Serial presence detect

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Serial presence detect (SPD) is a standardized way to automatically access information about a computer memory module. Earlier 72-pin SIMMs included five pins that provided 5 bits of parallel presence detect (PPD) data, but the 168-pin DIMM standard changed to a serial presence detect to encode much more information.[1]

When an ordinary modern computer is turned on, it starts by doing a power-on self-test (POST). Since about the mid-1990s, this process includes automatically configuring the hardware currently present. SPD is a memory hardware feature that makes it possible for the computer to know what memory is present, and what timings to use to access the memory.

Some computers adapt to hardware changes completely automatically. In most cases, there is a special optional procedure for accessing BIOS parameters, to view and potentially make changes in settings. It may be possible to control how the computer uses the memory SPD data—to choose settings, selectively modify memory timings, or possibly to completely over-ride the SPD data (see overclocking).

Stored information

For a memory module to support SPD, the JEDEC standards require that certain parameters be in the lower 128 bytes of an EEPROM located on the memory module. These bytes contain timing parameters, manufacturer, serial number and other useful information about the module. This data allows a device utilizing the memory to automatically determine key parameters of the module. For example, the SPD data on an SDRAM module might provide information about the CAS latency so the system can set this correctly without user intervention.

The SPD EEPROM is accessed using SMBus, a variant of the I²C protocol. This reduces the number of communication pins on the module to just two: a clock signal and a data signal. The EEPROM shares ground pins with the RAM, has its own power pin, and has three additional pins (SA0–2) to identify the slot, which are used to assign the EEPROM a unique address in the range 0x50–0x57. Not only can the communication lines be shared among 8 memory modules, the same SMBus is commonly used on motherboards for system health monitoring tasks such as reading power supply voltages, CPU temperatures, and fan speeds.

(SPD EEPROMs also respond to I²C addresses 0x30–0x37 if they have not been write protected, and an extension uses addresses 0x18–0x1F to access an optional on-chip temperature sensor.[2])

SDR SDRAM

Memory device on an SDRAM module, containing SPD data (red circled)

The first SPD specification was issued by JEDEC and tightened up by Intel as part of its PC100 memory specification.[3] Most values specified are in binary coded decimal form. The most significant nibble can contain values from 10 to 15, and in some cases extends higher. In such cases, the encodings for 1, 2 and 3 are instead used to encode 16, 17 and 18. A most significant nibble of 0 is reserved to represent "undefined".

The SPD ROM defines up to three DRAM timings, for three CAS latencies specified by set bits in byte 18. First comes the highest CAS latency (fastest clock), then two lower CAS latencies with progressively lower clock speeds.

