Understanding Dual Voltage Memory

Hi, I'm Alison, one of the Memory Experts at Crucial.

We get a lot of question about dual-voltage RAM. It's a newer memory type that some people find confusing.

Here is what you need to know...

Voltage refers to the power consumed by a module.
In the past, most DDR3 memory voltage ranged from 1.5 - 1.65v.
More recently, Crucial.com started offering dual 1.35/1.5 voltage modules.

It's important to understand that while the lower voltage memory has some advantages over high voltage (namely lower power consumption), your system must support it in order to fully take advantage of it.

If your original installed memory is 1.5V and you are adding a dual-voltage 1.35V/1.5V module to an open DIMM slot, the dual-voltage module will operate at 1.5V, not 1.35V.

In order to run at 1.35V, all installed memory modules must be dual-voltage 1.35V/1.5V and the system must support DDR3L (1.35V low voltage) to enable the module to run at 1.35V.

So which is better?

Generally, lower voltage is optimal as it consumes less power and in turn, may generate less heat. However, it is important to note that the overall system must support the lower voltage DDR3L to run at 1.35V. If the system does not support DDR3L the module will run at the higher voltage.

In other words, you can purchase whichever of memory your system supports, but the dual-voltage module will run only run at 1.35V if your specific system supports that voltage.

You can find and choose the best right memory upgrade options for your computer through the Crucial System Scanner or Crucial Memory Advisor.

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