Newer memory-classifying methods now refer to them based on the theoretical data bandwidth that the memory supports.
These memory types can be listed in two ways.
The first method lists the memory by its overall clock speed and the version of DDR that is used.
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The other method of classifying the modules is by their bandwidth rating in megabytes per second.
1600 MHz memory runs at a theoretical speed of 12,800 megabytes per second.
Thus DDR3-1600 memory is also referred to as PC3-12800 memory.
For example, your processor may only support up to 2666MHz DDR4 memory.
The result is the memory is run at less than its full potentialbandwidth.
As a result, you want to buy memory that best matches your rig’s capabilities.
How Latency Works With Memory
For memory, there is another factor that impacts performance latency.
Mostcomputer BIOSand memory manufacturers list this as either the CAS or CL rating.
With each generation of memory, the number of cycles for command processing increases.
For instance, DDR3 generally runs between seven and 10 cycles.
Newer DDR4 tends to run at nearly twice that with latency running between 12 and 18.
The lower the latency, the faster the memory is to respond to commands.
The problem is that most consumers will not really notice any benefit from the lower latency.
