Login

or
don't have an account?
back to glossary

Column Address Strobe Latency (CAS/CL)

pc

The delay time between the memory controller's request to access a specific column in a memory module and the moment the data is available for use.

expanded

CAS latency, or CL, is a critical timing specification for RAM modules indicating the number of clock cycles it takes for data to be available after a column address strobe signal is received by the memory. Lower CAS latency numbers typically result in faster data access, which can improve the performance of applications sensitive to memory speed, such as video editing or gaming.

examples

A DDR4-3200 RAM module with a CAS latency of 16 takes 16 clock cycles to respond to a read command.

CAS latency is crucial when selecting memory for performance optimization in personal computers built for gaming or high-performance computing.

In server environments using DDR5 RAM with a CAS latency of 36 cycles, the memory module's performance is suited for handling large database operations.

CAS latency is often balanced with capacity and data transfer rates to optimize systems for different workloads.

related terms

Latency
Latency is the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction for its transfer.
Cache
A cache is a hardware or software component that stores data to serve future requests faster.
Memory
A component that stores data and instructions for immediate access by the CPU.
Base clock
The base clock is the standard operating frequency of a processor in Hertz (Hz).
Timing
Timing refers to the synchronization of tasks or processes in a computing system based on clock cycles.