RAM, why is it needed. Main characteristics of RAM

Random access memory, also known as random access memory, is a key computing element and performs the function of the speed of operation of various programs running on a PC or laptop. The memory itself is short-term, it is only able to save commands and information for a while, and after the device is turned off, all data is erased automatically. They can be stored only during the on state. The volume and parameters of "RAM" directly depends on how well the computer will cope with its tasks.

Random access memory: what is it and how to find out how much of it is on a computer?

RAM acts as memory temporarily storing information about running utilities, system processes, and service tasks. With its help, there is a relationship between the HDD and the CPU, as well as devices connected from the outside. As you know, the system processor is responsible for the execution of any program, and all software files are located on the HDD. Before executing the program, it is required that each of its files be in the processor. This "transfer" is exactly what RAM is doing.

Determining the amount of RAM on your PC is not difficult. This can be done without the help of third-party utilities:

The main purpose of RAM

The main purpose of RAM is to set the pace of each system when running applications. The more capacious the "RAM" is, the faster the tasks that users need are performed. In general, RAM affects how quickly a computer operates, ensures the uniform efficiency of system elements, and is also responsible for the device's ability to simultaneously work with various complex projects.

What happens if you run out of RAM? In this case, the user will be faced with extremely long loading pages and opening folders. Even less resource-intensive programs will start to freeze and will not work as expected. All this suggests the following: an increase in the amount of RAM is required. In this case, it will be possible to fix the problems.

What is RAM required for in games?

To fully enjoy the games, you need a "fast" RAM. Its speed level determines the update rate, measured in megahertz. The faster and more voluminous RAM is considered, the more processes can run simultaneously, the smoother modern games will start to work.

If the device does not have enough RAM for a comfortable game, then all its parameters will not fit in RAM. The game will load, of course, but its performance will leave a lot to be desired. The user will face lags, inhibitions, slow reactions - all this is the result of a lack of RAM.

Note! After the game processes will begin to be processed more quickly and efficiently, and the application itself will respond with lightning speed to the commands of the gamer.

RAM type and size

Random access memory is represented by the following types:

• DDR. It is considered the oldest type of RAM that was installed on a PC in the early 2000s. Such memory was installed only in budget PCs and operated at a minimum frequency of 400 megahertz;
• DDR 2. It is a more modernized version of the type described above. It can function several times faster and handle larger amounts of data. These bars were installed in all computers up to 2011;
• DDR 3. RAM, thanks to which it was possible to provide an increase in computer performance by more than 10%. Such bars were installed in PCs and laptops from 2007 to 2014 and were considered extremely popular, since they are distinguished by a high level of information processing frequency;
• DDR 4. It is known as the newest and most modernized type of RAM, capable of operating at a frequency of 2400 megahertz or more. This memory became available in 2014, but so far it is considered not very common due to its high price - not all users can afford it.

If we talk about the amount of RAM, then it doubles in modules 1, 2, 4, 8, 16. There are no odd volumes. It is possible to install multi-volume modules, but in this case, the loss of two- and three-channel modes of operation will occur. To count on optimal performance, it is recommended to install the models in pairs of the same volume (and preferably from the same brand) - then their effective use is guaranteed.

Not enough RAM - what to do?

Sometimes users see a system message about insufficient RAM - this indicates a lack of RAM, due to which applications will not be able to work properly - freezing and braking will begin. Novice users mistakenly believe that they need to free up space on the HDD, but physical and virtual memory are two different things, which you should definitely be aware of. There are several options for solving this problem - cleaning, overclocking and installing a larger RAM slot.

Ways to clean up RAM

The simplest and most popular way is to manually clear the RAM. This requires a number of steps:

There is another way, which implies performing the following actions:

According to the third method, you can use the KCleaner program - it has long established itself as a powerful application for cleaning RAM, while not disabling important system processes and services. For optimized work you will need:

How to overclock RAM?

