A RAM Primer
SRAM (static random-access memory)
The difference between SRAM and DRAM is that where DRAM must be refreshed constantly, SRAM stores data without an automatic refresh. The only time a refresh occurs, in fact, is when a write command is performed. If the write command doesn't occur, nothing in the SRAM changes, which is why it's called static. The benefit of SRAM is that it's much faster than DRAM, reaching speeds of 12 ns as compared with BEDO's 50 ns. The disadvantage is that SRAM is much more expensive than DRAM. SRAM's most common use in PCs is in the second-level cache, also called the L2 cache.
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Published as Tutor in the 10/21/97 issue of PC Magazine.