SPD contents for SDR SDRAM[4]
Byte Bit Notes
(dec.) (hex.) 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
0 0x00 Number of bytes written Typically 128
1 0x01 log2(size of SPD EEPROM) Typically 8 (256 bytes)
2 0x02 Basic memory type (4: SPD SDRAM)
3 0x03 Bank 2 row address bits (0–15) Bank 1 row address bits (1–15) Bank 2 is 0 if same as bank 1
4 0x04 Bank 2 column address bits (0–15) Bank 1 column address bits (1–15) Bank 2 is 0 if same as bank 1
5 0x05 Number of RAM banks on module (1–255) Commonly 1 or 2
6 0x06 Module data width low byte Commonly 64, or 72 for ECC DIMMs
7 0x07 Module data width high byte 0, unless width ≥ 256 bits
8 0x08 Interface voltage level of this assembly (not the same as Vcc supply voltage) (0–4) Decoded by table lookup
9 0x09 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at highest CAS latency
10 0x0a Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) SDRAM access time from clock (tAC)
11 0x0b DIMM configuration type (0–2): non-ECC, parity, ECC Table lookup
12 0x0c Self Refresh period (0–5): 64, 256, 128, 32, 16, 8 kHz Refresh requirements
13 0x0d Bank 2 2× Bank 1 primary SDRAM width (1–127, usually 8) Width of bank 1 data SDRAM devices. Bank 2 may be same width, or 2× width if bit 7 is set.
14 0x0e Bank 2 2× Bank 1 ECC SDRAM width (0–127) Width of bank 1 ECC/parity SDRAM devices. Bank 2 may be same width, or 2× width if bit 7 is set.
15 0x0f Clock delay for random column reads Typically 1
16 0x10 Page — — — 8 4 2 1 Burst lengths supported (bitmap)
17 0x11 Banks per SDRAM device (1–255) Typically 2 or 4
18 0x12 — 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CAS latencies supported (bitmap)
19 0x13 — 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 CS latencies supported (bitmap)
20 0x14 — 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 WE latencies supported (bitmap)
21 0x15 — Redundant Diff. clock Registered data Buffered data On-card PLL Registered addr. Buffered addr. Memory module feature bitmap
22 0x16 — — Upper Vcc (supply voltage) tolerance Lower Vcc (supply voltage) tolerance Write/​1 read burst Precharge all Auto-​precharge Early RAS precharge Memory chip feature support bitmap
23 0x17 Nanoseconds (4–18) Tenths of nanoseconds (0–9: 0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at medium CAS latency
24 0x18 Nanoseconds (4–18) Tenths of nanoseconds (0–9: 0.0–0.9) Data access time from clock (tAC)
25 0x19 Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–3: 0.00–0.75) Clock cycle time at short CAS latency.
26 0x1a Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–3: 0.00–0.75) Data access time from clock (tAC)
27 0x1b Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum row precharge time (tRP)
28 0x1c Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum row active–row active delay (tRRD)
29 0x1d Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum RAS to CAS delay (tRCD)
30 0x1e Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum active to precharge time (tRAS)
31 0x1f 512 MiB 256 MiB 128 MiB 64 MiB 32 MiB 16 MiB 8 MiB 4 MiB Module bank density (bitmap). Two bits set if different size banks.
32 0x20 Sign (1: −) Nanoseconds (0–7) Tenths of nanoseconds (0–9: 0.0–0.9) Address/command setup time from clock
33 0x21 Sign (1: −) Nanoseconds (0–7) Tenths of nanoseconds (0–9: 0.0–0.9) Address/command hold time after clock
34 0x22 Sign (1: −) Nanoseconds (0–7) Tenths of nanoseconds (0–9: 0.0–0.9) Data input setup time from clock
35 0x23 Sign (1: −) Nanoseconds (0–7) Tenths of nanoseconds (0–9: 0.0–0.9) Data input hold time after clock
36–61 0x24–0x3d Reserved For future standardization
62 0x3e Major revision (0–9) Minor revision (0–9) SPD revision level; e.g., 1.2
63 0x3f Checksum Sum of bytes 0–62, not then negated
64–71 0x40–47 Manufacturer JEDEC id. Stored little-endian, trailing zero-padded
72 0x48 Module manufacturing location Vendor-specific code
73–90 0x49–0x5a Module part number ASCII, space-padded
91–92 0x5b–0x5c Module revision code Vendor-specific code
93 0x5d Tens of years (0–9: 0–90) Years (0–9) Manufacturing date (YYWW)
94 0x5e Tens of weeks (0–5: 0–50) Weeks (0–9)
95–98 0x5f–0x62 Module serial number Vendor-specific code
99–125 0x63–0x7f Manufacturer-specific data Could be enhanced performance profile
126 0x7e 0x66 [sic] for 66 MHz, 0x64 for 100 MHz Intel frequency support
127 0x7f CLK0 CLK1 CLK3 CLK3 90/100°C CL3 CL2 Concurrent AP Intel feature bitmap

DDR SDRAM

The DDR DIMM SPD format is an extension of the SDR SDRAM one. Mostly, parameter ranges are rescaled to accommodate higher speeds.