The easiest and most affordable way to overclock RAM, which does not imply the need to install third-party applications, is available through the BIOS.

The specifics of installing RAM

The process of connecting RAM will be considered on the example of a laptop.

1. Turn off the device completely and take care of unplugging the power cord. If the battery is removable, it is best to remove it. After that, using a screwdriver, the screws are unscrewed from the cover. Memory access will now appear.

   

2. If there are several slots for RAM at once and each of them is occupied, then you need to remove the strips - for this, bending of special latches on the sides is performed.

   

3. A new RAM is installed in empty slots. This should be done at an approximately 45 degree angle.

   

4. You need to be careful when installing the modules so that the contacts are not damaged, while the modules themselves must be installed tightly enough. Pressing down on the top edge, the RAM will be squeezed by the latches.

   

All that remains is to put the lid back on, turn on the laptop and check the result!

Program for checking RAM

The most popular program for today is called Memtest. It is this that should be used for verification.

Advice! What to do if memory errors are detected? If due to failures it is impossible to work normally, then the most budgetary way would be to replace the problem module. In some situations, the usual cleaning, which was described earlier, also helps. Most of the problems are caused by malfunctions of microchips or connectors of the operating board - in this case, it is definitely impossible to do without a specialist diagnosis.

Top manufacturers of RAM

Today, 4 best manufacturers are concentrated on the RAM market, whose products do not cause complaints in operation and meet user expectations:

• Corsair. The headquarters of the corporation is located in America. Compared to other manufacturers of RAM, the brand is also engaged in the creation of many other devices and elements such as headphones, mice, keyboards and cooling systems. If we talk directly about memory modules, then during their long history, the company's employees have been engaged in the production of strips of various types. Now the most powerful version of DDR4 is also available;

  

• G.Skill. This brand appeared on the world stage in 1989. The company was founded by ordinary enthusiastic developers. Now it produces the minimum amount of hardware - the best selling is memory. Engineers are engaged in the release of modern RAM standards, so the models are characterized by both a decent volume and a high frequency. Many bars can be overclocked, which will definitely please a certain category of clients;

  

• Kingston. The products of this American brand, without exaggeration, are considered the most popular. The reason for this popularity is the affordable price tag. This brand's RAM is almost always used by different laptop manufacturers;

  

• Mushkin. Another American brand, whose employees produce power supplies and other types of computer equipment, but their RAM is in special demand. Most of the products are intended for stationary PCs, but there are several models for laptops. The most common series is considered to be REDLINE, which supports overclocking, therefore, it is of interest to more experienced users.

  

Thus, RAM is really a key device in computers and laptops, on which the speed of the gadget and the ability to fully work with several resource-intensive programs directly depend. When choosing RAM, it is recommended to focus on the products of popular brands - in this case, you will definitely be able to meet the expectations from the purchase.

Video - What is RAM in a computer for?

This phrase is quite popular - random access memory. Many have heard about it and sometimes saw errors in the system associated with it, as well as write about it on many sites if you want to download a program or game. In this article you will learn almost everything you need and everything connected with it. I hope after reading there will be no more questions and you will become more literate.

Perhaps I'll start from afar ...

What is RAM?

RAM is a bar in or, etc.
It turns out that if you disassemble the system unit (I will focus on the PC in the article, because it is easier there), then you can visually see this bar (and it happens that there are several of them) and this is correct. It looks something like this:

in a laptop like this:

Thus, RAM is one of the "parts" of the computer. Moreover, one of the main ones, without which the computer will not even boot.
By the way, RAM is also often called RAM, memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), RAM, etc.

What is RAM for?

To understand this, you need to pay attention to the first word.
The fact is that when the "brain" of a computer (central processor) accesses data on (and it accesses them almost constantly, because everything is stored there), then it does it through an intermediary - our RAM.
The operating system acts as a kind of intermediary or buffer. When the processor needs something, it sends a command to RAM, and it already copies information from the hard disk. Then the processor works only with the RAM, and when it finishes, the data is copied back to the hard drive.

