The well-known Youtuber and overclocker Roman der8auer Hartung has found what is probably the largest RAM module in the world.
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This RAM module holds up to 256 GB and consumes up to 80 watts.
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RAM specifications have changed several times over the past few decades. The result is RAM bars of different sizes, which differ significantly in size depending on where they are used in the desktop computer or notebook. The well-known YouTuber and overclocker Roman der8auer Hartung has investigated which RAM module has the largest dimensions so far. In doing so, he came across a RAM module that was developed by IBM in 2014 to provide Power 8 processors in servers with sufficient main memory.
C-DIMM as in-house development
The modules called C-DIMM were intended to circumvent a limitation of the time: DDR3 RAM was initially limited to 16 GB per bar. However, significantly more RAM was needed in servers. Accordingly, Intel had to develop its own module with a higher capacity. These housed between 128 and 256 GB of RAM. Since the sockets for the memory chips also had size limitations in the IBM servers, the modules had to grow taller. The result was RAM modules larger than a human hand.
Very high power consumption
However, the module described by Roman der8auer Hartung as the world’s largest working memory bar has a major disadvantage: Due to the large number of memory chips and controllers, a single module with 152 memory chips requires between 65 and 80 watts, depending on the load. The power consumption is equal to that of an RTX 3050, which can draw a maximum of 75 watts from the power supply. A Power 8 CPU could also control up to eight such modules. The power consumption of a server should have been correspondingly high.
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