SPD contents for DDR SDRAM[5]
Byte Bit Notes
(dec.) (hex.) 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
0 0x00 Number of bytes written Typically 128
1 0x01 log2(size of SPD EEPROM) Typically 8 (256 bytes)
2 0x02 Basic memory type (7 = DDR SDRAM)
3 0x03 Bank 2 row address bits (0–15) Bank 1 row address bits (1–15) Bank 2 is 0 if same as bank 1.
4 0x04 Bank 2 column address bits (0–15) Bank 1 column address bits (1–15) Bank 2 is 0 if same as bank 1.
5 0x05 Number of RAM banks on module (1–255) Commonly 1 or 2
6 0x06 Module data width low byte Commonly 64, or 72 for ECC DIMMs
7 0x07 Module data width high byte 0, unless width ≥ 256 bits
8 0x08 Interface voltage level of this assembly (not the same as Vcc supply voltage) (0–5) Decoded by table lookup
9 0x09 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at highest CAS latency.
10 0x0a Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) SDRAM access time from clock (tAC)
11 0x0b DIMM configuration type (0–2): non-ECC, parity, ECC Table lookup
12 0x0c Self Refresh period (0–5): 64, 256, 128, 32, 16, 8 kHz Refresh requirements
13 0x0d Bank 2 2× Bank 1 primary SDRAM width (1–127) Width of bank 1 data SDRAM devices. Bank 2 may be same width, or 2× width if bit 7 is set.
14 0x0e Bank 2 2× Bank 1 ECC SDRAM width (0–127) Width of bank 1 ECC/parity SDRAM devices. Bank 2 may be same width, or 2× width if bit 7 is set.
15 0x0f Clock delay for random column reads Typically 1
16 0x10 Page — — — 8 4 2 1 Burst lengths supported (bitmap)
17 0x11 Banks per SDRAM device (1–255) Typically 4
18 0x12 — 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 CAS latencies supported (bitmap)
19 0x13 — 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 CS latencies supported (bitmap)
20 0x14 — 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 WE latencies supported (bitmap)
21 0x15 — x Diff clock FET switch external enable FET switch on-board enable On-card PLL Registered Buffered Memory module feature bitmap
22 0x16 Fast AP Concurrent auto precharge Upper Vcc (supply voltage) tolerance Lower Vcc (supply voltage) tolerance — — — Includes weak driver Memory chip feature bitmap
23 0x17 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at medium CAS latency.
24 0x18 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data access time from clock (tAC)
25 0x19 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at short CAS latency.
26 0x1a Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data access time from clock (tAC)
27 0x1b Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Minimum row precharge time (tRP)
28 0x1c Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Minimum row active–row active delay (tRRD)
29 0x1d Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Minimum RAS to CAS delay (tRCD)
30 0x1e Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum active to precharge time (tRAS)
31 0x1f 512 MiB 256 MiB 128 MiB 64 MiB 32 MiB 16 MiB/
4 GiB		 8 MiB/
2 GiB		 4 MiB/
1 GiB		 Module bank density (bitmap). Two bits set if different size banks.
32 0x20 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Address/command setup time from clock
33 0x21 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Address/command hold time after clock
34 0x22 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data input setup time from clock
35 0x23 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data input hold time after clock
36–40 0x24–0x28 Reserved Superset information
41 0x29 Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum active to active/refresh time (tRC)
42 0x2a Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum refresh to active/refresh time (tRFC)
43 0x2b Nanoseconds (1–63, or 255: no maximum) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Maximum clock cycle time (tCK max.)
44 0x2c Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.01–2.55) Maximum skew, DQS to any DQ. (tDQSQ max.)
45 0x2d Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–1.2) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Read data hold skew factor (tQHS)
46 0x2e Reserved For future standardization
47 0x2f — Height Height of DIMM module, table lookup
48–61 0x30–0x3d Reserved For future standardization
62 0x3e Major revision (0–9) Minor revision (0–9) SPD revision level, 0.0 or 1.0
63 0x3f Checksum Sum of bytes 0–62, not then negated
64–71 0x40–47 Manufacturer JEDEC id. Stored little-endian, trailing zero-padded
72 0x48 Module manufacturing location Vendor-specific code
73–90 0x49–0x5a Module part number ASCII, space-padded
91–92 0x5b–0x5c Module revision code Vendor-specific code
93 0x5d Tens of years (0–90) Years (0–9) Manufacturing date (YYWW)
94 0x5e Tens of weeks (0–50) Weeks (0–9)
95–98 0x5f–0x62 Module serial number Vendor-specific code
99–127 0x63–0x7f Manufacturer-specific data Could be enhanced performance profile

DDR2 SDRAM

The DDR2 SPD standard makes a number of changes, but is roughly similar to the above. One notable deletion is the confusing and little-used support for DIMMs with two ranks of different sizes.

For cycle time fields (bytes 9, 23, 25 and 49), which are encoded in BCD, some additional encodings are defined for the tenths digit to represent some common timings exactly:

