168pin

168-pin refers to the number of electrical contacts on a type of memory module used in desktop computers during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The 168-pin DIMM was designed for SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) and was common in systems implementing PC100 or PC133 memory. The form factor is a dual inline memory module with 168 edge connectors and a single notch that keys the module to its socket.

Electrical and performance characteristics include a 64-bit data path and typically unbuffered operation, with ECC variants available for servers. Common memory speeds ranged from PC66 to PC133, and the supply voltage was typically 3.3 volts. Capacities varied, with modules commonly produced in 16 MB, 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, and 256 MB sizes.

History and usage: The 168-pin SDRAM DIMM era emerged in the late 1990s as a successor to 72-pin SIMMs and preceded the 184-pin DDR SDRAM generation. They were used in motherboards based on chipsets such as Intel 440LX/440BX and similar platforms that supported SDRAM. The transition to 184-pin DDR DIMMs, beginning around 2000–2002, gradually phased out 168-pin modules as higher bandwidth memory became standard in desktop systems.

See also: SDRAM, DIMM, SIMM, DDR SDRAM, and JEDEC standards.