SMART Modular Unveils XR-DIMM Small Form Factor DDR3 Module

[Cristian_25H]

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading independent designer, manufacturer and supplier of value added subsystems including memory modules, flash memory cards and other solid state storage products, today announced its new XR-DIMM small form factor DDR3 module, specifically designed for ruggedized single board computing (SBC) applications requiring high reliability, density and performance attributes.

SMART's XR-DIMM solves the traditional space-constraint issue for Advanced Memory Card (AMC) form factor SBC's, where the clips from the horizontally mounted SO-DIMM's socket violate the "keep-out" areas of the card and interfere with the system chassis when the AMC card is removed. The XR-DIMM solves this issue by using a low profile, snap-down mezzanine connector with no clips. In addition, SMART's XR-DIMM form factor provides a ruggedized attach method and features improved signal integrity ideal for AMC cards, as well as ATCA, PCIe, and COMe embedded computing applications.





The 240-pin module conforms to standards established by the Small Form Factor Special Interest Group (SFF-SIG) to provide a perfect-fit solution for telecom, networking and industrial computing applications. SMART's DDR3-1600 XR-DIMM is offered in 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB densities with ECC. Other options offered include low power and industrial temperature operation.

"The XR-DIMM's higher 240-pin connector offers more power and ground signals for higher reliability, and, improved signal integrity versus a standard 204-pin SO-DIMM," says Mike Rubino, Vice President of Engineering at SMART Modular. "In addition, the board-to-board connector offers improved ruggedization compared to standard gold plated SO-DIMMs."

The XR-DIMM is just part of a wide family of DDR3 small form factor module solutions that SMART supports. SMART will be showcasing its new XR-DIMM along with its entire line of memory solutions at the Embedded World Exhibition & Conference in Nuremburg, Germany starting on February 25, 2014 in Hall 4, Stand 4-360.

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[wickerman]

Like many among us I've been hoping someone would come up with an "in between" solution for devices like ultrabooks or macbook air laptops that would still let us have thin chassis, but not require soldered ram. Something like this would be very cool for these devices, or perhaps even tablets, letting us keep upgradable ram but not have the added z-height of traditional so-dimms.

Sure vendors wouldn't like throwing away additional profits for factory ram upgrades...but it would also mean they have an easier time repairing laptops with defective ram (no fancy desoldering ovens or motherboard swaps). Also, I think most consumers would be happy to spend a little extra on CPU or SSD upgrades from the factory, knowing they can one day drop in a bit of extra ram should they need it. I know I certainly fall into that group... I'd have gladly paid for the i7 instead of the i5 in my laptop, knowing I can service/upgrade the SSD and ram myself.