DDR2 BCD extensions
Hex Binary Significance
A 1010 0.25 (¼)
B 1011 0.33 (⅓)
C 1100 0.66 (⅔)
D 1101 0.75 (¾)
E 1110 0.875 (⅞, nVidia XMP extension)
F 1111 Reserved
SPD contents for DDR2 SDRAM[6]
Byte Bit Notes
Dec Hex 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
0 0x00 Number of bytes written Typically 128
1 0x01 log2(size of SPD EEPROM) Typically 8 (256 bytes)
2 0x02 Basic memory type (8 = DDR2 SDRAM)
3 0x03 Reserved Row address bits (1–15)
4 0x04 Reserved Column address bits (1–15)
5 0x05 Vertical height Stack? ConC? Ranks−1 (1–8) Commonly 0 or 1, meaning 1 or 2
6 0x06 Module data width Commonly 64, or 72 for ECC DIMMs
7 0x07 Reserved
8 0x08 Interface voltage level of this assembly (not the same as Vcc supply voltage) (0–5) Decoded by table lookup.
Commonly 5 = SSTL 1.8 V
9 0x09 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at highest CAS latency.
10 0x0a Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) SDRAM access time from clock (tAC)
11 0x0b DIMM configuration type (0–2): non-ECC, parity, ECC Table lookup
12 0x0c Self Refresh period (0–5): 64, 256, 128, 32, 16, 8 kHz Refresh requirements
13 0x0d Primary SDRAM width (1–255) Commonly 8 (module built from ×8 parts) or 16
14 0x0e ECC SDRAM width (0–255) Width of bank ECC/parity SDRAM devices. Commonly 0 or 8.
15 0x0f Reserved
16 0x10 — — — — 8 4 — — Burst lengths supported (bitmap)
17 0x11 Banks per SDRAM device (1–255) Typically 4 or 8
18 0x12 7 6 5 4 3 2 — — CAS latencies supported (bitmap)
19 0x13 Reserved
20 0x14 — — Mini-UDIMM Mini-RDIMM Micro-DIMM SO-DIMM UDIMM RDIMM DIMM type of this assembly (bitmap)
21 0x15 — Module is analysis probe — FET switch external enable — — — — Memory module feature bitmap
22 0x16 — — — — — — — Includes weak driver Memory chip feature bitmap
23 0x17 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at medium CAS latency.
24 0x18 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data access time from clock (tAC)
25 0x19 Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Clock cycle time at short CAS latency.
26 0x1a Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data access time from clock (tAC)
27 0x1b Nanoseconds (1–63) 1/4 ns (0–0.75) Minimum row precharge time (tRP)
28 0x1c Nanoseconds (1–63) 1/4 ns (0–0.75) Minimum row active–row active delay (tRRD)
29 0x1d Nanoseconds (1–63) 1/4 ns (0–0.75) Minimum RAS to CAS delay (tRCD)
30 0x1e Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum active to precharge time (tRAS)
31 0x1f 512 MiB 256 MiB 128 MiB 16 GiB 8 GiB 4 GiB 2 GiB 1 GiB Size of each rank (bitmap).
32 0x20 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–1.2) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Address/command setup time from clock
33 0x21 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–1.2) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Address/command hold time after clock
34 0x22 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data input setup time from strobe
35 0x23 Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.00–0.09) Data input hold time after strobe
36 0x24 Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Minimum write recovery time (tWR)
37 0x25 Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Internal write to read command delay (tWTR)
38 0x26 Nanoseconds (1–63) 0.25 ns (0–0.75) Internal read to precharge command delay (tRTP)
39 0x27 Reserved Reserved for "memory analysis probe characteristics"
40 0x28 — tRC fractional ns (0–5):
0, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 0.66, 0.75		 tRFC fractional ns (0–5):
0, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 0.66, 0.75		 tRFC + 256 ns Extension of bytes 41 and 42.
41 0x29 Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum active to active/refresh time (tRC)
42 0x2a Nanoseconds (1–255) Minimum refresh to active/refresh time (tRFC)
43 0x2b Nanoseconds (0–15) Tenths of nanoseconds (0.0–0.9) Maximum clock cycle time (tCK max)
44 0x2c Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.01–2.55) Maximum skew, DQS to any DQ. (tDQSQ max)
45 0x2d Hundredths of nanoseconds (0.01–2.55) Read data hold skew factor (tQHS)
46 0x2e Microseconds (1–255) PLL relock time
47–61 0x2f–0x3d Reserved For future standardization.
62 0x3e Major revision (0–9) Minor revision (0.0–0.9) SPD revision level, usually 1.0
63 0x3f Checksum Sum of bytes 0–62, not negated
64–71 0x40–47 Manufacturer JEDEC ID Stored little-endian, trailing zero-pad
72 0x48 Module manufacturing location Vendor-specific code
73–90 0x49–0x5a Module part number ASCII, space-padded (limited to (,-,),A-Z,a-z,0-9,space)
91–92 0x5b–0x5c Module revision code Vendor-specific code
93 0x5d Years since 2000 (0–255) Manufacturing date (YYWW)
94 0x5e Weeks (1–52)
95–98 0x5f–0x62 Module serial number Vendor-specific code
99–127 0x63–0x7f Manufacturer-specific data Could be enhanced performance profile

DDR3 SDRAM

The DDR3 SDRAM standard significantly overhauls and simplifies the SPD contents layout. Instead of a number of BCD-encoded nanosecond fields, some "timebase" units are specified to high precision, and various timing parameters are encoded as multiples of that base unit.[7] Further, the practice of specifying different time values depending on the CAS latency has been dropped; now there are just a single set of timing parameters.

