DDR2 vs. DDR3: Does It Really Matter??

2 November 2009 151 views View Comments

Take the HP Mini 311 (pictured above) and depending on when and where you buy it the memory it comes with could either be 1GB of DDR2 or DDR3 memory. DDR3 is another stop in the long line of new technologies becoming available to help manufacturers get away with charging more for their computers.

The good part is that if you’re worried about the difference in specs, you can relax.

There is no difference when it comes to performance of DDR2 and DDR3 memory. At the breakitdownblog the author was wondering the same question and found some interesting information. After benchmarking computers with the same specifications with the only difference being the memory and the performance was very similar. Below is a chart:

No matter if your netbook has either kind of memory you can be sure that you’re getting a good deal as long as you aren’t paying a premium for having the lastest in memory technology.

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Michael Kozakewich

DDR3 would have a faster response, which would be great if you were swapping gigabytes of data around. In general, a netbook wouldn't be. The new modules do use less power, though, and I'd be interested in hearing about the battery-life differences between two otherwise-identical netbooks.

The maximum size of standard desktop/laptop DDR2 RAM is 2GB, while the maximum size of DDR3 is 4GB. I imagine you could see netbooks with 2GB DDR3 in them, sometime soon, with some companies selling 4GB modules. Kingston currently has a 2GB DDR2 module for netbooks.

Even with no difference in performance, the extra capacity and longer battery life would be attractive, if it balances with the additional price.

Brandon

Also, it is relevant information that netbooks often utilize integrated graphics, which therefore share system memory. Faster memory means better graphic performance. A test was done between the older white Macbook with DDR2 and an 9400 and a newer white Macbook with DDR3 and a 9400m with otherwise identical specs. There were significant increases. With ION becoming more available, DDR3 memory would be a great boost for the 9400m.

Chance_Stevens

Good point about the extended battery performance. I'll be writing a post on Samsung's new DDR3 memory tech which addresses this point directly. News only came out on 2/1/2010 so I'm a little late.