Scribd
Upload
47 views

MT S Vs MHZ A Better Measure For Memory Speed

This document explains the transition from measuring memory speed in MHz to MT/s. MHz refers to millions of cycles per second and was used to measure SDRAM speed, but does not accurately reflect DDR SDRAM's double data rate. MT/s measures effective data transfer rate in millions per second and more accurately represents DDR SDRAM speed, which transfers two sets of data per clock cycle. For example, a DDR4-3200 module runs at 1600 MHz but provides an effective transfer rate of 3200 MT/s. The document provides examples to illustrate the difference between the MHz and MT/s metrics.

Uploaded by

petar.kashew
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
47 views

MT S Vs MHZ A Better Measure For Memory Speed

This document explains the transition from measuring memory speed in MHz to MT/s. MHz refers to millions of cycles per second and was used to measure SDRAM speed, but does not accurately reflect DDR SDRAM's double data rate. MT/s measures effective data transfer rate in millions per second and more accurately represents DDR SDRAM speed, which transfers two sets of data per clock cycle. For example, a DDR4-3200 module runs at 1600 MHz but provides an effective transfer rate of 3200 MT/s. The document provides examples to illustrate the difference between the MHz and MT/s metrics.

Uploaded by

petar.kashew
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

MHz to MT/s Transition Explained

We will be transitioning from MHz to MT/s on Kingston.com and all marketing assets. This cheat sheet is designed to give you
an understanding of what both terms mean and the difference between them.

What is MHz?
MHz is short for megahertz and means a million of cycles per second, or one million hertz (106Hz). This unit of frequency measurement
comes from the International System of Units, and in computing is used to denote the speed at which data moves within and between
components.

When SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) was introduced in the late 1990s, data transfer speed was measured in sync
with the motherboard clock, with data transfers happening on the rising edge of the clock cycle. When measuring performance for SDRAM
memory, 100MHz indicated 100 x 106 data transfers per clock cycle.

In the early 2000s, DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM memory was introduced. This memory technology doubled the number of data transfers
per clock cycle, with transfers happening on the rising and falling edges of the cycle. The unit of measurement however did not change.
With a clock rate of 100MHz, DDR doubled the effective data rate at 200 million data transfers with each clock cycle.

What is MT/s?
MT/s is short for mega (or million) transfers per second and is a more accurate measurement for the effective data rate (speed) of DDR
SDRAM memory in computing.

The Double Data Rate means that there are two data transfer for one cycle, one when it is down like in Single Data Rate (see first graph) and
one when it is up (see second graph).

SDRAM
Clock: 100MHz
data transfer
>
Transfer Rate: 100MT/s clock cycle
Bandwidth: 800MB/s

DDR SDRAM
Clock: 100MHz
Transfer Rate: 200MT/s
clock cycle data transfer
>
Bandwidth: 1600MB/s

What does that mean?


This means that a 3200MT/s DDR4 Memory module actually operates at a base speed or frequency of 1600MHz because it performs 2
transfers per clock cycle.

DIMM Type MHz MT/s


DDR4-2666 2666MHz (1333 x 2 clock cycles) 2666MT/s
DDR4-3200 DDR4-3200 3200MHz (1600 x 2 clock cycles) 3200MT/s

Kingston Is With You


Visit our ‘Ask an Expert’ page for more information: www.kingston.com/askanexpert/memory
Alternatively, our Configurator tool can help you select the right DRAM for your customers: www.kingston.com/memory

#KingstonIsWithYou
© 2022 Kingston Technology Europe Co LLP and Kingston Digital Europe Co LLP, Kingston Court, Brooklands Close, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 7EP, England.
Tel: +44 (0) 1932 738888 Fax: +44 (0) 1932 785469 All rights reserved. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy