[SOLVED] Does this SSD have DRAM ? all information are given below

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May 29, 2021
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Does this SSD have DRAM ? all information are given below,

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PS3111-S11
https://s1p.manualzz.com/store/data/048935537.pdf?k=AwAAAXm9AB0IAAACWGd4psDcdEE4h1NIamR4BkLW66s1
 
Solution
There's 32mb built into the S11 controller which does not support an external dram module that I am aware of.
This is considered Dram-less as the 32mb does not offer much benefit.
From my point of view, this is a high-performance DRAM-less NVME thanks to the built-in 32MB SRAM.

The controller is suitable for small PCB on which you don't have too much space left, or you simply want to keep the production cost as low as possible.
 
Phison's documents are ambiguous and annoying. They talk about SRAM and DRAM and "SDR". If the controller has embedded SDRAM, then why not explicitly say so, and why not show it in the block diagram? In fact there are 4 references to SDR, but not in the block diagram.

If you make it to the end of the document, you see a glossary:

  • SDR = synchronous dynamic [random?] access memory (sigh)

BTW, why do these documents specify an M.2 form factor? Surely the same controller can be used in 2.5" and M.2 form factors?