What Is the DIMM Socket?
A DIMM socket is a slot on the motherboard of a personal computer for holding random-access memory, or RAM, modules. The term "DIMM" is an acronym for "dual in-line memory module." The DIMM socket is the standard slot in the PC market for accommodating memory modules, or chips.
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Background
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In the mid-1990s, when Intel Corp.'s Pentium processors, or central processing units based on the P5 microarchitecture, began to establish their dominance, motherboard manufacturers shifted to DIMM sockets. The memory modules they accommodate have electrical contacts, or pins, that vary in number from 72 to 240.
DIMM Vs. SIMM
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The standard that DIMM sockets replaced was SIMM, which are named after the single in-line memory modules they handle. The DIMM socket replaced the SIMM because of the growing data width or path of processors. In 1993, Intel began to produce 64-bit CPUs in place of 32-bit ones. The SIMM socket, only designed to handle 32-bit CPUs, was now inefficient. The introduction of the DIMM, which uses a 64-bit bus, meant that data could be transferred twice as fast.
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Variants
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The DIMM socket has its own share of variants. DIMM is commonly used for desktop PCs, while its most common variant, SO-DIMM, or Small Outline DIMM, is used for laptop PCs. MicroDIMM is for sub-notebooks, or mini notebooks; these are smaller and lighter versions of laptops.
Application
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Many PC motherboards contain four DIMM sockets, although the PC manufacturer may only install one or two RAM modules, leaving the other sockets available for the consumer to add memory later. In addition, the existence of several motherboard form factors affects the number of DIMM sockets available.
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