Capacity for Capacity

TO UNDERSTAND how memory capacity is calculated, we have to look at how the chips themselves are designed. This starts with JEDEC, an association of over 300 different companies that focus on solidstate technology. Its task is to ensure that universal standards are used across the registered companies when it comes to solid-state tech, with a particular emphasis on DRAM, solid-state drives, and interfaces (NVMe and AHCI, for instance). What this does is ensure that the consumer won’t have to pick between four different connection standards for DDR4, for example, and everything is consistent across multiple manufacturers—aka no proprietary BS. As far as memory is concerned, JEDEC lists the criteria that, say, DDR4 needs to adhere to—for instance, the number of pin outs, the dimensions of the chips, the maximum power draw, and more.

That spec is then handed over to the manufacturers, such as Samsung, SKHynix, Toshiba, and Micron, to produce memory chips to their own specifications that fit into JEDEC’s criteria. Typically, the differences lie within the size of the manufacturing process used (which additionally affects power draw). These chips are then bought by aftermarket partners, such as Corsair, HyperX, G.Skill, and so on, to be assembled with their own PCBs, heatsinks, and aftermarket features (RGB LEDs, anyone?), while, of course, still adhering to JEDEC’s original outline.

Currently, due to limitations in transistor size, DDR4 chips are limited to just 1GB each, although a theoretical 2GB per chip is well within the JEDEC specification. In the consumer market, most DIMMs can only support up to a maximum of 16 memory chips per stick, meaning a maximum capacity of 16GB per DIMM is possible. You can find larger sticks in the enterprise market, typically featuring up to 32GB per stick, but these are designed for server use rather than the consumer market, and are priced into the thousands.