Revision 1.1 lets some parameters be expressed as a "medium time base" value plus a (signed, −128 +127) "fine time base" correction. Generally, the medium time base is 1/8 ns (125 ps), and the fine time base is 1, 2.5 or 5 ps. For compatibility with earlier versions that lack the correction, the medium time base number is usually rounded up and the correction is negative. Values that work this way are:

DDR3 SPD two-part timing parameters
MTB byte FTB byte Value
12 34 tCKmin, mimimum clock period
16 35 tAAmin, mimimum CAS latency time
18 36 tRCDmin, mimimum RAS# to CAS# delay
20 37 tRPmin, mimimum row precharge delay
21,23 38 tRCmin, mimimum active to active/precharge delay
SPD contents for DDR3 SDRAM[8]
Byte Bit Notes
Dec Hex 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
0 0x00 Exclude serial from CRC SPD bytes total (undef/256) SPD bytes used (undef/128/176/256)
1 0x01 SPD major revision SPD minor revision Typically 1.0 or 1.1
2 0x02 Basic memory type (11 = DDR3 SDRAM) Type of RAM chips
3 0x03 Reserved Module type Type of module; e.g., 2 = Unbuffered DIMM, 3 = SO-DIMM, 11=LRDIMM
4 0x04 — Bank address bits−3 log2(bits per chip)−28 Zero means 8 banks, 256 Mibit.
5 0x05 — Row address bits−12 Column address bits−9
6 0x06 Reserved 1.25 V 1.35 V Not 1.5 V Modules voltages supported. 1.5 V is default.
7 0x07 — ranks−1 log2(I/O bits/chip)−2 Module organization
8 0x08 — ECC bits (001=8) log2(data bits)−3 0x03 for 64-bit, non-ECC DIMM.
9 0x09 Dividend, picoseconds (1–15) Divisor, picoseconds (1–15) Fine Time Base, dividend/divisor
10 0x0a Dividend, nanoseconds (1–255) Medium Time Base, dividend/divisor; commonly 1/8
11 0x0b Divisor, nanoseconds (1–255)
12 0x0c Minimum cycle time tCKmin In multiples of MTB
13 0x0d Reserved
14 0x0e 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 CAS latencies supported (bitmap)
15 0x0f — 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
16 0x10 Minimum CAS latency time, tAAmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 80/8 ns.
17 0x11 Minimum write recovery time, tWRmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 120/8 ns.
18 0x12 Minimum RAS to CAS delay time, tRCDmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 100/8 ns.
19 0x13 Minimum row to row active delay time, tRRDmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 60/8 ns.
20 0x14 Minimum row precharge time, tRPmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 100/8 ns.
21 0x15 tRCmin, bits 11:8 tRASmin, bits 11:8 Upper 4 bits of bytes 23 and 22
22 0x16 Minimum active to time, tRASmin, bits 7:0 In multiples of MTB; e.g., 280/8 ns.
23 0x17 Minimum active to active/refresh, tRCmin, bits 7:0 In multiples of MTB; e.g., 396/8 ns.
24 0x18 Minimum refresh recovery delay, tRFCmin, bits 7:0 In multiples of MTB; e.g., 1280/8 ns.
25 0x19 Minimum refresh recovery delay, tRFCmin, bits 15:8
26 0x1a Minimum internal write to read delay, tWTRmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 60/8 ns.
27 0x1b Minimum internal read to precharge delay, tRTPmin In multiples of MTB; e.g., 60/8 ns.
28 0x1c Reserved tFAWmin, bits 11:8 In multiples of MTB; e.g., 240/8 ns.
29 0x1d Minimum four activate window delay tFAWmin, bits 7:0
30 0x1e DLL-off — — — — — RZQ/7 RZQ/6 SDRAM optional features support bitmap
31 0x1f PASR — — — ODTS ASR ETR 1× ETR (95°C) SDRAM thermal and refresh options
32 0x20 Present Accuracy (TBD; currently 0 = undefined) DIMM thermal sensor present?
33 0x21 Nonstd. Die count — — Signal load Nonstandard SDRAM device type (e.g., stacked die)
34 0x22 tCKmin correction (new for 1.1) Signed multiple of FTB, added to byte 12
35 0x23 tAAmin correction (new for 1.1) Signed multiple of FTB, added to byte 16
36 0x24 tRCDmin correction (new for 1.1) Signed multiple of FTB, added to byte 18
37 0x25 tRPmin correction (new for 1.1) Signed multiple of FTB, added to byte 20
38 0x26 tRCmin correction (new for 1.1) Signed multiple of FTB, added to byte 23
39–59 0x27–0x3b Reserved For future standardization.
60 0x3c — Module height, mm (1–31, >45) Module nominal height
61 0x3d Back thickness, mm (1–16) Front thickness, mm (1–16) Module thickness, value = ceil(mm) − 1
62 0x3e Design Revision JEDEC design number JEDEC reference design used (11111=none)
63–116 0x3f–0x74 Module-specific section Differs between registered/unbuffered
117 0x75 Module manufacturer ID, lsbyte Assigned by JEP-106
118 0x76 Module manufacturer ID, msbyte
119 0x77 Module manufacturing location Vendor-specific code
120 0x78 Tens of years Years Manufacturing year (BCD)
121 0x79 Tens of weeks Weeks Manufacturing week (BCD)
122–125 0x7a–0x7d Module serial number Vendor-specific code
126–127 0x7e–0x7f SPD CRC-16 Includes bytes 0–116 or 0–125; see byte 0 bit 7
128–145 0x80–0x91 Module part number ASCII subset, space-padded
146–147 0x92–0x93 Module revision code Vendor-defined
148–149 0x94–0x95 DRAM manufacturer ID As distinct from module manufacturer
150–175 0x96–0xAF Manufacturer-specific data

