Definition: Random Access Memory

Random Access Memory (RAM) is a storage medium used in your computer to store data. Unlike ROM, data can be read from and written to RAM. The data stored in RAM is volatile, i.e., when you turn off your computer the contents of RAM will be erased.

Take a look below to see what RAM looks like:

Usage

RAM stores all the data in active use. For instance, if you are using a word editor on your computer, the operating system and the word editor program will be present in the RAM.

Having data in current use in RAM saves the CPU from accessing the secondary memory, which is a considerably slower operation than accessing data in RAM.

Size of RAM and device performance

Generally speaking, having more RAM boosts a computer’s performance as the CPU does not have to repeatedly get data from the secondary memory. However, the amount of RAM that a computer needs depends on what it is going to be used for.