If you have been looking to buy a new Windows based personal computer, you may have been wondering things such as ‘what is ram memory?’ RAM stands for ‘Random Access Memory’ which is actually where important data such as operating system and software applications are stored when they are being used. This is an imperative part of the computer system backbone.
What Is Ram and How Does It Work?
As mentioned above RAM is Random Access Memory, and it can be compared to the person’s short-term memory. When the CPU needs to read or write (opening, closing a program for example) the RAM allows for a fast storage space for this to be done. By short-term we mean that as soon as you shut down your computer system, the data stored will be erased.
What Is Memory?
Generally speaking, when someone mentions memory of their computer, it is RAM. Although there are other types such as cache memory, printer RAM memory, memory sticks, etc.
With faster computer systems and software programs becoming more and more advanced, most computer systems now require a much greater amount of RAM than years past. Most new computers will have no less than 4GB of memory installed and can be upgraded to 4 times that amount.
There are also different types of memory one can purchase when talking about RAM. The most common are:
- Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) classified as PC100 and PC133 (100 MHz or 133 MHz)
- Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR) classified as PC2700 (best choice) plus PC3200 DIMMs.
- Rambus DRAM (RDRAM) classified as PC600 (most commonly sold), PC700, PC800 as well as PC1066 speeds
When one is going to purchase RAM, it is also important to know the redundancy which you want to use. It is important to check your motherboard to know what RAM redundancy will work. They are non-parity, true-parity, and Error Checking & Correcting (ECC).
Non-parity ram memory is the least costly and most used. The difference between parity and no-parity memory ram is that the later will be able to tell you why a crash happened, where-as the non-parity will just crash without any notification and at times it could corrupt your data.
In closing, it is always best to buy a new computer system with at least 2GB of ram memory. You should also be sure to ask the type and what your motherboard supports as a max memory size.
