when we say a memory controller does it mean the component that manages communication between the RAM and the processor only?

Question

In general what does a memory controller mean and is it only the bridge between the processor and RAM or also for other memory devices?

Can't clearly understand if a memory controller is only for a processor and RAM or also for other memory devices within the system

Answer 1

Memory controller generally refers to the hardware component of a processor that handles communication between the processor and main memory (e.g., RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., NVRAM), or graphics memory.

There is also a Cache controller that manages cache memory.

Here is a very high-level overview of the process

Following a CPU request, the MMU translates the virtual address to a physical address, and the cache Controller checks to see if the data is in a cache. If not, it requests the data from the memory controller using the translated address provided by the MMU. The memory controller retrieves the data and sends it to the cache controller, which saves the data in a cache and sends it to the CPU.