SRAM VS DRAM: What Is the Difference Between Them?

Both SRAM and DRAM belong to different types of RAM. And before talking about SRAM vs DRAM, let’s get some information on SRAM and DRAM.

What Is SRAM?

First of all, what is SRAM? It is short for static random-access memory, belongs to a type of semiconductor RAM. And the data is stored using the six transistor memory cell in SRAM. SRAM is often used as a cache memory for the processor (CPU).

To learn more information about SRAM, read this post – Introduction to SRAM Memory (Static Random-Access Memory).

What Is DRAM?

DRAM is the abbreviation of dynamic random-access memory, which allows you to store each bit of data in a separate capacitor within a particular integrated circuit. DRAM is often used in digital electronics.

To learn more information about DRAM, read this post – Introduction to DRAM Memory (Dynamic Random-Access Memory).

SRAM VS DRAM

After getting some information about SRAM and DRAM, this part introduces the difference between SRAM and DRAM.

Capacity and Density

Speaking of SRAM vs DRAM, their capacity and density need to be compared. Due to its structure, SRAM requires more transistors than DRAM to store a certain amount of data. DRAM module only needs one transistor and one capacitor to store each bit of data, while SRAM needs 6 transistors. Since the number of transistors in a memory module determines its capacity, for a similar number of transistors, the capacity of a DRAM module is at most 6 times than that of an SRAM module.

Power Consumption

Power consumption also needs to be mentioned when talking about SRAM vs DRAM. Generally, SRAM modules consume less power than DRAM modules. This is because SRAM requires only a small stable current, while DRAM requires bursts of power every few milliseconds to refresh. The refresh current is several orders of magnitude larger than the low SRAM standby current. Therefore, SRAM is used in most portable and battery-powered devices.

Nevertheless, the power consumption of SRAM does depend on how often it is accessed. If SRAM is used at a lower speed, the power consumed during idle time is almost negligible. On the other hand, at higher frequencies, SRAM consumes as much power as DRAM.

Price

Now we talk about DRAM vs SRAM for price. SRAM is much more expensive than DRAM. The cost of a gigabyte of SRAM cache is about $5,000, while a gigabyte of DRAM costs $20-75.

Applications

DRAM and SRAM are volatile so that they cannot be used to store “permanent” data (such as operating systems) or data files (such as pictures).

The most common application of SRAM is as a cache for the processor (CPU). The most common application of DRAM (such as DDR3) is volatile storage in computers. Although DRAM is not as fast as SRAM, it is still very fast and can be directly connected to the CPU bus. In smartphones and tablet computers, the typical size of DRAM is about 1 to 2GB, while in notebook computers, it is usually 4 to 16GB.

Related post: SDRAM VS DRAM: What Is the Difference Between Them?

Final Words

This post is mainly talking about SRAM vs DRAM, so after reading this post, you can know the difference between SRAM and DRAM from 4 different aspects.