Ram.... - Printable Version

What Exactly is RAM, is it memory? and if so, what does memory do?
I have 311 our of 511 RAM used up....is this good or bad, just w.e?

RAM: random-access memory: the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory chip allows information to be stored or accessed in any order and all storage locations are equally accessible.

The more RAM your computer has the faster it's able to load the programs, also the more RAM it has the more programs you can use smoothly at the same time.

No it's not a harddrive, what it says there is that you can store your data/programs anywhere and it'll still be equally quick accessible..no matter in wich order you open it or where on your HD it is.

What is the difference between memory and hard disk space?
(thanks to Tochjo)

Its not always using that much, RAM usage isn't that bad, it may slow down your pc, but nothings stored on it or w/e...

yah, its shared or something, but earlier it showed 248 mb and suddenly, its 229 mb, weird

I recently bought a 512 ddr ram (400mhz) stick, my computer runs so much smoother now and i can finally play doom 3! evan though not very smootly

but o well. I heard a good explanation ( if thats the word) of how ram and hardrives work. Picture your hardrive as a garage and the bigger it is the more space you can hold now picture ram as the car the faster thw ram is the smoother and faster the cats pulls in

there not the exact words I heard the explanation was a lot betta then i explaned but i thought it was interesting how they put it.

That's a nice explanation, but then you should still explain processors

It'd be more like the proc being the engine, and the ram being the seats? And then the trunk would be the hdd? Mobo being the frame and PSU the fuel-tank

Why don't people just learn the technical details and then they won't need these stupid analogies to understand it?

I'll just go ahead and have a shot at explaining what RAM is as well.

Ok, so imagine that you're writing an essay, but you have a limited volcabulary. So you get a dictionary (this being the computer harddrive) and start writing the essay using this. But you quickly realize that you keep looking up the same words again and again, so you devise a new solution: Writing down your commonly used words in a quickly-accessable notebook (this being the comptuer RAM).

But wait... suddenly your notebook starts to fill up, so you decide to put some sheets of paper from the notebook back into the dictionary (let's just say underneath the front cover). This was supposed to illustrate what the harddrive's page file does... It's simply a slow backup solution for the RAM. So if you're browsing the net in Internet Explorer and then open a game, the game will need so much RAM that Windows will have to free up some RAM by swapping Internet Explorer into the pagefile.

Comprendes?

Since we're all giving explanations I'll try and explain it in a technical way people can understand..

(NOTE: Some things may not be exactly right, I'm trying to keep it extremely simple...)

Everything is text. From text files to Word documents to images to the MSN Messenger executable to what is sent down that modem. You can assume that text is letters of the alphabet, punctuation etc. There are also 31 characters which you cannot 'see' and have special meaning. There are 255 characters in all. I will refer to it as "binary text".

If you open an image file in notepad, you will see binary text.
If you watch what is being sent down your modem, you will see it is simply binary text. There is no magic when it comes to computers, everything can be understood.

Now. Your hard drive stores every file on your computer. And remember, it's simply binary. When you run a program (a .exe) Windows has to read the contents of the file (remember it's all readable bytes (byte = 1 character)) and execute it. Windows can execute the binary, this is how it runs applications.

Right now you're probably looking at this post through your browser. This text you're reading has to be stored somewhere. While it is being stored on your hard-drive for caching purposes, it's actually right this moment in RAM.

RAM can do the same as a hard-drive: store data (binary..). The difference is that it's very fast to access its data. Also, when you turn off your computer its contents are all deleted. When you close your browser, this text will be removed from RAM as it is unnecessary, you don't need to read this post anymore.

Hmm, well, I tried.. I hope it helps.

Ask whatever questions (directed at the people who learnt something from this) if you want...

RAM (Random Access Memory)

RAM is like a small area of temorary storage. If you start a program, in my example i'll choose Microsoft Paint, it needs a certan amount of ram to run. Everything you draw or type in Microsoft Paint will be stored in the little RAM chips on your motherboard. Why? If, every time you changed something, it had to save it to your big clunky hard drive, that would take a LONG time. Instead, the `small changes' you make like typing a document or painting a picture, will be stored in RAM untill you save it to a file on your hard drive. After you turn off your computer, all the ram is deleted. If you close the program you were using, all the ram it took up is now free.

Think about it - All the stuff you do, all the stuff you type, draw, open... It has to be stored somewhere right? It can't just be saved into the very fabric of spacetime. All the windows open and everything on your screen right now and everything your doing at the moment has to be saved somewhere, so its saved in the superfast RAM chips inside your computer.

MOBO (Mother Board)

Your motherboard is actually a very simple peice of equipment. Its the largest silicon chip inside your computer. Every component is connected to it, and it connects everything to where it needs to go.

PROC (Processor)

Your processor is the heart of your computer. It handles EVERY SINGLE CALCULATION. Every key you press, every window you maximize or close, even when a program starts, THOUSANDS OF CALCULATIONS run through the processor. Your processor does alomost everything, then sends it to the place it needs to go. Theres no real other way to explain it. Your processor is the miracle of computing technology that revelotionized our world.

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

A hard drive is like a compact disk inside your computer that can't be removed. It holds the files on your computer so you can open them. The data on hard drives lasts forever and can be activly created or deleted by the person using the computer. Your harddrive contains Windows or Macintosh or whatever your computer runs, as well as all the programs and documents and files on your computer. Anything in your desktop or start menu is stored on your harddrive.

Blah, you turn on your computer, windows starts up, you get the boot screen, it's loading all the necessary files and settings for windows to operate from the harddisc to the RAM. Finishes loading. You get in, you run some programs, the RAM fills up with those progs. You close them the ram gets emptied a little. You run more, the RAM is filled quite alot, your harddisc then takes some of your programs bits and pieces and stores them temporarely. You close those programs. You harddisc deletes the temporary files. Your RAM gets cleared a little. You then shutdown your computer. Your settings that were loaded are saved to the harddisc for use next time. Then the computer takes away all the necassary files for windows to run back out of the RAM, it's empty, your computer goes off/you turn it off when prompted.