Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Technology / IT / Systems / Difference Between Embedded and External Memory Devices

Difference Between Embedded and External Memory Devices

May 30, 2011 Posted by Indika

Embedded vs External Memory Devices

Embedded memory is a memory that is integrated in to the chip and it is a non stand alone memory. Embedded memory supports the logic core to perform its functions eliminating inter-chip communication. External memory devices refer to memory devices that reside outside of the logic core. Currently, embedded SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) are widely used. On the other hand, External memory devices are stand alone memory devices such as hard disks and RAM that are not integrated on the chip.

Embedded Memory Devices

Embedded memory is a non stand alone memory that is integrated in to the chip. Embedded memory is a vital component in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) since these devices can provide a high speed and wide bus capabilities. Development of embedded memory devices has become easier due to the large die size that allows integrating memory with the logic on the same chip and the improvement in process technology. Embedded SRAM are widely used as primary cache or level-one (L1) cache on the chip. Currently, there is lot of interest in developing embedded DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) due to the increasing performance gap between microprocessors and DRAM. Due to the complexity of DRAM process technology, they are the least-used embedded memory devices. Embedded ROM are also widely used. Another option for embedded non volatile memory is the embedded flash memories. In addition to embedded EPROM and EEPROM, embedded flash memories can also be used in those places.

External Memory Devices

External memory devices refer to memory devices that are not integrated in to the chip. These include devices like hard drives, CD/ DVD ROM, RAM and ROM that are not integrated in to the chip. Traditionally, external memory referred to devices that were used as permanent storage of large quantities of data such as magnetic disks, CD ROM, etc. Most widely used external memory device is the hard disk, which typically has the capability to store a large amount of data.

What is the difference between Embedded and External Memory Devices?

Embedded memory devices are memory devices that are integrated on to the chip with the logic core, while external memory devices are memory devices that reside outside the chip. Embedded SRAM and ROM are widely used than external or stand alone SRAM and ROM. Using embedded memory devices reduces the number of chips and reduces the space requirements used by the device. Furthermore, when the memory is embedded on the chip it provides faster response time and reduced power consumption than using an external memory device. On the other hand, developing embedded memory devices require a complex design and manufacturing process than external memory devices. Also, integrating different types of memory on the same chip would make the manufacturing process more complex. Additionally, a memory portion (made up of RAM, ROM, etc.) could consume a large portion of the chip making the designing more challenging for the designers.

Related posts:

Difference Between Physical and Virtual Memory Difference Between RAM and ROMDifference Between RAM and ROM Difference Between CDR and CD ROM Difference Between Static RAM and Dynamic RAM Difference Between Celeron and Pentium

Filed Under: Systems Tagged With: CD-ROM, DVD ROM, EEPROM, embedded DRAM, embedded EPROM, embedded flash memories, Embedded memory, embedded ROM, embedded SRAM, hard disks, L1 cache, RAM

About the Author: Indika

Indika, BSc.Eng, MSECE Computer Engineering, PhD. Computer Science, is an Assistant Professor and has research interests in the areas of Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Biomedical Natural Language Processing.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between American Eskimo and Japanese Spitz

Difference Between Monument and Memorial

Difference Between Monument and Memorial

Difference Between Free Fall and Projectile Motion

Difference Between Bar Graph and Column Graph

Difference Between Bar Graph and Column Graph

Difference Between Neodymium Magnet and Regular Magnet

Difference Between Neodymium Magnet and Regular Magnet

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Corpus Callosum and Corpus Luteum
  • What is the Difference Between Ciprofloxacin and Amoxicillin
  • What is the Difference Between HER2 Positive and HER2 Negative
  • What is the Difference Between Hiatal Hernia and Gallbladder Pain
  • What is the Difference Between SNP and RFLP
  • What is the Difference Between Macrolides and Tetracyclines
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.