Toshiba starts sampling first SDXC flash cards

DailyTech reveals that Toshiba is already sampling its first SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) flash memory cards to key OEMs. SDXC memory cards are worth looking forward to because of two things: It comes formatted in the new exFAT file system and could eventually reach speeds as high as 300 MB/s, and capacity can reach as high as 2TB per card. This new technology is expected to hit full realization by spring of 2010, and Toshiba is going to be at the forefront with its 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants which offer 60MB/s read and 35MB/s write speeds. This would be the perfect add-on for mobile devices with SD card slots. Watch for it.

Source: [DailyTech]

DDR3 SDRAM use to become more widespread in Q2 2010, says iSuppli

DDR3 SDRAM is 50% faster and uses 30% less power than its DDR2 counterpart. So why hasn't the new technology completely replaced the old one yet? Well, first of all, DDR3 RAM is not cheap. It's more expensive, and forces a move to an entirely new platform which supports it instead of DDR2 RAM. People working with tight budgets back off from DDR3 RAM and opt for DDR2 instead.

But iSuppli predicts that this will all change very soon, saying that DDR3 SDRAM will rise to dominance during the second quarter of 2010. The reason why they think so is because a) Intel's Nehalem microprocessor microarchitecture has a memory controller that supports DDR3 only and b) production of DDR3 has advanced to the point were memory makers can produce it at a competitive cost using leading-edge semiconductor process technology.

It will be interesting to see this prediction come true, but my takeaway from all of this is just that the manufacturers are hoping to drive a bigger profit off consumers so they are almost wishing that DDR3 SDRAM becomes more widespread if not at the very onset of 2010, then during the subsequent months.

Source: [EETimesAsia]

DDR2 and DDR3 price increase in Q3 2009 lead to 40.7% more worldwide DRAM revenue

Been wondering just why in the world desktop memory (DDR2 RAM in particular) seem to have doubled in price these past few weeks? This is apparently due to tight supply in DDR2 and DDR2 inventory replenishment from some PC-OEMs, as reported by DRAMeXchange in announcing that worldwide DRAM Revenue has increased 40.7% in the past quarter. Well, it's no wonder that it did--since the prices have risen of course you'd see an increase in revenue. What's not mentioned is when the tight supply of DDR2 RAM is going get fixed so consumers don't have to pay the price of the blunders of the vendors themselves. Hopefully, everything becomes well in time for the holidays, when most of us plan on upgrading some part of our PCs, which may of course include upgrading the memory.

Source: [Newswire]