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A SO-DIMM, or small outline dual in-line memory module, is a type of computer memory
Computer memory

Computer memory is usually meant to refer to the semiconductor technology that is used to store information in Electronics devices. Current primary computer memory makes use of integrated circuits consisting of silicon-based transistors....
 built using integrated circuits.

SO-DIMMs are a smaller alternative to a DIMM
DIMM

A DIMM, or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and Server s....
, being roughly half the size of regular DIMMs. SO-DIMMS are often used in systems which have space restrictions such as notebook
Laptop

A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile computing small enough to sit on one's lap. A laptop includes most of the Computer hardware of a typical desktop computer, including a Computer display, a computer keyboard, a pointing device as well as a battery, into a single small and light unit....
s, small footprint PCs (such as those with a Mini-ITX
Mini-ITX

Mini-ITX is a 17 x 17 cm low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies. Mini-ITX is slightly smaller than microATX. Mini-ITX boards can often be passively cooled due to their low Thermal Design Power, which makes them useful for home theater systems, where fan noise can detract from the cinema experience....
 motherboard
Motherboard

A motherboard is the central printed circuit board in some complex electronic systems, such as modern personal computers. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple Inc....
), high-end upgradable office printers
Computer printer

File:Lexmark X5100 Series.jpgIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a hard copy of documents stored in computer file form, usually on physical print media such as paper or Transparency ....
, and networking hardware
Networking hardware

Networking hardware typically refers to equipment facilitating the use of a computer networking. Typically, this includes routers, network switch, ethernet hub, Gateway , wireless access points, network interface cards, Networking cables, network bridges, modems, Integrated Services Digital Network, firewalls and other related hardware....
 like router
Router

A router is a Computer network device whose software and hardware are usually tailored to the tasks of routing and forwarding information. For example, on the Internet, information is directed to various paths by routers....
s.

SO-DIMMs have 72, 100, 144, 200 or 204 pins.






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Sodimm Rear
A SO-DIMM, or small outline dual in-line memory module, is a type of computer memory
Computer memory

Computer memory is usually meant to refer to the semiconductor technology that is used to store information in Electronics devices. Current primary computer memory makes use of integrated circuits consisting of silicon-based transistors....
 built using integrated circuits.

SO-DIMMs are a smaller alternative to a DIMM
DIMM

A DIMM, or dual in-line memory module, comprises a series of dynamic random access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and Server s....
, being roughly half the size of regular DIMMs. SO-DIMMS are often used in systems which have space restrictions such as notebook
Laptop

A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile computing small enough to sit on one's lap. A laptop includes most of the Computer hardware of a typical desktop computer, including a Computer display, a computer keyboard, a pointing device as well as a battery, into a single small and light unit....
s, small footprint PCs (such as those with a Mini-ITX
Mini-ITX

Mini-ITX is a 17 x 17 cm low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies. Mini-ITX is slightly smaller than microATX. Mini-ITX boards can often be passively cooled due to their low Thermal Design Power, which makes them useful for home theater systems, where fan noise can detract from the cinema experience....
 motherboard
Motherboard

A motherboard is the central printed circuit board in some complex electronic systems, such as modern personal computers. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple Inc....
), high-end upgradable office printers
Computer printer

File:Lexmark X5100 Series.jpgIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a hard copy of documents stored in computer file form, usually on physical print media such as paper or Transparency ....
, and networking hardware
Networking hardware

Networking hardware typically refers to equipment facilitating the use of a computer networking. Typically, this includes routers, network switch, ethernet hub, Gateway , wireless access points, network interface cards, Networking cables, network bridges, modems, Integrated Services Digital Network, firewalls and other related hardware....
 like router
Router

A router is a Computer network device whose software and hardware are usually tailored to the tasks of routing and forwarding information. For example, on the Internet, information is directed to various paths by routers....
s.

SO-DIMMs have 72, 100, 144, 200 or 204 pins. The 72 and 100 pin packages supports 32-bit data transfer, while the 144, 200 and 204 pin packages support 64-bit data transfer. This compares to regular DIMMs that have 168, 184, or 240 pins, all supporting 64-bit data transfer.

Most types of SO-DIMMs can be recognized at a glance by the distinctive notches used to "key" them for different applications: 100-pin SO-DIMMs have two notches, 144-pin SO-DIMMs have a single notch near (but not at) the center, and 200-pin SO-DIMMs have a single notch nearer to one side.

The 200-pin SO-DIMM has two notch locations. If the notch is located away from the centre, it indicates the DDR class of memory. When the notch is located nearer the center of the board, it generally (but not always) indicates that the ram is of the DDR2 type. These two types of memory are not interchangeable. The different notch locations are designed to prevent incorrect installation. The 200-pin SO-DIMM depicted in the accompanying photograph has the notch slightly outboard, and is thus DDR. Caution should be exercised when visually identifying 200-pin SO-DIMM modules.

SO-DIMMs are more or less equal in power and voltage rating to DIMMs, and as memory technology moves forward, both SO-DIMMs and DIMMs become available in equal speed (clock speeds such as 400 MHz PC-3200
DDR SDRAM

DDR SDRAM is a class of memory integrated circuits used in computers. It achieves nearly twice the bandwidth of the preceding "single data rate" SDRAM by double data rate without increasing the clock frequency....
, for example, and CAS latency
CAS Latency

CAS RAM latency is the delay time which elapses between the moment a memory controller tells the memory module to access a particular column in a selected row, and the moment the data from the given array location is available on the module's output pins....
 such as 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0) and capacity (512MB, 1GB, etc.).

At the time of writing (May 2008) DDR2 SO-DIMM memory modules commonly have clock speeds from 200 MHz up to 800 MHz PC2-6400
DDR2 SDRAM

DDR2 SDRAM or Double Data Rate two synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory technology used in electronic engineering for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronics device....
 and 1066 MHz PC2-8500
DDR2 SDRAM

DDR2 SDRAM or Double Data Rate two synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory technology used in electronic engineering for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronics device....
 are becoming available.

There are also new 204-pin SO-DIMM memory modules with PC3-6400/PC3-8500/PC3-10600/PC3-12800 specifications.

See also

  • DDR SDRAM
    DDR SDRAM

    DDR SDRAM is a class of memory integrated circuits used in computers. It achieves nearly twice the bandwidth of the preceding "single data rate" SDRAM by double data rate without increasing the clock frequency....
  • DDR2 SDRAM
    DDR2 SDRAM

    DDR2 SDRAM or Double Data Rate two synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory technology used in electronic engineering for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronics device....
  • DDR3 SDRAM
    DDR3 SDRAM

    In electronic engineering, DDR3 SDRAM or Double data rate three synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory interface technology used for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronics devices....


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