When purchasing a brand new computer, you always pay attention to its characteristics, because this is its face and main advantages. Among many parameters, a three-letter abbreviation - RAM - is sure to be found. What is it and what is it for? What is the optimal amount for a normal PC? Read about all this below.
Definition and Functions
RAM is a random access memory device designed to save data when the computer is turned on. That is, all running processes and tasks on a PC in real time are stored in this place, from where they are subsequently processed by the processor. You can also meet the second name of such a device - RAM, which from the English stands for random access memory, or "memory with an arbitrary terminal." RAM performs a number of important tasks, without which the functioning of the entire system is simply impossible:
- Storage of aggregate calculations processed by the processor.
- Storage of commands and actions that are subsequently transferred to the CPU for processing and playback. Data can be transferred not only directly to the processor, but also to its cache memory, which is much faster than RAM memory.
- Writing and reading cell contents
Features of functioning
RAM is able to store information only when the PC is turned on. For this purpose, it is necessary to save all the data with which work was carried out on a hard disk. RAM - what is it? In other words, it is a storage device with the help of which the activity of all processes and programs is carried out. A lot of dynamic information flows through RAM. Random Access Memory (RAM) - what is it and what is meant by this? This technology allows you to read and write data in any memory at any time.
How is everything arranged?
How does RAM work? What it is, you already know. And how exactly does it function? Absolutely any random access memory contains cells, each of which has its own personal address. Despite this, they all contain an equal number of bits, the number of which is 8 (8 bits = 1 byte). This is the smallest unit of measure for any information. All addresses have the form of binary numbers (0 and 1), in fact the same as the data. Cells in the neighborhood inherit consecutive addresses. Many commands are carried out using "words", areas of memory consisting of 4 or 8 bytes.
Species diversity
The general classification divides this device into 2 types of memory: SRAM (static) and DRAM (dynamic). The first is used as a CPU cache, the second is assigned the role of PC RAM. Any SRAM contains triggers that can be in two states: on and off. They include a complex process of building a technological chain, which is why they take up a lot of space. The price of this device will be significantly higher than DRAM, in which there are no triggers, but there is 1 transistor and 1 capacitor, which makes the RAM more compact (for example, DDR2 RAM). The optimal amount at the moment is about 4 GB, if the computer platform is designed for games, then it is recommended to increase this number by 2 times. Today we figured out in RAM - what it is and how it works. Now the reader presents the basic principle of the operation of this device.