The memory capacity of a module can be computed from bytes 4, 7 and 8. The module width (byte 8) divided by the number of bits per chip (byte 7) gives the number of chips per rank. That can then be multiplied by the per-chip capacity (byte 4) and the number of ranks of chips on the module (usually 1 or 2, from byte 7).

Extensions

The JEDEC standard only specifies some of the SPD bytes. The truly critical data fits into the first 64 bytes,[5][6][8][9][10] while some of the remainder is earmarked for manufacturer identification. However, a 256-byte EEPROM is generally provided. A number of uses have been made of the remaining space.

Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP)

Memory generally comes with conservative timing recommendations in the SPD ROM, to ensure basic functionality on all systems. Enthusiasts often spend considerable time manually adjusting the memory timings for higher speed.

Enhanced Performance Profiles is an extension of SPD, developed by Nvidia and Corsair, which includes additional information for higher-performance operation of DDR2 SDRAM, including supply voltages and command timing information not included in the JEDEC SPD spec. The EPP information is stored in the same EEPROM, but in bytes 99-127, which are unused by standard DDR2 SPD.[11]

EPP SPD ROM usage
Bytes Size Full profiles Abbreviated profiles
99–103 5 EPP header
104–109 6 Profile FP1 Profile AP1
110–115 6 Profile AP2
116–121 6 Profile FP2 Profile AP3
122–127 6 Profile AP4

The parameters are particularly designed to fit the memory controller on the nForce 5, nForce 6 and nForce 7 chipsets. Nvidia encourages support for EPP in the BIOS for its high-end motherboard chipsets. This is intended to provide "one-click overclocking" to get better performance with minimal effort.

Nvidia's name for EPP memory that has been qualified for performance and stability is "SLI-ready memory".[12] The term "SLI-ready-memory" has caused some confusion, as it has nothing to do with SLI video. One can use EPP/SLI memory with a single video card (even a non-Nvidia card), and one can run a multi-card SLI video setup without EPP/SLI memory.

An extended version, EPP 2.0, supports DDR3 memory as well.[13]

Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

A similar, Intel-developed JEDEC SPD extension for DDR3 SDRAM DIMMs. This uses bytes 176–255, which are unallocated by JEDEC, to encode higher-performance memory timings.[14]

XMP SPD ROM usage[15]
Bytes Size Use
176–184 10 XMP header
185–219 33 XMP profile 1 ("enthusiast" settings)
220–254 36 XMP profile 2 ("extreme" settings)

The header contains the following data. Most importantly, it contains a "medium timebase" value MTB, as a rational number of nanoseconds (common values are 1/8, 1/12 and 1/16 ns). Many other later timing values are expressed as an integer number of MTB units.

Also included in the header is the number of DIMMS per memory channel that the profile is designed to support; including more DIMMS may not work well.