Perhaps you will have a question "So why is everything so complicated? Why use RAM if you can directly or can handle it yourself?" The thing is that the hard disk only stores information, and if the processor also loaded it with the fact that it would be necessary to work with it, then it would become terribly slow. Do we need it? Nope.

By the way, there is such a thing as Virtual Memory and Paging File. You can read in more detail in the article.
In short, I’ll only write that when there is not enough space left in the RAM (it constantly stores something in itself and new processes are still being performed), then it still refers to the hard disk (well, where to go ...) and takes it from there. place. The truth from this can slow down the computer.

Thus, some data is always stored in RAM. These can be the results of your actions in, and, and in, and in general, everything is always "done" through RAM, as through an intermediary.

Here you should also know that the information is copied from the hard disk to the RAM, then changes in it, and then again sent to the hard disk. The simplest and most common example of this is how you work with text documents.
You open it first, then modify it, and then save and close (or close with save). Do you understand what I'm driving at? Yes Yes. You have worked with the document in RAM, and then you need to rewrite it, because there is only an unmodified copy on disk.
By the way, that is why, in the event of a failure and an emergency shutdown of the computer, you risk losing, in most cases, just not saved data. Just those that are currently in the RAM.

Types of RAM

As I wrote above, RAM is a special module that is built into a special connector on the motherboard. You can see how it looks in the first picture above.

Of course, progress does not stand still. Today you can find a hard disk, which contains its own high-speed buffer to increase the speed of reading / writing information. There are also such video cards with the same principle. Likewise, the "strips" of RAM themselves can be equipped with special heatsinks to ensure the best heat transfer, which, as a result, affects performance.

But back to the types ... Now there are only two types - these are statistical and dynamic.

Statistical type of random access memory (SRAM(Static random access memory)) is created on the basis of semiconductor triggers and has a very high speed of operation. It has two disadvantages: high cost and takes up a lot of space. Therefore, in desktop computers, and indeed in everyday life, it is not found.

Dynamic type of random access memory (DRAM(Dynamic random access memory)) is based on capacitors, therefore it has a high recording density and a relatively low cost. The disadvantages arise from the peculiarities of its design, namely, the use of small capacitors leads to a rapid self-discharge of the latter, therefore, their charge has to be periodically replenished. This process is called memory regeneration, hence the name dynamic memory. Regeneration noticeably slows down the speed of its operation, therefore, various intelligent circuits are used to reduce time delays.

Dynamic memory is also split across generations. I will not go into history too much, I will only write that the third generation is now widespread DDR3 SDRAM which replaced DDR2(they are even still found on old computers to this day) and they are preparing to replace them DDR4(that's just not soon yet will be thinking).

RAM size

It is the most commonly used unit of measurement for RAM. Measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB).

The most common question is How much RAM to use? It all depends on two things:

1) from what you will be doing. For example, to access the Internet and the simplest work on a computer, 1GB may well be enough. But it's better to take it with a margin and put at least 2 GB.
If you want to play games and engage in graphics, then use 4 GB or more.
4 GB is enough for me for everything. So my advice is 4GB of RAM and you should be fine.

2) from the bitness of your operating system. We read the article.
In short, I'll just write that if 32x, then no more than 4x. If 64x, then as much as necessary.

Much also depends on yours, in particular on the number and type of connectors for the RAM. Of course, it is necessary that there are enough connectors and that the type is suitable.

How to find out the RAM of your computer

To see what kind of RAM you have, you can use two ways.

1) Turn off the computer, open the system unit and remove the RAM bar. Next, we look at the sticker (sticker) on it and everything will be written there - both the type and frequency and other information.
If it is not there, then at least from the picture determine the type:

2) Through a well-known utility CPU-Z which can be downloaded from. In the tab Memory you can check basic information such as Type, Size, mode of operation and used timings:

On the SPD tab, you can see all the characteristics of a specific memory module installed in the selected slot:

I also want to write about the SPD tab that it contains information from the chip of the same name in the RAM. In it, the manufacturer writes all information about it (volume, marking, manufacturer, serial number, recommended delays, etc.) and when the system boots, the computer reads all this information and sets the memory operation mode, in connection with the settings contained in the chip.

