In my training I was told that transfer/transmission speeds that aren't closely-related to a storage medium are usually measured in bits and capacities are usually measured in bytes, except in the world of videogames where they want to inflate their numbers.
It's been over two decades since I was taught that and it has remained true almost without exception.
A bus width like "8-bit" or "16-bit" is like a measure of simultaneous bits transferred per clock, so that's a transmission speed. An SD card or a HDD capacity is measured in bytes thus the maximum sustained transfer speed is usually stated in bytes. The HDD buffer is usually given in bytes thus the burst transfer rate is usually given in bytes. A piece of network equipment like a modem or NIC is not bound to any storage medium and, thus, speed gets reported as bits instead of bytes.
Explain to me then why Mask ROMs, EPROMs, SRAMs and just about any other ROM chips are measured in bits.
A 27C256 doesn't contain 256 Kilobytes, it contains 256 Kilobits, aka 32 Kilobytes.
In my training I was told that transfer/transmission speeds that aren't closely-related to a storage medium are usually measured in bits and capacities are usually measured in bytes, except in the world of videogames where they want to inflate their numbers.
It's been over two decades since I was taught that and it has remained true almost without exception.
A bus width like "8-bit" or "16-bit" is like a measure of simultaneous bits transferred per clock, so that's a transmission speed. An SD card or a HDD capacity is measured in bytes thus the maximum sustained transfer speed is usually stated in bytes. The HDD buffer is usually given in bytes thus the burst transfer rate is usually given in bytes. A piece of network equipment like a modem or NIC is not bound to any storage medium and, thus, speed gets reported as bits instead of bytes.
Explain to me then why Mask ROMs, EPROMs, SRAMs and just about any other ROM chips are measured in bits.
A 27C256 doesn't contain 256 Kilobytes, it contains 256 Kilobits, aka 32 Kilobytes.
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
A ROM chip still holds data, whether it's re-writable or not. That shouldn't make any difference. Also, don't forget Nintendo's own PCBs are often marked with bit measurements.
Cartridges have historically used bits to measure capacity, you can't argue that. That's why I use bits and not bytes.
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
A ROM chip still holds data, whether it's re-writable or not. That shouldn't make any difference. Also, don't forget Nintendo's own PCBs are often marked with bit measurements.
Cartridges have historically used bits to measure capacity, you can't argue that. That's why I use bits and not bytes.
Yes. This is exactly what I was saying. Usage outside of transmission speed extends from ROMs and similar memory components (the acknowledged exception) and extends further to the rest of videogames as a direct result of their early reliance on ROMs for storage of game/program data. Never implied it wasn't, and that was kind of my point.
The difference in usage likely started back when bits were transmitted serially over different kinds of lines (like a phone line) while bytes were operated on a whole byte at a time on an 8-bit bus. For comparison's sake, even parallel data transfers started getting measured in bytes.
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
A ROM chip still holds data, whether it's re-writable or not. That shouldn't make any difference. Also, don't forget Nintendo's own PCBs are often marked with bit measurements.
Cartridges have historically used bits to measure capacity, you can't argue that. That's why I use bits and not bytes.
Yes. This is exactly what I was saying. Usage outside of transmission speed extends from ROMs and similar memory components (the acknowledged exception) and extends further to the rest of videogames as a direct result of their early reliance on ROMs for storage of game/program data. Never implied it wasn't, and that was kind of my point.
The difference in usage likely started back when bits were transmitted serially over different kinds of lines (like a phone line) while bytes were operated on a whole byte at a time on an 8-bit bus. For comparison's sake, even parallel data transfers started getting measured in bytes.
I'd like to add, at least in the case of NES and SNES ROMs, the addressable space in any one instant is eight bits or one byte. Therefore an 1Mbit ROM has precisely 256k addressible units, each unit being equal to exactly one byte. The count of addressible locations in an 8-bit rom DOES NOT equal the size in bits, however the count of addressible locations in an 8-bit rom DOES equal the size in bytes.
Of course, when you consider the size versus the count of addressible bits in 16-bit Genesis ROMs, everything gets thrown out the window!
Comments
Castlevania III (for the audio)
Crisis Force
Earthbound
Famicom Warsa
Final Fantasy 2 & 3
Fire Emblem (both)
Holy Diver
Lagrange Point (Not working on ED yet)
Motocross Champion
Recca 92
SD Keiji - Blader
Sweet Home
Ys 2 & 3
Sole and Snow I'll check those 3 out as well.
Originally posted by: CZroe
In my training I was told that transfer/transmission speeds that aren't closely-related to a storage medium are usually measured in bits and capacities are usually measured in bytes, except in the world of videogames where they want to inflate their numbers.
It's been over two decades since I was taught that and it has remained true almost without exception.
A bus width like "8-bit" or "16-bit" is like a measure of simultaneous bits transferred per clock, so that's a transmission speed. An SD card or a HDD capacity is measured in bytes thus the maximum sustained transfer speed is usually stated in bytes. The HDD buffer is usually given in bytes thus the burst transfer rate is usually given in bytes. A piece of network equipment like a modem or NIC is not bound to any storage medium and, thus, speed gets reported as bits instead of bytes.
