What’s All the Fuss About Random Access Memory?
What’s All the Fuss About Random Access Memory?
As I tell my customers all the time, the fastest and most cost effective way to speed up any computer is to add more RAM. In this article, I will explain a bit about the technical workings of RAM and provide some tips on determining how much RAM you need in your computer.
Most computer owners are probably familiar with the term RAM, often referred to as main memory. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. Next to the central processing unit (CPU), RAM is the most important factor in computer performance. RAM capacity is rated in terms of megabytes (MB).
On the technical side, RAM consists of millions of capacitors and transistors on an integrated circuit board. The capacitor holds the information and the transistor functions as a switch. Paired together, a capacitor and transistor make a memory cell. Now a memory cell represents just one bit of information (either a 0 or a 1). When arranged with thousands of other memory cells into rows and columns, an electronic table (much like a spreadsheet) is established to store information. The word “random” means that any memory cell can be accessed directly based on its column and row address. For a techie, that is pretty neat!
Strange as it may seem though, all of these tiny capacitors loose their electrical charge very rapidly so they need to be refreshed constantly or the data will be lost. This type of RAM is called Dynamic or DRAM. This refresh-loss-refresh cycle happens very rapidly and is measured in billionths of a second (or nanosecond)—way too fast for most of us to comprehend or understand. What you as a computer owner need to know is that DRAM is volatile. If there is no power, it doesn’t work!
So what is all the fuss about RAM anyway? Simply put, all of your data in your computer is stored in the nonvolatile hard drive. For that Intel or AMD CPU to be able to manipulate your data and display it in a form you can understand, it must first load the programs and your applicable data into working memory (a.k.a. RAM).
More than your data gets loaded into RAM. Whenever you start the operating system, launch a program, or open a file, the relevant program code, a lot of background processes, and/or data is loaded into RAM. If you have lots of RAM, you can open more or larger files or programs at the same time onto your system.
What is considered a lot of RAM? If you run Windows XP, it is probably in the range of 256 MB to one gigabyte (GB) with 512 MB being ideal for most users. Older Windows versions will do the job with a lot less than that, but as soon as you load resource intensive applications or more than one application at a time, anything below 512 MB will likely translate into slower performance or bottlenecks. But, there is a point in which adding more RAM will not generate increased performance. There are also limitations based on the motherboard’s physical characteristics and chip set used to control the RAM.
Windows Vista is Microsoft’s new flagship operating system due out in January 2007. You will need at least 1 GB of RAM and a video card with at least 128MB of its own RAM to take full advantage of all of Vista’s capabilities. Video editing is another CPU and RAM intensive operation. Less than 1GB and you will be sitting around waiting a lot. Most systems on sale today will come with 1GB of RAM, except for the economy models.
I have explained a little bit of the technical workings of RAM and provide some guidelines on determining how much RAM you need in your computer. Adding more RAM may be all you need to overcome sluggish computer performance. ■
For more information, visit www.medfordcomputer.com or call 541-776-2373.
