SDRAM Page Hit Limit

Common Options : 1 Cycle, 4 Cycles, 8 Cycles, 16 Cycles, 32 Cycles

 

Quick Review of SDRAM Page Hit Limit

The SDRAM Page Hit Limit BIOS feature is designed to reduce the data starvation that occurs when pending non-page hit requests are unduly delayed. It does so by limiting the number of consecutive page hit requests that are processed by the memory controller before attending to a non-page hit request.

Generally, the default value of 8 Cycles should provide a balance between performance and fair memory access to all devices. However, you can try using a higher value (16 Cycles) for better memory performance by giving priority to a larger number of consecutive page hit requests. A lower value is not advisable as this will normally result in a higher number of page interruptions.

 

Details of SDRAM Page Hit Limit

The memory controller allows up to four pages to be opened at any one time. These pages have to be in separate memory banks and only one page may be open in each memory bank. If a read request to the SDRAM falls within those open pages, it can be satisfied without delay. This is known as a page hit.

Normally, consecutive page hits offer the best memory performance for the requesting device. However, a flood of consecutive page hit requests can cause non-page hit requests to be delayed for an extended period of time. This does not allow fair system memory access to all devices and may cause problems for devices that generate non-page hit requests.

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The SDRAM Page Hit Limit BIOS feature is designed to reduce the data starvation that occurs when pending non-page hit requests are unduly delayed. It does so by limiting the number of consecutive page hit requests that are processed by the memory controller before attending to a non-page hit request.

Please note that whatever you set for this BIOS feature will determine the maximum number of consecutive page hits, irrespective of whether the page hits are from the same memory bank or different memory banks. The default value is often 8 consecutive page hit accesses (described erroneously as cycles).

Generally, the default value of 8 Cycles should provide a balance between performance and fair memory access to all devices. However, you can try using a higher value (16 Cycles) for better memory performance by giving priority to a larger number of consecutive page hit requests. A lower value is not advisable as this will normally result in a higher number of page interruptions.

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