Logic Solutions for PC-100 SDRAM Registered DIMMs (Rev. A)

Design of high-performance personal computer (PC) systems that are capable of meeting the needs imposed by modern operating systems and software includes the use of large banks of SDRAMs on DIMMs (see Figure 1). To meet the demands of stable functionality over the broad spectrum of operating environments, meet system timing needs, and to support data integrity, the loads presented by the large banks of SDRAMs on the DIMM modules require the use of buffers/drivers in the address and control signal paths. The PC SDRAM DIMM that is designed to operate at 100 MHz is known to the industry as PC100. [1] This report discusses some of the logic solutions that Texas Instruments (TI) has available for the registered PC100 DIMM that provide improved performance, cost savings, and design optimization.