RAM acts as temporary storage for the data your computer is working with, from games that require lots of RAM to open at once to tasks that eat up resources like video editing and 3D modeling. RAM comes in the form of soldered-on modules on your motherboard or removable DIMMs that slot into a motherboard.
What is RAM?
RAM is the computer’s short-term memory that allows it to work on the immediate tasks it needs to complete. It is often compared to your own short-term memory, but on a much larger scale. It stores and manipulates the files the processor uses, including texture files for games and video files for editing. It can also hold program instructions that help the CPU run the programs.
The more memory your computer has, the more smoothly it will run. However, it is important to remember that more RAM does not necessarily mean higher processing speeds. The speed of your RAM is largely dependent on the latency between when the processor sends a command and when the data becomes available.
RAM can come in the form of chips soldered onto a motherboard or modules called DIMMs that slot into it. Most compact devices such as laptops go with the soldered-on route, while bigger desktop computers and gaming systems usually use modular DIMMs for easier upgrading or swapping.
What is SRAM?
SRAM is a type of memory that uses flip flop circuits to store bits of data. It’s a volatile memory and loses its data as soon as power is cut off. There are several types of SRAM including non-volatile, pseudo-static and transistor based.
It has a number of advantages over DRAM, such as a shorter memory latency and no need for refreshing. It’s also more reliable than DRAM.
However, it is more expensive to manufacture than DRAM and its larger size makes it unsuitable for main memory. Consequently, it’s often used for cache memory and internal CPU registers. It can also be found in hard drives, printers and digital versatile discs (DVD’s). It can also be integrated directly into the CPU for faster processing.
What is DRAM?
DRAM is volatile, meaning it only holds data for a short period of time—a few milliseconds when you turn off your PC. It’s constructed using transistors and capacitors, and over time these start to leak small amounts of electricity, losing the information stored inside. DRAM therefore requires frequent refreshing with a new electric charge to maintain its state.
The DRAM in your computer is organized into ranks, each containing a set of independently addressable DRAM chips. Within each rank are banks, which contain memory arrays arranged in rows and columns.
When you want your computer to be able to handle a number of tasks at once, you need RAM that can keep up—like having enough room on your hard drive to store all of those songs you’ve been listening to lately. For demanding users, 32 GB of RAM is often recommended for a smooth experience. This is enough to run most modern apps and games at a good frame-per-second (FPS) rate.
How much RAM do I need?
The amount of RAM you need depends on how you use your computer. For most common tasks such as internet browsing, email, word processing, video streaming and light gaming, 4 GB of RAM is sufficient.
For more demanding tasks, like gaming or using design software, 16 GB is recommended. This should give you plenty of room to run multiple applications at once and play modern games at their best settings. It also provides enough room for multiple browser tabs, and it can handle large data files like Photoshop file layers or Blender projects.
Unlike HDDs or SSDs, accessing files stored on RAM is much faster. Because of this, it is recommended to upgrade your RAM if you are experiencing slow performance.