Computer Memory

Both Volatile Memory and Non-Volatile Memory are types of computer memory. Volatile memory is a type of memory where the data or information is lost when the power is turned off or the computer is switched off. RAM and Cache Memory are examples of Volatile Memory. Non Volatile Memory is a type of memory where the data or information is not lost when a computer is switched off. ROM(Read Only Memory) and HDD(Hard disk drive) are examples of non-volatile memory. Following are the differences between volatile and non-volatile memory:

What is RAM? RAM is the hardware device where the data, operating system, and application programs are kept which are currently use, so they can be quickly accessed by the processor. RAM is the main memory of a computer system. A computer system is not working without RAM.  Characteristics of RAM 1) It is volatile memory i.e.contents are lost when power is switched off. 2) It is the fastest memory which means that the computer is not kept waiting for data to process 3) It is more expensive than secondary memory. 4) It is used to store temporary information. Function of RAM The main function of RAM is to provide  fast temporary storage  for data and programs, which includes both applications and the operating system along with hardware drivers. When you start a program on your system, the CPU fetches the program from the hard drive. Once your system fetches files, the system requires a workspace where this data temporarily store and execute. Here RAM works as a digital cou...

Primary Memory is the main memory of the computer system. It is also called internal memory . Without a primary memory computer system does not work. It is directly accessed by the CPU(Central Processing Unit) . The primary memory is volatile in nature which means data does not exist if it is not saved when a power failure occurs. Characteristics of Primary Memory 1) It is known as the main memory or internal memory. 2)  It directly communicates with the CPU of the computer. 3) It is faster as compared to secondary memory. 4) It is very costly as compared to secondary memory. 5) A computer cannot run without the primary memory 6) It is made by semiconductor devices so its called semiconductor memories 7) It is volatile in nature i.e.contents are lost when power is switched off Types of Primary Memory Primary Memory is Classify in the following way: 1) RAM(Random Access Memory) 2) ROM(Read-only Memory) 3) Cache RAM(Random Access Memory) RAM is the main memory. RAM is the hardware th...

A computer memory unit is used to measure the amount of data that can be store in a storage unit. A group of binary digits that is 0's and 1's is used to store and process the data because the computer only understands the machine language or binary language. Types of a Memory storage unit The memory units of the data in the storage systems are classified into the below different types Bit:  A bit stands for binary digit. A bit is a one or a zero, on or off, which is how all computer information is stored. A bit is the smallest memory unit to measure data stored in main memory and storage devices. Nibble:  Nibble can be defined as the collection of four bits. It is sometimes called Nybble’ or ‘Nyble’ or ‘hex digit’. Byte: It is the fundamental unit to measure data. A group of 8 bits is called byte. Thus a byte can represent 2*8 or 256 values. This storage capacity is expressed in terms of Bytes. This is the commonly used unit terminology, as it comes with the prefixes for the ...

A computer just like the human brain. Human life events, thoughts, happiness, etc are store in the human brain. Just like the human brain, computer stores all its data, instruction, and information in a physical device known as " memory" . Computer memory  is used to store data, programs, and instruction on a temporary and permanent basis Computer use different types of computer memory for data storage such as  RAM ,  ROM , and  Hard drive . Computer use RAM(Random Access Memory) for storing information temporarily. ROM(Read-only memory) and Hard disk are used for storing information permanently.  RAM Some types of computer memory are designed to be very fast so that the central processing unit (CPU) can fetch from memory very quickly. Other types are designed to be very low cost so that large amounts of data can be stored in memory. Another way to classify computer memory according to its nature, some types are  non-volatile , which means data remains stor...