What is a refresh rate and self refresh?
A memory module is made up of electrical cells. The refresh process recharges these cells, which are arranged on the chips in rows. The refresh rate refers to the number of rows that must be refreshed. The common refresh rates are 2K, 4K and 8K. The 2K components are capable of refreshing more cells at a time and they complete the process faster, therefore 2K components use more power that 4K or 8K refresh. The 4K components are capable of refreshing less cells at a slower time, but they use less power. Some specially design DRAMs feature self refresh technology, which enables the components to refresh on their own — independent from the CPU or external refresh circuits. Self refresh, which is built into the DRAM itself, reduces power consumption, and it is commonly used in notebook computers.
