Memory latency

Memory latency is the time (the latency) between initiating a request for a byte or word in memory until it is retrieved by a processor.

If the data are not in the processor's cache, it takes longer to obtain them, as the processor will have to communicate with the external memory cells.

Latency can be expressed in clock cycles or in time measured in nanoseconds.

Over time, memory latencies expressed in clock cycles have been fairly stable, but they have improved in time.

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1 megabit DRAMs with 70 ns latency on a 30-pin SIMM module. Modern DDR4 DIMMs have latencies under 15 ns. ^{[

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