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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

What is RAM and Why Do You Need It?

Did you ever use scrap paper in an exam? If so, you just might relate to your computer!

When searching for a new computer to purchase, you are likely to prioritize specifications. Processor speed, hard disk space, video card performance, blu-ray drives, screen resolution, and other specifications all factor into most computer purchases today.

A RAM Module being installed. Next to the RAM module you can see the heatsink and fan on top of the CPU (central processing unit). The CPU communicates often with the RAM, which is why they are near one another.
Source: data.sg

One of the most important specifications that is often sought after but not understood is RAM Memory (not technically called RAM Memory, since the acronym itself has the word memory in it). RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory, is a type of physical memory that is commonly found in modules inside desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and all kinds of electronic devices (even your DVR and DVD/Blu-Ray Player).



We all know that hard disk space is used to store data. Documents, pictures, music, videos, and any other data gets stored as bytes onto our hard drive. When we shut down our computer, our data stays there, ready to be retrieved on a restart.

However, RAM acts quite differently from a hard drive's memory. The primary difference between RAM and hard drive memory is that RAM is temporary. Information that gets written and retrieved from RAM is wiped out when you shut down your computer, in contrast to a hard drive's memory which stores the information in-between boots.

So what exactly do we need RAM for? Think about an exam you took. Did you use scrap paper in this exam? If you did, do you remember why you found the scrap paper so helpful? It probably was useful because you stored temporary calculations in it (in two, three, four step problems and beyond). To calculate your final answer, you probably looked more at your scrap paper than the actual exam sheet.

After the exam is over, you probably ended up with a messy sheet of scrap paper, but landed a score of 100 on your exam. Well, RAM works the same way as your sheet of scrap paper!

A brief diagram showing how RAM fits into the entire computer system.
Source: technet.microsoft.com

See, when you start a program on your computer, your computer (specifically, your CPU or central processing unit as shown in the image above) gathers the files and information necessary to run that program. Some of this data is stored temporarily in the RAM module(s). When you work within the program (suppose you are using Microsoft Word), anything you are typing is actually being written onto your RAM--not your hard drive. It is actually when you save your document that the information is transferred from the RAM into the hard drive.

Why does the computer do this? The same reason why you used scrap paper in that exam. The computer needs a faster, more temporary solution for its own "calculations" before it can store the file or data that you need it to--this faster solution is RAM. Since RAM does not have any moving parts as compared to a hard disk drive, it is a much faster form of memory compared to a hard drive. And for a computer, it is this speed and temporary memory that is essential for giving the end-user a seamless experience when using a program.

And when you exit the program, the computer deletes the information from the RAM to free up space for other programs that may be executed--just like when you completed your exam and threw out your scrap paper, the computer does the same.

So the next time you're using a program (or 10 simultaneously in this day and age), remember, your computer is working hard to communicate, write, and retrieve data from RAM in order to give you a smoother experience (or maybe it just needs the sheet of scrap paper for that long-answer question we all hate, who knows!).

25 comments:

  1. Excellent post, and an analogy that took me back to dreaded calculus exams. I hadn't heard that analogy before, it's a good one. I really just knew that if you wanted to do things faster on your computer, you upgrade your RAM, which I did on my laptop about 2 years ago.

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  2. Good tip. I've been lucky enough to have 8GB of RAM and it makes life so much better!

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  3. Gotta agree with Astronomy Pirate on the analogy reference. Just reminded me of high school, having to do all of my calculations without a calculator. Miserable times. Good article though on RAM.

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  4. great lesson on RAM! im getting 2more gigs this week :D

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  5. wouw nice! thx! really didnt know that

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  6. Again, good and informative post.

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  7. Thanks for the information! Really helpful.

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  8. great post mate! Following your blog for sure, lots of awesome stuff

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  9. I wonder if really faster SSDs will make RAM redundant.

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  10. Great post; great explanation of RAM!

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  11. thanks, very informative post!
    Now I understand my computer a way better ;)

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  12. good read for people who are not into computers

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  13. a friend of my told me this the other day, its always good to confirm haha

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  14. Wow I never really thought of this, now I understand it a lot better. thanks!

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  15. Nice info, I just bought 4gigs of RAM for my new 1155 desktop. I wonder if I need 8 gigs..

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  16. I'm tempted to upgrade my 1gb to 2 or 4, but I'm not sure if I would see any gains worthy of the price, considering my laptop is several years old.

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  17. i wish that changing RAM out on a dell lapop was easier, they make them nowadays so that just about any adjustment calls for factory servicing :(

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  18. I'm looking to buy more RAM. Although, I don't think I'd be able to put it on a laptop... I totally need it if I want to play MMO's on this thing.

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  19. Always needs more RAM if you ask me :D

    Also, thank you for this. I can just forward it when my girl asks around for tech support :D

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  20. You seem to be answer all the questions I've been wondering forever! Wonderful work!

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