PC800 and PC600 are two types of RDRAM, a computer memory technology developed by Rambus in the late 1990s. You might find slots for RDRAM modules on a motherboard for Intel Pentium III or Pentium 4 processors. Although the capabilities of PC800 are superior to those of PC600 RDRAM, the processor in your computer determines the speed at which the memory can operate.
Compatibility
All Pentium 4 motherboards that support RDRAM require PC800 or faster Rambus Inline Memory Modules, because Pentium 4 processors run at a minimum bus speed of 200 MHz. Pentium III motherboards that support RDRAM do support PC600 RIMMs, because Pentium III processors don't run at bus speeds faster than 133 MHz. Intel's 820 and 840 Pentium III chipsets support RDRAM.
Performance
PC800 RDRAM runs at a clock speed of 400 MHz and can transfer data at a maximum rate of 1.6GB per second. Because PC600 RDRAM runs at a slower clock speed of 233 MHz, it's unable to achieve the same throughput rate. PC600 RDRAM transfers data at a maximum rate of 1.066GB per second.
Price and Availability
RDRAM hasn't been used in desktop computers since the early 2000s. As a result, you may find PC600 and PC800 modules difficult to obtain except from specialty merchants. You can expect to spend approximately $50 per 256MB PC800 RIMM as of the date of publication. You can install PC800 memory in a computer designed for PC600 memory.
History
When RDRAM was first introduced in the late 1990s, it presented a performance advantage over PC133 SDRAM, the leading memory technology at the time. When the Pentium 4 processor was first released, it required RDRAM. However, consumer acceptance of RDRAM was poor because it cost significantly more than SDRAM. The introduction of DDR-SDRAM in the early 2000s removed RDRAM's performance advantage, and consumers opted to purchase the less expensive DDR-SDRAM instead.
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