
Since the DRAM requires a single capacitor and a transistor for each memory cell, it is much simpler in the structure than the SRAM, which uses six transistors for each memory cell. What is the difference between Static RAM and Dynamic RAM?Įven though both SRAMs and DRAMs are volatile memories, they have some important differences. Single In-line Pin Package (SIPP), Single In-line Memory Module (SIMM) and Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) are some examples of such modules. Currently there are DRAMs in the market that are manufactured as plug-in modules, which are easier to handle. DRAMs are manufactured as integrated circuits (ICs) that come in plastic packages with metal pins that could be connected in to busses. DRAMS are widely used for main memories in personal computers and game stations since they are cheaper. Each memory cell in a DRAM consists of a capacitor and a transistor and these cells are arranged in a square array. Since the capacitors discharge with time, they need to be refreshed periodically to maintain the values stored in them. Capacitors when not charged represent the value 0 of a bit and when charged represent the value 1. The cell is in the standby state when it is idling.ĭRAM is also a volatile memory that uses separate capacitors to store each bit. A cell is in the reading state when data has been requested and it is in writing state when the data in the cell is modified. Each SRAM cell can be in three different states called read, write and standby. When the number of transistors is reduced, the size of the memory cell decreases. Even though typical SRAMs use six transistors to store each bit, there are SRAMs that use eight, ten or more transistors to store a single bit.

There are additional transistors that are used to control read and write accesses of storage cells. In a SRAM, each bit that stores data is made up of four or six transistors that make up a flip-flop. SRAM is a type of RAM and it is a volatile memory, which looses its data when the power is turned off. DRAM uses a separate capacitor to store each bit of data and it needs to be periodically refreshed to maintain the charge in the capacitors.


SRAM uses transistors to store a single bit of data and it does not need to be periodically refreshed. RAMs are divided in to two categories as Static RAM (SRAM) and Dynamic RAM (DRAM). Its individual memory cells can be accessed in any sequence, and therefore it is called the random access memory. RAM (Random Access Memory) is the primary memory used in a computer.
