The next option is to use off-chip memory, most commonly parallel RAM. There are a wide range of densities, up to 128Mbits. And, being parallel, it is very fast. But, traditional RAM has its own disadvantages. First, the packages are large – at least 28-pins and often 44 - and can be expensive. These large packages take up a good deal of board space. And, the parallel interface for a 32kB RAM chip requires an external address and data bus using 16 to 24 I/O pins. These pins may not be available on your current microcontroller. Finally, Parallel RAM typically has fairly high standby current consumption.