What is RAM?

Now every student can work with programs on a personal computer. But here, what is surprising: to have at least a general idea of ​​the processes occurring inside electronic blocks, many simply do not consider it necessary. But the reader, as an educated person, will probably want to deal with the question of what RAM is. This knowledge will not only broaden the horizons, but also allow you to independently choose the most productive memory for your own computer.

So what is RAM? Any computing device, even the simplest calculator, in addition to the calculating core, necessarily carries several types of memory. The first type is ROM (read- only memory), and the second, respectively, RAM (random access memory). A user who is interested in what RAM is will have much fewer questions if one recalls the English abbreviation: ROM and RAM. Rom is read-only memory, and RAM is also write access (Random Access). Sometimes writing to ROM is still possible, but by special methods (programmer, etc.). To explain what RAM is, we give an example with a calculator.

After pressing the power button, the calculation firmware is read and activated from the ROM, the status of the buttons is polled. Here the user clicks a button with a number. Even for the simplest calculation, it is necessary to make 4 clicks: two numbers, signs of action and equality. How does the calculator “remember” previous clicks before the “equals” sign? Their values ​​are stored in RAM. In computers, any, even an office program loads the processor with calculations whose values ​​are in RAM.

The peculiarity of RAM is that it works quickly (compared to ROM), consumes relatively much energy, and the data in it is stored until the supply voltage is applied.

In computer technology, RAM is physically a varnished textolite rectangles (strips, modules) with a comb of sliding output contacts, wiring of conductive tracks and a set of memory chips. The modules are inserted into the connectors on the motherboard.

RAM evolved along with computers. What varieties of it were not used! Recently, developers are not trying to “reinvent the wheel”, because the basis of the development is DDR RAM. Prior to the support of the new DDR standard in Intel 845 and VIA KT266 chipsets, SDRAM was widely used. It was a “run-in” and reliable technology, but the modules based on it were increasingly lacking bandwidth to unleash the potential of new processors. Therefore, an improved solution was proposed - DDR (Double Data Rate). The main difference from the previous SDRAM was a double increase in theoretical performance. This was achieved by organizing the reading of data from memory cells, both on the edge and on the decline of the clock signal. The frequency did not change. In fact, the optimization of using the capabilities of the modules was performed.

In addition, other, less significant changes were made. One of them - the timing of RAM began to support automatic tuning. This parameter has been preserved in all modern types of memory. It represents a delay in the supply of the signal synchronizing the module. The lower its value, the higher the speed, but less stability in operation. With an excessively small value, the microcircuits simply do not have time to prepare for reading, and an error occurs.

Also, if earlier in the BIOS it was required to directly indicate the operating characteristics of the modules, now the necessary parameters are written into the SPD block (microcircuit on the module), and the BIOS reads them and automatically sets them.


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