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Random Access Memory

Random Access Memory (RAM)


RAM is a volatile (stores data only when the power is On) storage area within the computer typically used to store data temporarily so that it can be accessed by the CPU. The information stored in RAM is loaded from the computer's hard disk, and includes data related to the operating system and applications that are currently being executed by the processor.


RAM is considered as random access because any memory cell can be directly accessed if its address is known. When the RAM gets full, the computer system operates at a slow speed. When multiple applications are being executed simultaneously and the RAM gets fully occupied by the application's data, it is searched to identify memory portions that have not been utilized. The contents of those locations are then copied onto the hard drive. This action frees up RAM space and enables the system to load other pieces of required data.

These days, the applications' and operating system's demand for system RAM has drastically increased. For example, in the year 2000, a personal computer (PC) had only 128 MB of RAM, but today PCs have 1-2 GB of RAM installed, and may include graphics cards with their own additional 512 MB or more of RAM. As discussed earlier, there are two types of RAM-static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM).

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