System and method for thermally coupling memory devices to a memory controller in a computer memory board
AssigneeSRC Computers, Inc.
InventorsAllan Jeffrey Koeppel, Douglas Cowles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for thermally coupling memory devices, such as DIMM memory modules, to an associated memory controller such that both are cooled together at the same relative temperature. By maintaining all of the devices at a much more uniform temperature, memory timing issues are effectively eliminated. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the controller chip is physically located between two or more banks of memory, and is positioned under an adjoining heat sink while the memory DIMMs are positioned laterally of the controller chip in angled DIMM slots and are coupled to the controller chip with respective heat spreaders.
Claims26
A computer system comprising at least one memory board, said memory board comprising:
- a circuit board, said circuit board comprising at least one bank of memory devices and an associated memory controller;
- a heat sink adjoining said memory controller;
- a heat spreader adjoining said at least one bank of memory devices;
- and
- a device for thermally coupling said heat sink to said heat spreader.
A method for controlling operating temperature of a computer memory board comprising:
- providing a circuit board comprising a memory controller and at least one bank of memory devices;
- providing a heat sink adjoining said memory controller;
- providing a heat spreader adjoining said at least one bank of memory devices;
- and
- thermally coupling said heat sink and said heat spreader.
A computer memory board comprising:
- at least one memory module;
- and
- a memory controller associated with said memory module, said memory module and said memory controller being thermally coupled together such that said memory module and said memory controller substantially track together in temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.