10 Critical Difference between DDR3 and DDR3L with Comparison Table

What is the difference between DDR3 and DDR3L?

These are high-performance RAM widely used in the modern motherboard and processors. They are suitable for PC and mobiles.

The article provides the core difference between DDR3 and DDR3L in tabular form as well as point form for easier understanding.

Difference between DDR3 and DDR3L

What Is DDR3?

DDR3 is an abbreviation of Double Data Rate Type 3. It is a type of DRAM that can into existence to replace DDR and DDR2.

The majority of computers and laptops use DDR3 as the RAM since it was introduced into the market in the year 2007.

The most wonderful thing with DDR3 is that it consumes less power when compared to DDR and DDR2. It has a voltage specification of 1.5V.

Besides that, they tend to be available at different frequencies like 800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, and 2133 MHz. Also, it allows chips that have a capacity of up to 8 GB.

Personal computers use DDR RAM which has 240 pins and a length of about 133.35 mm. Those DDR3 modules for PC are known as SO-DIMM although they have fewer pins and length smaller than 67.6 mm.

What Is DDR3L?

DDR3L refers to a special type of DDR3 where L refers to low voltage. The standard energy consumption of DDR3L is about 1.35V.

According to experts, the less power consumption help to prolong battery lifespan. However, it is only used in mobile and embedded devices rather than PC.

The memory density, frequencies, and protocols of DDR3L tend to be quite similar to that of DDR3. The RAM tends to occur as SO-DIMM modules which has a length of 67.5 mm and 240 pins longer than those of DIMM.

Comparison Chart: DDR3 Vs DDR3L

Basic Terms DDR3 DDR3L
Voltage 1.5V 1.35V
Pins 240, 204 240, 204
Name Double Data Rate Type 3 Double Data Rate Type 3 Low Voltage Standard
Memory Density Up to 8GB Up to 8GB
Heat generation High Less
Power Consumption High Less
Supported Frequencies 800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133 MHz 800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133 MHz
Identification PC3 written on JEDEC compliant text PC3L written on JEDEC compliant text
Advantages Better and Faster than DDR2 RAM Generates less heat and consumes less power than normal DDR3 RAM.
Usage Up to Intel 3rd Generation (Ivy Bridge) or older Processors Intel 4th Generation (Haswell), 5th Generation (Broadwell), Skylake Processors, AMD FX series and higher processors

Core Difference between DDR3 and DDR3L

  1. The energy consumption of DDR3L is lower than that of DDR3
  2. DDR3L generate less heat than DDR3
  3. DDR3L is mostly used in mobile devices like laptops and embedded devices while DDR3 only used in PC.
  4. The cost of acquiring DDR3L is higher than that of DDR3
  5. DDR3L is a special type of DDR3 where L represents a low voltage standard.
  6. The amount of voltage in DDR3 is 1.5V while that of DDR3L is 1.3V.

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Comparison Video

Conclusion

Voltage specification help to identify the core difference between DDR3 and DDR3L. The voltage specification of DDR is 1.5V while that of DDR3L is 1.3V.

I hope now you have a clear idea about these products. The L version indicates low voltage and it is quite common on DDR3L.

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