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I am in need of some memory for my incoming Brix Pro. The spec sheet says it only accepts 1.3Vdc DDR3L. A quick shop around and I've found 1.3V DDR3L SOMDIMMs which have better timings versus 1.3Vdc.

What is the difference between 1.3Vdc and 1.3V? Can I use 1.3V RAM in place of 1.3Vdc?

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    There's no difference between "1.3V" and "1.3Vdc": they both refer to RAM that works off of 1.3-volt electricity.
    – Mark
    Oct 2, 2015 at 7:16
  • @Adam How so? The question is asking whether a particular piece of hardware fits some requirements. That's what this site is for. Oct 3, 2015 at 20:46
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    @Mark Please post this as an answer. Oct 3, 2015 at 20:47
  • Note: Despite the fact that it is quite common to use VDC, SI doesn't allow symbols to be modified. Instead of "1.3VDC" it should be "DC 1.3V". Oct 3, 2015 at 22:02
  • I've closed this question because it's a broad general advice-type question, which are no longer in scope.
    – Undo
    Nov 2, 2015 at 17:37

2 Answers 2

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It doesn't actually make a difference.

"dc", properly capitalized as "DC", refers to direct current. So 1.3 V DC simply means that the required RAM runs using 1.3 volts of direct current. (If you don't know about direct vs. alternating current, you can read about the differences here).

Now, if you look at the power cable that's probably attached to your computer, there'll be a brick somewhere in the middle of it. That brick is the AC transadapter, which is a combination of an adapter and a transformer. It performs the function of transforming the incoming power down to a lower voltage that's safe for the computer (usually 12 V, though it can vary), and then adapting the AC current that comes from the socket outlet and through the transformer into DC current, because that's what computers work on.

That's important because it means that any type of RAM runs on DC. Even if something specified AC for some RAM, the RAM wouldn't get AC because the only power coming into the computer and components is DC. Hence, a RAM package that's specified 1.3 V is no different in terms of power requirements from another that's specified 1.3 V DC.

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There's no difference between "1.3V" and "1.3Vdc": they both refer to RAM that works off of 1.3-volt electricity. The "dc" bit specifies "direct current", but since everything in a computer is direct current, saying so is a bit redundant.

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