by Daniel Thrasher

Created on: June 10, 2009

A computer is made up of lots of internal parts that allow it to do what it does. These include the CPU (Central Processing Unit), the hard disk drive, the graphics processor, and the RAM (or Random Access Memory). They are all important to the smooth functioning of your computer. Typically, a higher number of hertz and bytes means the component is better. For example, a 2.6 Gigahertz CPU is faster than a 2.0 Gigahertz CPU, assuming they both have the same number of processor cores, and in RAM, more gigabytes on the same type of module provides better performance than fewer. But I digress.

Random Access Memory (RAM) is the space that a computer uses to store temporary data. Unlike the hard disk space-which the computer has to write out to disk and which stays there until you delete it-the RAM is there to help with temporary data that the computer only needs access to at certain, random times (as opposed to permanent). One main example of this is running an application. When you launch your internet browser, the computer has taken some application data from the hard disk and written it to RAM. While you are running the program, the RAM will be there in the background to keep it open, but once you're done with the program and you've closed it, that RAM will be free to do other things. This is why, if your computer is running slowly, you should quit some programsso much of the RAM is in use that it becomes harder to find places to store the temporary data, and so the computer slows down while it looks for available space.

In fact, one of the most effective (and simple) ways to increase general computer performance is to add more RAM. Because every application and process requires the computer to write out to RAM, having more of it means it can find available RAM more quickly, and also takes longer to fill up. There are different kinds of RAM, but at the time of this writing, the increasingly prevalent type is DDR3 SDRAM, or Double Data Rate Three Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. That's a mouthful, but all it means is that it has a fast data transfer rate, roughly double that over its predecessor, and system responsiveness is much faster as a result.

RAM is one of the most important parts of a smoothly running computer, so it's nice that it's easily serviceable on most computers. Usually on the back of the case, you'll find a slot held in by screws, and if you take it off, you'll be able to swap out RAM or add additional sticks that you purchased. Hopefully now you understand RAM a bit better (no pun intended).

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