RAM is a common computing acronym that stands for random-access memory. Sometimes it’s called PC memory or just memory. In essence, RAM is your computer or laptop’s short-term memory. It’s where the data is stored that your computer processor needs to run your applications and open your files.
RAM, computer main memory in which specific contents can be accessed (read or written) directly by the central processing unit in a very short time regardless of the sequence (and hence location) in which they were recorded. Two types of memory are possible with random-access circuits: static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM). A single memory chip is made up of several million memory cells. In a SRAM chip each memory cell stores a binary digit (1 or 0) for as long as power is supplied. In a DRAM chip the charge on individual memory cells must be refreshed periodically in order to retain data. Because it has fewer components, DRAM requires less chip area than SRAM. Hence, a DRAM chip can hold more memory, though its access time is slower.
RAM performs the following key functions:
1. It acts as a temporary storage location
This is the main use of RAM. When a user saves a file or any other data type, the information is transferred to the hard drive or another form of long-term storage. In addition, when you quit an application, the operating system removes it from the RAM, freeing up space in the computer’s short-term memory so that you can begin your next task.
RAM is only intended for temporary storage. Therefore, all of their work may be lost if the user hasn’t saved a file to the hard disk drive and the power goes out. However, modern applications may have a mechanism to store a copy of the file in an embedded backup system to help recover it later.
2. It makes it possible to read files faster
RAM is utilized to rapidly retrieve data, which is required for reading any file’s contents. Depending on the technology and job, random access memory may process data anywhere from twenty to one hundred times quicker than data stored on a hard drive.
If users open a document previously stored on the system, the operating system identifies the file in its long-term storage and replicates its contents into RAM. Once the data is stored in RAM, the user has near-immediate read and write capacities due to RAM’s lightning-fast speed.
However, attempting to access a file straight from the hard drive would entail a significant amount of time since the data is distributed. To read a file, the computer’s hard drive would have to spin hundreds of times per minute, causing delays.
To speed this up, the computer system stores the file’s copy in the RAM to read it.
3. It improves application performance
RAM is also used to expedite the loading of previously accessed applications. When users switch on their computers for the first time and run any program, like PowerPoint or database management system (DBMS) software such as Access, it takes some time to load. However, when a program is closed and relaunched, it opens almost immediately since the data required to load the application is stored in the RAM instead of on the hard drive.
App data remains in the RAM until the PC is restarted or the application is force-closed from the Task Manager (or its non-Windows equivalents). In the case of mobile RAM, it can even refresh app data dynamically in the background to boost the device’s performance.
The speed and performance of your system directly correlates to the amount of RAM you have installed. If your system doesn’t have enough RAM, it can be slow and sluggish, especially when you’re trying to multitask or having several programs or apps open at the same time.
If you regularly get frustrated by unresponsive programs, lagging load times, and a generally slow computer, lack of RAM is probably to blame. There are ways to see if your computer needs more memory, and it's easy to upgrade your desktop or laptop RAM yourself.
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