Random Access Memory (RAM): What you should expect
Random Access Memory (RAM) is a type of computer memory that stores data temporarily while a computer is running. It’s called “random access” because the computer can access any part of this memory directly and quickly. It consists of physical hardware installed inside a computer which temporarily stores data, serving as the computer’s “working” memory. When you turn off your computer, however, the data in RAM is lost, unlike data on a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or on a Solid-State Drive (SSD) which is stored permanently.
RAM is best understood when comparing it to the Human Brain. Human memory is an essential part of one’s being, and it allows a person to remember things such events having occurred over years past or items you just put on your shopping list earlier that day . Similarly, computers have this capability by accessing RAM. RAM helps your computer run programs and to process information quickly.
The more RAM you can install in your computer will allow you to work with more information on a simultaneous basis, which usually has a considerable effect on total system performance. But it should be noted that there are computer motherboards that limit access to amount of RAM installed. If a greater amount of RAM is installed than is supported, then one of two things might happen. First, you may not see the extra memory – only the max the motherboard/chipset supports. Secondly, the computer might not boot up when you turn it on, and it will usually beep with a memory error and present no video response – it just won’t do anything.
Some popular manufacturers of RAM include Kingston, NEMIX RAM, PNY, Crucial, and CORSAIR.
How RAM Works
RAM is a straight-stick type of component, inserted into memory slots on a computer motherboard. It is constructed of small transistors and capacitors capable of holding electric charges that represent bits of data. These charges need to be constantly refreshed. If this doesn’t happen, then the capacitors lose their functionality very quickly and the data disappears.
Saving any modified data to a HDD or a SSD is crucial because data can be lost rapidly when the battery or power input on a computer is gone, thus dropping charge input to the system. Additionally, this explains why so many computer applications include autosave options or the computer itself will continually cache unfinished work in the event of an unplanned shutdown. Cache is defined as the temporary storing of data in a computing environment which you may or may not be able to recover. After finishing a file or when your computer shuts down, the information in RAM will most definitely disappear.
How Computers/Laptops and RAM Work Together
Whenever you play a game, use a task extensive application on your laptop or desktop hard drive, or stream a movie from the internet, your desktop or laptop computer loads data from the Hard Drive into memory (the RAM) for processing. The CPU then uses this data to solve the complex tasks required to deliver your preferred experience.
That’s why RAM needs to be fast—faster than the other storage devices like the HDD or SSD in your system. The speed of your RAM defines how fast the data flows in and out of your CPU. If your RAM is slow, you will usually get late results on what you are doing. DDR4 and DDR5 technology RAM come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or greater capacities and you can select these types of RAM with up to 6400 MT/s speed, which is plenty fast. Having larger capacity RAM will allow you to do additional simultaneous tasks, tasks which might be quite complicated. The higher the capacity of your RAM enables the CPU to complete complicated tasks more quickly and your computer experience will be smoother. Being able to open larger files and demanding applications like video editing software will make your time on any computer much less frustrating and more productive.