MDRAM


	THE BENEFITS OF THE MULTIBANK DRAM

	Low latency MDRAM is an enhanced memory that uses the existing DRAM in multiple small, internal 32Kbyte banks, each with its own I/O port for the 32-bit data. These banks are connected to each other through a common bus and can perform different memory functions simultaneously to different banks. In addition, in case a bank does not work properly, it is automatically excluded and its address is reprogrammed and assigned to another bank.

	Memory granularity Finer memory granularity allows the Multibank DRAM frame buffer sizes to be tailored to the requirements of individual designs. Since available bandwidth is not tied to memory size, this granularity offers considerable cost savings with no impact to performance. For example, to obtain 1024x768 at 24-bit are required only 2.5 Mbyte MDRAM; since the current video cards are equipped with 2 or 4 MB, this involves a useless waste of memory and money.