XMP Header bytes[15]
Byte Bits Use
176 7:0 XMP magic number byte 1 0x0C
177 7:0 XMP magic number byte 2 0x4A
178 0 Profile 1 enabled (if 0, disabled)
1 Profile 2 enabled
3:2 Profile 1 DIMMS per channel (1–4 encoded as 0–3)
5:4 Profile 2 DIMMS per channel
7:6 Reserved
179 3:0 XMP minor version number (x.0 or x.1)
7:4 XMP major version number (0.x or 1.x)
180 7:0 Medium timebase dividend for profile 1
181 7:0 Medium timebase divisor for profile 1 (MTB = dividend/divisor ns)
182 7:0 Medium timebase dividend for profile 2 (e.g. 8)
183 7:0 Medium timebase divisor for profile 2 (e.g. 1, giving MTB = 1/8 ns)
184 7:0 Reserved
XMP profile bytes[15]
Byte 1 Byte 2 Bits Use
185 220 0 Module Vdd voltage twentieths (0.00 or 0.05)
4:1 Module Vdd voltage tenths (0.0–0.9)
6:5 Module Vdd voltage units (0–2)
7 Reserved
186 221 7:0 Minimum SDRAM clock period tCKmin (MTB units)
187 222 7:0 Minimum CAS latency time tAAmin (MTB units)
188 223 7:0 CAS latencies supported (bitmap, 4–11 encoded as bits 0–7)
189 224 6:0 CAS latencies supported (bitmap, 12–18 encoded as bits 0–6)
7 Reserved
190 225 7:0 Minimum CAS write latency time tCWLmin (MTB units)
191 226 7:0 Minimum row precharge delay time tRPmin (MTB units)
192 227 7:0 Minimum RAS to CAS delay time tRCDmin (MTB units)
193 228 7:0 Minimum write recovery time tWRmin (MTB units)
194 229 3:0 tRASmin upper nibble (bits 11:8)
7:4 tRCmin upper nibble (bits 11:8)
195 230 7:0 Minimum active to precharge delay time tRASmin bits 7:0 (MTB units)
196 231 7:0 Minimum active to active/refresh delay time tRCmin bits 7:0 (MTB units)
197 232 7:0 Maximum average refresh interval tREFI lsbyte (MTB units)
198 233 7:0 Maximum average refresh interval tREFI msbyte (MTB units)
199 234 7:0 Minimum refresh recovery delay time tRFCmin lsbyte (MTB units)
200 235 7:0 Minimum refresh recovery delay time tRFCmin msbyte (MTB units)
201 236 7:0 Minimum internal read to precharge command delay time tRTPmin (MTB units)
202 237 7:0 Minimum row active to row active delay time tRRDmin (MTB units)
203 238 3:0 tFAWmin upper nibble (bits 11:8)
7:4 Reserved
204 239 7:0 Minimum four activate window delay time tFAWmin bits 7:0 (MTB units)
205 240 7:0 Minimum internal write to read command delay time tWTRmin (MTB units)
206 241 2:0 Write to read command turnaround time adjustment (0–7 clock cycles)
3 Write to read command turnaround adjustment sign (0=pull-in, 1=push-out)
6:4 Read to write command turnaround time adjustment (0–7 clock cycles)
7 Read to write command turnaround adjustment sign (0=pull-in, 1=push-out)
207 242 2:0 Back-to-back command turnaround time adjustment (0–7 clock cycles)
3 Back-to-back turnaround adjustment sign (0=pull-in, 1=push-out)
7:4 Reserved
208 243 7:0 System CMD rate mode. 0=JTAG default, otherwise in peculiar units of MTB × tCK/ns.
E.g. if MTB is 1/8 ns, then this is in units of 1/8 clock cycle.
209 244 7:0 SDRAM auto self refresh performance.
Standard version 1.1 says documentation is TBD.
210–218 245–253 7:0 Reserved
219 254 7:0 Reserved, vendor-specific personality code.

Vendor-specific memory

A common misuse is to write information to certain memory regions to bind vendor-specific memory modules to a specific system. Fujitsu Technology Solutions is known to do this. Adding different memory module to the system usually results in a refusal or other counter-measures (like pressing F1 on every boot).

02 0E 00 01-00 00 00 EF-02 03 19 4D-BC 47 C3 46 ...........M.G.F
53 43 00 04-EF 4F 8D 1F-00 01 70 00-01 03 C1 CF SC...O....p.....

This is the output of a 512 MB memory module from Micron Technologies, branded for Fujitsu-Siemens Computers, note the "FSC" string. The system BIOS rejects memory modules that don't have this information starting at offset 128h.

