Ram

Ram

1. hardware key terms and definition

   • Rom
     • Rom contains the boot up program which loads the operating system
     • Ram is volatile (forgets everything when switched off) Rom is NON volatile Ram is rewriteable, Rom is read only
   • CPU
     • fetch the instruction from the memory, decode them and then execute the instructions
   • clock speed
     • clock speed is number of cycle that the CPU can complete in ONE second (measured in GHz) faster clock speed mean the cpu can process more instructions per second
   • Cache Size
     • cache Memory acts as buffer between RAM and CPU. A larger cache size means more data can be held for faster access
   • Number of Cores
     • the number of cores is the number of processors (Dual core = 2 processors , Quad core 4 processors). The more cores a CPU has the more information can be processed at the same time
   • Virtual Memory
     • this is when RAM uses a part of the hard drive as if was extra Ram.. we use this when ram is full but it will be slow than normal
   • Storage
     • optical storage
       • CD, DVD, Blu ray. Speed - fast access. capacity- medium-large capacity. portability-lightweight and flat. reliability- easily scratched
     • solid state
       • usb stick, memory card. speed medium-fast access. capacity medium-large ( 1 Giga byte to 64 GB ) . portability-light weight & small, easy to handle. Reliability-not affected by magnet and can be dropped with out damage with
     • Magnetic storage
       • hard drive ( internal / external ). speed medium / fast access .capacity- large (up 2+ Terabytes). portability- heavy & not designed to be carried / medium weight. reliability-quite reliable, can be damged when droped or near a strong magnet.

2. ram is temporary storage of all data and programs that are currently open