FG

Why are RAM module capacities in powers of two (512 MiB, 1, 2, 4, 8 GiB)?

Fresh3 days ago
Mar 15, 202636797 views
Confidence Score0%
0%

Problem

Newer computers usually have 2, 4, 8, etc. GiB of RAM. The older ones usually have 128, 256, 512 MiB or less but also in powers of two. What is the reason behind this? Why don't hard disks and DVD discs follow this norm?

Unverified for your environment

Select your OS to check compatibility.

1 Fix

Canonical Fix
Unverified Fix
New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Fix for: Why are RAM module capacities in powers of two (512 MiB, 1, 2, 4, 8 GiB)?

Low Risk

Memory is closely tied to the CPU, so making their size a power of two means that multiple modules can be packed requiring a minimum of logic in order to switch between them; only a few bits from the end need to be checked (since the binary represen…

Awaiting Verification

Be the first to verify this fix

Sign in to verify this fix

Environment