As you may already know, Innodisk designs and manufactures industrial-grade DRAM with breakneck performance and state-of-the-art technologies. But did you know that we also offer so-called legacy DRAM with slow speeds, low capacities, and overall outdated specifications?
No, it’s not because we have leftover stock from years and years ago. These are brand new DRAM modules – often manufactured on request as orders from around the world come in. What gives?
Legacy DRAM serves as an important part of Innodisk’s mostly cutting-edge DRAM product lineup. There are many reasons for this.
Replacing Old DRAM Modules
Replacement parts with fresh warranties and in large quantities are impossible to find on the second-hand market
Trying to find fully functional replacement modules on the second-hand market, especially in any larger volumes and at a reasonable price, would be close to impossible. Additionally, brand new legacy DRAM modules come with all the same benefits as new top-of-the-line modules, such as warranty and useful value-added services.
The benefits, of course, are many. Critically, with the help of legacy DRAM, operators can keep aging equipment operational for years longer than otherwise. Why change a winning formula unless absolutely necessary?
Reliability First/
In critical applications like medical equipment and mission critical hardware, the most important features are not necessarily capacity and performance. Rather, components need to provide unwavering stability and the highest reliability imaginable. Needless to say, a DRAM module failing in a life-sustaining medical device would have disastrous consequences.
With legacy DRAM modules, system integrators know exactly what to expect
Therefore, legacy DRAM presents an attractive proposition. With components and parts that have been around for years – if not decades – and used in countless different applications and environments all around the world, system integrators know exactly what to expect.
Having been in production for very long periods, legacy DRAM modules are also very unlikely to be the victim of manufacturing issues or defects.
Testing and Certifications
For some applications, extensive testing and advanced certifications are the minimum requirements for any components and equipment used. However, testing and certification programs are costly and can take years to complete. As things may have it, by the time that cutting-edge DRAM modules are fully tested and certified, they are already regarded as legacy modules.
In conclusion: applications, applications, applications
The importance of legacy DRAM modules essentially comes down to one thing: applications. If you’re building an advanced AI machine learning system or perhaps a server farm for cloud computing, legacy DRAM doesn’t exactly do you much good.
All about your applications
However, for applications with advanced requirements beyond pure speed or capacity, legacy DRAM proves a very attractive proposition – if not the only viable option. Industrial-grade components with generous warranties are available for any application, even if they run on legacy equipment.
