Glossary
NAND Flash
A type of non-volatile memory technology used in SSDs to store data.
SATA (Serial ATA)
An interface standard for connecting and transferring data from storage devices like HDDs and SSDs. SATA 3.0 is common, with speeds up to 6Gbps.
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)
An interface protocol optimized for SSDs, usually using PCIe for faster read and write speeds.
PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express)
A high-speed interface standard used by NVMe SSDs to deliver faster data transfer rates.
TBW (Terabytes Written)
A metric indicating the total amount of data that can be written to an SSD over its lifespan, reflecting its durability.
IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second)
A performance measurement for storage devices, indicating how many read/write operations can be processed per second.
TRIM
A command that allows an operating system to inform an SSD which data blocks can be deleted, improving performance and lifespan.
Wear Leveling
A technique used in SSDs to distribute write and erase cycles evenly across the memory cells, extending the drive’s life.
Endurance
Refers to the durability of an SSD, often measured in terms of TBW or DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day).
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
A measure of reliability, indicating the average time between failures of an SSD.
DDR (Double Data Rate)
A type of SDRAM technology. DDR3, DDR4, and DDR5 are common versions, with DDR5 being the latest.
Latency (CAS Latency, CL)
The delay time between the moment a memory controller tells the RAM to access a particular memory column and the moment the data is available. Lower latency generally means better performance.
Frequency (MHz)
The operating speed of the RAM, measured in megahertz (MHz). Higher frequency means faster data transfer rates.
DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module)
A type of memory module used in desktops, where each side of the module has a separate electrical contact.
SO-DIMM (Small Outline DIMM)
A smaller type of memory module typically used in laptops and compact devices.
ECC (Error-Correcting Code)
A technology used to detect and correct data corruption in memory, often found in servers and critical systems.
Dual-Channel/Quad-Channel
Memory configurations that allow two or four memory modules to work together simultaneously, increasing data transfer bandwidth.
XMP (Extreme Memory Profile)
A technology by Intel that allows users to overclock RAM using preset profiles.
RAM Disk
A virtual disk created using RAM, offering extremely high read/write speeds but with data loss upon power-off.
Volatile Memory
A type of memory (like RAM) that requires power to maintain stored data, meaning all data is lost when the system is powered down.