By the end of the millennium, as memory subsystems standardised around an 8-byte data interface, the Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) had replaced the SIMM as the module standard for the PC industry. DIMMs have 168 pins in two (or dual) rows of contacts; one on each side of the card. With the additional pins a computer can retrieve information from DIMMs, 64 bits at a time instead of the 32- or 16-bit transfers that are usual with SIMMs.
Some of the physical differences between 168-pin DIMMs and 72-pin SIMMs include: the length of module, the number of notches on the module, and the way the module installs in the socket. Another difference is that many 72-pin SIMMs install at a slight angle, whereas 168-pin DIMMs install straight into the memory socket and remain completely vertical in relation to the system motherboard. Importantly, and unlike SIMMs, DIMMs can be used singly and it is typical for a modern PC to provide just one or two DIMM slots.
The 3.3 volt unbuffered DIMM emerged as the favoured standard. This allows for SDRAM, BEDO, EDO and FPM DRAM compatibility as well as x64 and x72 modules with parity and x72 and x80 modules with ECC and takes advantage of the left key position to establish a positive interlock so that the correct DIMMs are inserted in the correct position.
The advent of DDR and DDR2 SDRAM led to different variants of DIMM packaging, as did the Small Outline (SO) form factor used in notebook PCs. By 2005 the most common types of DIMMs were:
- 72-pin-DIMMs, used for SO-DIMM
- 144-pin-DIMMs, used for SO-DIMM
- 168-pin-DIMMs, used for SDRAM
- 184-pin-DIMMs, used for DDR SDRAM
- 240-pin-DIMMs, used for DDR2 SDRAM
DDR SDRAM DIMMs can be differentiated from SDRAM DIMMs by the number of notches, the former having one, the latter two.
- What is Level 1 (L1) Cache Memory?
- What is L2 (Level 2) cache memory?
- RAM or Main Memory – PC / computer memory (DIMM, DRAM, SDRAM)
- DRAM – Dynamic Random Access Memory
- FPM DRAM
- EDO (Extended Data Out) and BEDO (Burst Extended Data Out) DRAM
- SDRAM
- PC133 SDRAM
- DDR SDRAM explained
- DDR2 DRAM
- Dual Channel DDR Memory
- 1T SRAM
- Direct DRAM
- SIMMs
- DIMM Memory
- RIMMs Memory
- Memory Presence Detection
- Parity Memory
- ECC Memory
- Memory Upgrades
- The Evolution of Memory
- Flash Memory
- Magnetic RAM