Components
What Is PSRAM and Why Does Your ESP32 Need It?
PSRAM explained for makers: when extra RAM matters for camera, display and AI projects.
· 3 min read
Key takeaways
- PSRAM is external RAM attached to the chip.
- It enables cameras, displays and audio buffers.
- ESP32-S3 boards with 8MB PSRAM are ideal for media projects.
Internal vs external RAM
The ESP32-S3 has about 512KB of internal SRAM. PSRAM adds megabytes of extra memory over a fast bus.
When you need it
Camera frames, display buffers, audio and machine learning models quickly exceed internal RAM.
Enabling it
In Arduino select the PSRAM option in the board menu; in ESP-IDF enable it in menuconfig.
Frequently asked questions
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