Reading and writing SPD information

Memory module manufacturers write the SPD information to the EEPROM on the module. Motherboard BIOSes read the SPD information to configure the memory controller. There exist several programs that are able to read and modify SPD information on most, but not all motherboard chipsets.

  • dmidecode program that can decode information about memory (and other things) and runs on Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, BeOS, Cygwin and Solaris. dmidecode does not access SPD information directly; it reports the BIOS data about the memory.[16] This information may be limited or incorrect.
  • On Linux systems, the user space program decode-dimms[17] provided with i2c-tools [18] decodes and prints information on any memory with SPD information in the computer. It requires SMBus controller support in the kernel, the EEPROM kernel driver, and also that the SPD EEPROMs are connected to the SMBus. On older Linux distributions, decode-dimms.pl was available as part of lm_sensors.
  • OpenBSD has included a driver (spdmem(4)) since version 4.3 to provide information about memory modules. The driver was ported from NetBSD, where it is available since release 5.0.
  • Coreboot reads and uses SPD information to initialize all memory controllers in a computer with timing, size and other properties.

Chipset-independent reading and writing of SPD information is done by accessing the memory's EEPROM directly with eeprom programmer hardware and software.

A not so common use for old laptops is as generic SMBus readers, as the internal EEPROM on the module can be disabled once the BIOS has read it so the bus is essentially available for use. The method used is to pull low the A0,A1 lines so the internal memory shuts down, allowing the external device to access the SMBus. Once this is done, a custom Linux build or DOS application can then access the external device. A common use is recovering data from LCD panel memory chips to retrofit a generic panel into a proprietary laptop and also as a generic 24C0x/34C0x reader. This approach has been confirmed to work by A de Guerin using the Acer Extensa 5220/5630 series as these can both write and read DDR2 SPD chips using spdtool in Windows 7 x32 or x64 editions.[citation needed] As an interesting aside shorting A0 and A1 on an otherwise unresponsive laptop with two near identical memory modules during initial power-up sometimes allows it to boot so the data can be rewritten.

On older equipment

Some older equipment require the use of SIMMs with parallel presence detect (more commonly called simply presence detect or PD). Some of this equipment uses non-standard PD coding, IBM computers and Hewlett-Packard LaserJet and other printers in particular. While old computers are rarely found, many old Laserjet printers are in use. Discontinued HP memory modules are officially recommended, but any 72-pin SIMM module within the capacity range supported by the printer and with the correct PD code should work. All printers work with FPM (Fast Page Mode) memory. Some, but not all, work with EDO memory.[20] It is fairly easy to solder wires to the PD pins to make non-HP modules work.[21] HP printers of this type require RAM with an access time of 70 ns or slower. This is likely due to a limitation of the encoding in the PD data. Faster RAM can be used, but the PD encoded data should indicate a speed of 70 ns.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ JEDEC Standard 21-C section 4.1.4 "Definition of the TSE2002av Serial Presence Detect (SPD) EEPROM with Temperature Sensor (TS) for Memory Module Applications"
  3. ↑ Application note INN-8668-APN3: SDRAM SPD Data Standards, memorytesters.com
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 JEDEC Standard 21-C section 4.1.2.4 "SPDs for DDR SDRAM"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 JEDEC Standard 21-C section 4.1.2.10 "Specific SPDs for DDR2 SDRAM"
  7. ↑ Understanding DDR3 Serial Presence Detect (SPD) Table
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 JESD21-C Annex K: Serial Presence Detect for DDR3 SDRAM Modules, Release 4, SPD Revision 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "spd_ddr3" defined multiple times with different content
  9. ↑ JEDEC Standard 21-C section 4.1.2 "SERIAL PRESENCE DETECT STANDARD, General Standard"
  10. ↑ JEDEC Standard 21-C section 4.1.2.5 "Specific PDs for Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)"
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ http://www.nvidia.com/docs/CP/45121/sli_memory.pdf
  13. ↑ Enhanced Performance Profiles 2.0 (pages 2–3)
  14. ↑ Intel Extreme Memory Profile (Intel XMP) DDR3 Technology
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ dmidecode: What's it good for?
  17. ↑ http://www.lm-sensors.org/browser/i2c-tools/trunk/eeprom/decode-dimms decode-dimms Perl program
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ HWiNFO32
  20. ↑ Page on memory upgrades for HP printers
  21. ↑ Making Standard SIMMs Work – Memory Upgrade on the HP LaserJet 6MP/5MP

External links

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