How to clear RAM

As I wrote above, the RAM is loaded more and more during the operation of the computer. If its volume is small, then it may be such that the computer will start to slow down. Therefore, you should clear the RAM and then the computer will stop slowing down.

For cleaning, you can use the following methods:

1) Close unnecessary programs.

2) Wait a little. Windows has a utility for cleaning the RAM. True, it doesn't always work.

3) Take advantage of special programs. I will not describe them, I will only write links to the official sites:

4) Reboot

How to increase RAM

I think everything is very simple here. There is no way to increase it programmatically, only physically.
You just need to purchase the required bar. And which one is needed? Read about it where it was written about the volume.
I just want to add here that if, let's say, you already have one 2 GB stick, and you want 4, then it's better to take another one for 2 and so that they work in parallel. Then they will have a multi-thread and they will be faster if you pull one by 2 and put 4 instead.
Better to use in pairs.

That's all I think. If you haven't written anything about RAM or what is not clear - write in the comments.

If the answer is trite to the question, what is RAM in a computer for?, the first thing that comes to mind is simply for the operation of the system as a whole. Remove the memory module and try to start the system unit. The PC will not boot up, only a black screen will be visible on the monitor and an unpleasant sound will be heard.

Such a signal is caused by the fact that the system understands the absence of an important component and tries to warn about it. First, let's figure out what RAM is and what it is for.

RAM- memory in which temporary data is stored in the process of their execution. It is also called RAM (random access memory). It is volatile because as long as power is supplied to the memory module, applications reside in it and are executed by the processor. If the system is shut down or a power failure occurs, the processes running on it are irretrievably lost.

Like a hard drive, RAM has its own amount of memory. In the early development of information technology, memory sizes were measured in megabytes. In modern times, you will not surprise anyone with 4 GB of RAM and higher.

First of all, the most important difference is in purpose. The hard disk performs the function of saving data. RAM it also involves the temporary storage of intermediate data, which over time change completely or remain unchanged, and are executed while the computer is running.

The second difference. Various speed of work. Due to the fact that the hard drive is intended for other purposes. If some of the RAM functions begin to use this resource, this will lead to a noticeable decrease in performance.

How does RAM work in Windows?

It was said above that in the absence of a memory module, the system will not work. Although, on a PC, Windows is installed. So why isn't the long-awaited download happening? The answer is simple, because the operating system also consists of files. And for full operation it is necessary to download these Windows executables.

When you see the Windows logo and a running loading bar, at that moment the operating system components are loaded into the RAM. The main services, processes are started, the desktop is opened. Further, when the main processes have started, the programs are started that are placed in the autoload, of course, if there are any.

Any of your actions, launching any application, will place the process in RAM. In the task manager, in the tabs processes and performance (Performance on windows 8 / 8.1 / 10), you can clearly see the amount of physical memory, as well as the amount of free and used memory.

In the Processes tab, you can see a list of all processes that are currently running in real time. 4 compartments are visually present:

1. image name
2. Username
3. memory

The name of the image is the list of executable files with the extension .exe, we actually click on them to launch the applications. The username demonstrates who started the process. This can be an administrator, windows services, or the system itself. If you have an application stuck, you can find its image name, and press the button to end the process, after which the system will crash the process, the application will close, the RAM will be freed. The same can be done if you want, of course you can just stop it, but it will not be superfluous to know the various options.

Important! Do not try to crash system processes. May result in loss of unsaved data and system restart. The same goes for some of the services and processes started by the administrator. Before you finish something, make sure that it doesn't hurt you in any way!

CPU stands for central processing unit, well, here it is clear that for each process it is shown how many percent the CPU is loaded.

