A comparison of the current types of Video Ram By: Zachary Kessler
HBM vs. GDDR5 A comparison of the current types of Video Ram By: Zachary Kessler What is VRAM? Video Ram is a variant DynamicRAM that is used to boostframerates of video onmonitors. It is used in GPUs to boostgraphical performance forgaming and video editing. HBM and GDDR5 are recenttypes of VRAM used inhigh/medium end GPUs. What is VRAM? Cont. It is often called a frame buffer dueto the fact that it boosts framerates. VRAM works by buffering the imageto be displayed on the screen byconverting the code of the imagefrom another form of RAM to VRAMwhich then sends the code to ananalog converter to display on thescreen. The Problems with VRAM Large power consumption due to the amount of processes theymust perform Can cause overheating if not maintained or is overclocked Non-essential part of a basic GPU So, What is GDDR5? GDDR5 is a modern version of VRAM thatwas developed by AMD in 2008 for thenhigh end graphic cards. It is a single-ended VRAM chip that hashigher bandwidth with lower voltageoutput than its predecessor which allowsfor better clocking and overclocking ofthe GPU. It has a lower pin count which allows theVRAM to be much smaller but maintains agood performance level. In order to keep voltage levels at lower,more stable levelsAMD developed afeature called Clock Data Recoverywhere the clock speed is generated out ofthe data stream to allow the GDDR5 toprocess more data for less power. What is GDDR5? Cont. With the highest end GPU onthe market today being theNVIDIA GeForce GTX TitanBlack. GDRR5 is still used inmodern GPU nowadays. In this GPU the data rate is336Gb/s this allows for high- powered gamingperformance at maximumgraphics levels . HBM Explained by the guy that developed it. So what is HBM? HBM stands for high bandwidthmemory and is the newest form ofVRAM available. The crucial difference betweenHBM and other types of RAM is thefact that instead of just staying flatand getting longer, HBM willdecrease surface area by movingto a more compact 3-d design andbuild in a cube form. It consists of not one large chipspread out but multiple chips smaller chips stacked on top ofeach other. This new concept is considered bymany to be the future of VRAM andother types of DRAM. What is HBM? Cont. The change in surface area allows for faster processing along thechip (but as of now GDDR5 is still faster). Each stack of the HBM is independent of the other stacks but all ofthe stacks work together. HBM also uses less energy than GDDR5 due to the stacks beingindependent they regulate their own voltage HBM is said to have 1Tb/s processing power in just a few years. That more than 3x the power of current GDDR5 chips So What is HBM? Cont. The first and only GPU on the market to incorporate HBM is the AMDR9 Fury X as of today. NVIDIA is set to release an HBM centered GPU next year. Why HBM and GDDR5 Both types have different concepts of how to approach VRAMdesign. Both have pros and cons of each design. Both are on the market today and are the some of the most recentadvances in VRAM technology. In Conclusion GDDR5 had a good run but is nomatch for HBM in terms ofefficiency, power, and size*. HBM is the future of VRAM andthe concept can beincorporated into other types ofDRAM. As of nowhowever GDDR5 is stillthe better technology due to itbeing well understood and HBMis new and not fully developed. Conclusion cont. In near future, GDDR5 will still be widely used but will be replaced byHBM as HBM technology advances past the GDDR5s rate ofadvancement. Smaller more compact GPUs will be more powerful due to the factthat HBM has less surface area and can take less space inside ofcases andespecially laptops. QUESTIONS????