Explain to me then why Mask ROMs, EPROMs, SRAMs and just about any other ROM chips are measured in bits.
A 27C256 doesn't contain 256 Kilobytes, it contains 256 Kilobits, aka 32 Kilobytes.
In my training I was told that transfer/transmission speeds that aren't closely-related to a storage medium are usually measured in bits and capacities are usually measured in bytes, except in the world of videogames where they want to inflate their numbers.
It's been over two decades since I was taught that and it has remained true almost without exception.
A bus width like "8-bit" or "16-bit" is like a measure of simultaneous bits transferred per clock, so that's a transmission speed. An SD card or a HDD capacity is measured in bytes thus the maximum sustained transfer speed is usually stated in bytes. The HDD buffer is usually given in bytes thus the burst transfer rate is usually given in bytes. A piece of network equipment like a modem or NIC is not bound to any storage medium and, thus, speed gets reported as bits instead of bytes.
Explain to me then why Mask ROMs, EPROMs, SRAMs and just about any other ROM chips are measured in bits.
A 27C256 doesn't contain 256 Kilobytes, it contains 256 Kilobits, aka 32 Kilobytes.
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
These are the ones I've picked up so far:
Castlevania III (for the audio)
Crisis Force
Earthbound
Famicom Warsa
Final Fantasy 2 & 3
Fire Emblem (both)
Holy Diver
Lagrange Point (Not working on ED yet)
Motocross Champion
Recca 92
SD Keiji - Blader
Sweet Home
Ys 2 & 3
Sole and Snow I'll check those 3 out as well.
Contra for famicom has freaking cutscenes between levels or at least an intro of wtf is happening in the game.
Originally posted by: CZroe
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
A ROM chip still holds data, whether it's re-writable or not. That shouldn't make any difference. Also, don't forget Nintendo's own PCBs are often marked with bit measurements.
Cartridges have historically used bits to measure capacity, you can't argue that. That's why I use bits and not bytes.
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
A ROM chip still holds data, whether it's re-writable or not. That shouldn't make any difference. Also, don't forget Nintendo's own PCBs are often marked with bit measurements.
Cartridges have historically used bits to measure capacity, you can't argue that. That's why I use bits and not bytes.
Yes. This is exactly what I was saying. Usage outside of transmission speed extends from ROMs and similar memory components (the acknowledged exception) and extends further to the rest of videogames as a direct result of their early reliance on ROMs for storage of game/program data. Never implied it wasn't, and that was kind of my point.
The difference in usage likely started back when bits were transmitted serially over different kinds of lines (like a phone line) while bytes were operated on a whole byte at a time on an 8-bit bus. For comparison's sake, even parallel data transfers started getting measured in bytes.
Originally posted by: CZroe
Originally posted by: Guntz
Originally posted by: CZroe
It fits. First, the reason it's called "ROM" is because it's not intended as a storage medium, it's intended as a type of fixed addressable read-only memory. Memory components including ROM are the notable exception that lead to this being the norm for a while in "the world of videogames." Though total memory is typically measured in bytes in the case of RAM, for some reason it is not in the case of ROMs. This usage extended further than ROMs in the world of videogames. It's why we have 128 and 256 "mbit" versions of the Doctor V64 (DRAM). It's why we have the E64jr512 (EDO RAM). It's why we have the DS-X 4Gbit (flash memory). In my attempt to be more inclusive of these by saying "in the world of videogames" instead of specifically referencing ROMs, I seem to have given you the impression that I was excluding ROM capacities. It is the acknowledged exception that I believe led to the other exceptions.
A ROM chip still holds data, whether it's re-writable or not. That shouldn't make any difference. Also, don't forget Nintendo's own PCBs are often marked with bit measurements.
Cartridges have historically used bits to measure capacity, you can't argue that. That's why I use bits and not bytes.
Yes. This is exactly what I was saying. Usage outside of transmission speed extends from ROMs and similar memory components (the acknowledged exception) and extends further to the rest of videogames as a direct result of their early reliance on ROMs for storage of game/program data. Never implied it wasn't, and that was kind of my point.
The difference in usage likely started back when bits were transmitted serially over different kinds of lines (like a phone line) while bytes were operated on a whole byte at a time on an 8-bit bus. For comparison's sake, even parallel data transfers started getting measured in bytes.
I'd like to add, at least in the case of NES and SNES ROMs, the addressable space in any one instant is eight bits or one byte. Therefore an 1Mbit ROM has precisely 256k addressible units, each unit being equal to exactly one byte. The count of addressible locations in an 8-bit rom DOES NOT equal the size in bits, however the count of addressible locations in an 8-bit rom DOES equal the size in bytes.
Of course, when you consider the size versus the count of addressible bits in 16-bit Genesis ROMs, everything gets thrown out the window!
Carry on!