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Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Faculty of Education

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Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Faculty of Education

Uploaded by

alandworld174
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Kurdistan Regional Government – Iraq

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific


Research

Koya University – Faculty of Education

RAM
Prepared by Muhamad Akram Awla

supervised by Mr . Dler

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What is RAM?
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in a computing device
where the operating system (OS), application programs and data in current
use are kept so they can be quickly reached by the device's processor.
RAM is the main memory in a computer. It is much faster to read from and
write to than other kinds of storage, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), solid-
state drive (SSD) or optical drive.

Random Access Memory is volatile. That means data is retained in RAM as


long as the computer is on, but it is lost when the computer is turned off.
When the computer is rebooted, the OS and other files are reloaded into
RAM, usually from an HDD or SSD.

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Function of RAM
Because of its volatility, RAM can't store permanent data. RAM can be
compared to a person's short-term memory, and a hard disk drive to a
person's long-term memory. Short-term memory is focused on immediate
work, but it can only keep a limited number of facts in view at any one time.
When a person's short-term memory fills up, it can be refreshed with facts
stored in the brain's long-term memory.

A computer also works this way. If RAM fills up, the computer's processor
must repeatedly go to the hard disk to overlay the old data in RAM with
new data. This process slows the computer's operation.

A computer's hard disk can become completely full of data and unable to
take any more, but RAM won't run out of memory. However, the
combination of RAM and storage memory can be completely used up.

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How does RAM work?
The term random access as applied to RAM comes from the fact that any
storage location, also known as any memory address, can be accessed
directly. Originally, the term Random Access Memory was used to
distinguish regular core memory from offline memory.

Offline memory typically referred to magnetic tape from which a specific


piece of data could only be accessed by locating the address sequentially,
starting at the beginning of the tape. RAM is organized and controlled in a
way that enables data to be stored and retrieved directly to and from
specific locations.

Other types of storage -- such as the hard drive and CD-ROM-- are also
accessed directly or randomly, but the term random access isn't used to
describe these other types of storage.

RAM is similar in concept to a set of boxes in which each box can hold a 0
or a 1. Each box has a unique address that is found by counting across the
columns and down the rows. A set of RAM boxes is called an array, and
each box is known as a cell.

To find a specific cell, the RAM controller sends the column and row
address down a thin electrical line etched into the chip. Each row and
column in a RAM array has its own address line. Any data that's read flows
back on a separate data line.

RAM is physically small and stored in microchips. It's also small in terms of
the amount of data it can hold. A typical laptop computer may come with 8
gigabytes of RAM, while a hard disk can hold 10 terabytes.

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How much RAM do you need?
The amount of RAM needed all depends on what the user is doing. When
video editing, for example, it's recommended that a system have at least
16 GB RAM, though more is desirable. For photo editing using Photoshop,
Adobe recommends a system have at least 3GB of RAM to
run Photoshop CC on a Mac. However, if the user is working with other
applications at the same time, even 8GB of RAM can slow things down.

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Types of RAM
RAM comes in two primary forms:

 Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) makes up the typical


computing device's RAM, and as was previously noted, it needs that
power to be on to retain stored data.

Each DRAM cell has a charge or lack of charge held in an electrical


capacitor. This data must be constantly refreshed with an electronic charge
every few milliseconds to compensate for leaks from the capacitator. A
transistor serves as a gate, determining whether a capacitor's value can be
read or written.

 Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) also needs constant power


to hold on to data, but it doesn't need to be continually refreshed the
way DRAM does.

In SRAM, instead of a capacitor holding the charge, the transistor acts as a


switch, with one position serving as 1 and the other position as 0. Static
RAM requires several transistors to retain one bit of data compared to
dynamic RAM which needs only one transistor per bit. As a result, SRAM
chips are much larger and more expensive than an equivalent amount of
DRAM.

However, SRAM is significantly faster and uses less power than DRAM.
The price and speed differences mean static RAM is mainly used in small
amounts as cache memory inside a computer's processor.

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History of RAM: RAM vs. SDRAM
RAM was originally asynchronous because the RAM microchips had a
different clock speed than the computer's processor. This was a problem as
processors became more powerful and RAM couldn't keep up with the
processor's requests for data.

In the early 1990s, clock speeds were synchronized with the introduction of
synchronous dynamic RAM, or SDRAM. By synchronizing a computer's
memory with the inputs from the processor, computers were able to
execute tasks faster.

However, the original single data rate SDRAM (SDR SDRAM) reached its
limit quickly. Around the year 2000, double data rate synchronous Random
Access Memory (DDR SRAM) was developed. This moved data twice in a
single clock cycle, at the start and the end.

DDR SDRAM has evolved three times, with DDR2, DDR3 and DDR4, and
each iteration has brought improved data throughput speeds and reduced
power use. However, each DDR version has been incompatible with earlier
ones because, with each iteration, data is handled in larger batches.

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GDDR SDRAM
Graphics double data rate (GDDR) SDRAM is used in graphics and video
cards. Like DDR SDRAM, the technology enables data to be moved at
various points in a CPU clock cycle. However, it runs at higher voltages
and has less strict timing than DDR SDRAM.

With parallel tasks, such as 2D and 3D video rendering, tight access times
aren't as necessary, and GDDR can enable the higher speeds and memory
bandwidth needed for GPU performance.

Similar to DDR, GDDR has gone through several generations of


development, with each providing more performance and lower power
consumption. GDDR6 is the latest generation of graphics memory.

RAM vs. virtual memory


A computer can run short on memory, especially when running multiple
programs simultaneously. Operating systems can compensate for physical memory
shortfalls by creating virtual memory.

With virtual memory, data is temporarily transferred from RAM to disk storage, and
virtual address space is increased using active memory in RAM and inactive memory
in an HDD to form contiguous addresses that hold an application and its data. Using
virtual memory, a system can load larger programs or multiple programs running at
the same time, letting each operate as if it has infinite memory without having to add
more RAM.

Virtual memory is able to handle twice as many addresses as RAM. A program's


instructions and data are initially stored at virtual addresses, and once the program is
executed, those addresses are turned into actual memory addresses.

One downside to virtual memory is that it can slow a computer because data must
be mapped between the virtual and physical memory. With physical memory alone,
programs work directly from RAM.

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