Imagine a human brain without a memory component. You have all this data stored inside your head but you don't even know how to remember it or if it's even there. How frustrating would that be?
Computer memory or Random Access Memory (RAM) provides the facility for a PC to temporarily store programs, files and various content that is located on the hard disk. It is responsible for the data that are displayed on your screens. Everything inside your hard disk can be considered data. From programs (spreadsheet applications, word processors, messengers etc. etc.) to personal files, cookies or virus databases. This being said, the bigger the memory size capability of your PC the more programs/files you will be able to use all at the same time.
What does it look like? Memory is a circuit board loaded with RAM chips. It is around one inch wide and four inches long.
How does it work? When you click on a program, the processor calls the data from the hard disk and temporarily stores it in your RAM. You open another program and the processor puts it on top of the previous program. In short, it piles the opened programs and gets them ready for access at the command of the user. However, the number of programs that you put on top of another is dependent on the capacity of your RAM.
Consider a puzzle. You line up all the pieces of the puzzle face up all over a table and start building the puzzle section by section. You are dependent on the size of the table. If it were a 5000 piece puzzle, you'd need a very big table indeed. In the same way, the RAM allows you to open different applications or programs and gives you the benefit of being able to work on different projects at the same time provided it can accommodate the number of applications that you use, so size does matter in terms of RAM capabilities. Bigger capacity means more memory space for more applications. It's like a human head being equipped with an elephant's brain. Once you have reached full capacity, then this is the time that PCs begin to crash, it is like putting puzzle pieces on top of one another thereby covering your view of the one underneath. It slows you down, confuses you and generally just wastes time. So remember: the bigger the RAM that you have the more applications you will be able to work on.
Types of RAM: There are a lot of types of RAM on the market; the following list provides types that are most commonly used and most likely that you will encounter.
DRAM : Dynamic Random Access Memory
DRAM is unarguably the most common type of RAM. So as not to lose what content is inside it, it is refreshed every so often.
SRAM : Static Random Access Memory
Much faster and more efficient than DRAM but also very costly to produce.
VRAM: Video Random Access Memory
Used for video cards and on-board video memory for motherboards. Mainly provides memory for monitors.
Finally, something that you should keep in mind, RAM loses all information when it is turned off. It does not have the capacity to store the information that it gathers when it is turned on. Therefore, it is best to save often.
Michael RussellYour Independent guide to Computer Memory
Source: www.articlesbase.com
