Memory capacity (words) (Whole system) over time
Capacity of a word-addressed machine. Converting to bytes needs the declared word width and is published as a derived claim.
- Device scope
- whole-system
- Method
- Design capacity
- Plotted in
- machine word
Chart
3 figures from 3 machines, spanning 1965 to 1966. The lowest memory capacity (words) here is 2048 words (Apollo Guidance Computer (Block II), 1966) and the highest is 32 768 words (Saturn Launch Vehicle Digital Computer, 1966). That is a range of about 16× within one comparability group; the figures are plotted in words. Points use the release date of the machine the figure belongs to. The table below lists absent figures with their recorded reasons.
Data
| Machine | Released | Figure | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEC PDP-8 Original table model with standard core and Teletype ASR | 1965 | 4096 words Standard table-model configuration with its single fitted core. | Vendor-rated | |
| Apollo Guidance Computer (Block II) | 1966 | 2048 words The erasable core memory. The 36 864 words of fixed rope memory are excluded and named on the claim. | Derived | |
| Saturn Launch Vehicle Digital Computer Eight memory modules, simplex (maximum capacity) | 1966 | 32 768 words Eight memory modules operating in simplex; the maximum the design allows. | Vendor-rated |
Why this chart holds one group only
Every point on a chart is implicitly compared with every other point on it. This chart uses one comparability group: one metric, one device scope, one method . There is no chart of all clock frequencies over time because they are not one quantity.
Points use the release date of the machine a figure belongs to, including figures recorded against a part. A release date applies only to a machine that shipped. What this metric measures.