There are two main types of memory, unbuffered and buffered. The biggest difference between the two is that buffered memory includes a layer of processing power to keep speed things along. There are pros and cons to each of these options, so let’s give a look at each one and explore further.
The key advantage of buffered memory is a processing chip that receives information directly from the computer. This buffer chip then sends out the information to be processed by the other chips on the memory stick, allowing the computer to send information to one target instead of several chips on the RAM.
With unbuffered memory, the computer will communicate directly with the individual memory banks, so the CPU will send the information to be processed to each chip on the stick of RAM. While this does allow the system to be a bit more expandable and a bit more flexible, it also does require a lot more processing power.