo-sho! I'll gladly leave that X2900 and 8800 go, as they're the powerplant-cards :P

Mother-Goose 26th February 2007, 15:41

aha but if they fit it to the X2900XTX (or, lets be realistic, the X2950XTX, you can see it now can't you?!) it will be worth the price. I'm going to get a X2900XTX regardless, thats what stopping me on my new build at the moment, it is what I am waiting for and I want it...I want it now, I want it as much as doug does, and we will kill for it....ish

Ramble 26th February 2007, 15:47

So this also potentially means cheaper, cooler and less power hungry chips at the same speed then..

trig 26th February 2007, 15:47

i will kill-ish if gooser doesnt hurry up and build my...er...his new pc soon!!!

tacticus 26th February 2007, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElThomsono
Ludicrous speed!

O.O theyve gone to plaid.

edit: damnit of course i read the article after comenting and seeing "They've gone plaid!" :\

<-- too slow

Mother-Goose 26th February 2007, 16:47

Yep it should mean more efficiency, which is great seeing as the GPU's are power hungry at the moment.

Skill3d 26th February 2007, 18:32

Guess I'll just wait until the 8900 and the 2900 are out and have a look at the memory chip speed....

randosome 26th February 2007, 18:48

wow that's like double the current PC ram speed, not bad at all :p

TheColdLord 26th February 2007, 21:41

Totally insane.... I think the migration from gpu to cpu...will turn into cpu to gpu :))

DXR_13KE 26th February 2007, 22:07

fast..... i will wait for the reviews...... and i hope this gets to RAM for the system.

Marquee 26th February 2007, 22:45

wOOt wOOt. Hope to see this working in a GPU A.S.A.P.

I say they will reach 3Ghz in the next year.

Tulatin 27th February 2007, 01:16

2GHz real, or effective?

Aankhen 27th February 2007, 02:38

Better, faster, more power-efficient, cheaper? Sign me up. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by flabber
Bút!
If the videocard with this type of memory indeed is a lot faster, and it éven runs
a bit cooler and without that nuclear-powerconsumption... it's going to be my next
card fo-sho!

Whát's wíth thé rándòm áccènts? :p

Gravemind123 27th February 2007, 03:35

Just curious, but if this is the frequency after it has had DDR applied to it(effective mem-speed) then its already been done on the X1950XTX with its GDDR4. Although the article says it runs nearly double the data-rate of current GDDR4. I would like to know if it runs at 2000mhz effective with higher data-rates or if it runs at 4000mhz effective( ).

Bladestorm 27th February 2007, 13:28

Quote:

its new GDDR4 memory modules have hit 2GHz.

The new modules transmit data at up to 4 GB/s, which is more than a 65% increase over current speeds. The previous versions of GDDR4 have been at 2.4 GB/s.

So that should mean its 2GHz real, 4GHz effective (DDR) which is NICE! :D