Kingmax TinyBGA DDR400 PC3200 Revised Edition

Review by Edward Chang

March 25, 2002

THE MEMORY:

Kingmax DDR400 (Click to enlarge)

Reverse side (Click to enlarge)

The design of the new Kingmax DDR400 PC3200 memory module is extremely similar to their DDR333 PC2700 model shown here:

Kingmax DDR333 (Click to enlarge)

Now let's compare Kingmax's TinyBGA-based memory to an "industrial standard" memory like Crucial's PC2100:

Kingmax memory is unique from ordinary DDR RAM. Kingmax uses their own TinyBGA technology to manufacturer their memory. Physically, the memory modules are smaller than the industrial standard DDR and SDR memory which are more rectangular in shape. "BGA" is an acronym for Ball Grip Array. Hence why one will not see the metal connects along the side of the memory, but rather as spherical connects beneath the memory. The reverse side of the 128 megabyte module of Kingmax DDR400 clearly illustrates the arrangement of BGA connects. We will discuss more about this BGA technology in the following pages.

DDR400 sticker

DDR333 sticker

5-ns Kingmax PC3200 module

6-ns Kingmax PC2700 module

The initial Kingmax PC2700 memory used 5-nanasecond memory. However, Kingmax claims that their current PC2700 use the same memory, but with the chip markings changed to read at 6-nanosecond instead. Kingmax did this to conform with the speed rating standard set by memory manufacturers Micron and Samsung. A 6-nanosecond memory rating is suppose to denote an operating frequency of 166 MHz, which is 333 MHz DDR. The initial 5-nanosecond markings on earlier Kingmax PC2700 memory hinted that it was capable of running at 200 MHz or DDR400. So, it would not be surprising to find original samples of their PC2700 memory capable of achieving speeds of 200 MHz. With these recent changes, one might ask then what distinguishes Kingmax's DDR400 from DDR333? According to Kingmax, their DDR400 harnesses premium quality and higher yielding memory modules.

THE RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED:

The above table should clarify how memory is rated. The operating frequency is calculated by taking 1000 divided by the access time. Therefore, 1000 / 5 = 200 MHz. The 'PC' rating is calculated by multiplying the operating frequency by 2 to get the DDR rating, and then multiplying it by 8. So, let's take our newest and recent memory technologies as examples:

1.)    200 x 2 x 8 = 3200 => "PC3200".

2.)    166 x 16 = 2656 => "PC2700".