Well, the memory itself, indicates how much RAM the application is eating.

Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10 has a slightly different task manager, and you can track applications in two tabs:

Thus, you can observe and track any changes in the amount of RAM.

What happens if there is not enough RAM?

Performance immediately drops, the computer starts to slow down. Occurs due to insufficient RAM size, for example, when loading a resource-intensive game.

At RAM overflow, the paging file, which is located on the system partition of the hard disk, is actively used. By default, the system itself determines the size of the paging file.

As it was written above, the hard drive works much slower for this purpose. Because of this, the system starts to freeze.

It also happens that even the paging file is not enough, but fortunately there is a procedure for increasing it. If the performance has remained at the same level, except for the purchase of additional RAM modules, nothing will help you.

There are programs for optimizing RAM. The developers assure that these software products stabilize and accelerate the system. By and large, the performance gain after using the utilities is almost imperceptible or absent.

Some resources have information that these procedures, on the contrary, slow down the system. Logically, a running application will take the amount that it needs, and trying to unload it from RAM by placing it, for example, in a paging file, means cutting performance.

What is RAM used for in games?

One of the most resource-intensive applications is, of course, PC games. There are situations when the configuration of the computer, as a whole, is suitable for a particular game, but the amount of RAM is not enough. The game will start and lag. This can happen when there is enough memory, but it remains with a margin.

IMPORTANT! Please check the system requirements before installing any game. Compare with your configuration, if it fits, go for it. Otherwise, just waste your nerves and time.

Sinning on one RAM is not always justified. After all, RAM is not the main part of the PC. In addition to random access memory the computer has a processor, video card, motherboard. Collectively, all the components and build the performance of the PC. It also happens that the package bundle is inferior in some parameters, but the performance is higher.

So we examined the main aspects. Also, RAM is present in other more compact devices than PCs. For the same purposes, you need RAM in a smartphone, tablet, and even a phone. There is no definite answer about how much RAM you need. Depends on your needs, and for what purposes you use the computer. In any case, the more the better.

Now, when selling a smartphone, the parameters have become more often to indicate the amount of RAM available in it. For example, a device in the middle price category is equipped with 2-4 GB, and top-end devices already have 4-6 GB and even higher. However, not all users know what RAM in a smartphone is and what it affects. Let's understand this issue.

What is RAM in a smartphone

Random access memory or its other names - RAM or RAM, is an area of ​​temporary storage of data in a smartphone and is necessary for the operation of both the operating system itself (in our case, Android) and applications.

Unlike the internal flash memory, which is designed for long-term storage of the content itself (applications, user data in the form of photos, videos and other documents), the smartphone needs RAM for very fast recording and reading of the necessary and constantly changing information during the operation of applications and the operating system ... In addition, when an application is launched, its files are loaded into the RAM area on the device, which ensures fast program operation.

Another main difference between RAM and internal flash memory is the dependence of RAM on the presence of voltage and its high performance. If the information in the internal memory is stored even when the smartphone is turned off, then the data in the RAM is not saved in this case. The speed of writing, reading and erasing data in RAM exceeds the speed of these operations for flash memory many times.

For ease of understanding, a smartphone needs RAM to store and quickly process data, both the operating system and running applications at the moment, "right now." This process can be compared to the brain and its activity.

RAM is random access memory. RAM is an abbreviation of the English Random Access Memory (random access memory).

What affects the RAM in a smartphone

Random access memory, or rather its amount in a smartphone, directly affects the speed of the device. The more it is, the more information necessary for a smartphone will fit into it and the less the processor has to read data from the slow flash memory.

On cheap smartphones with a small amount of memory, working with it turns into a test of nerves. If the device works more or less briskly right after the purchase, the set of applications has not yet been installed, then as the programs are downloaded, the smartphone already starts to slow down and respond more slowly to user actions. Conversely, a sufficient amount of RAM allows you to comfortably interact with the device - applications start faster, and the interface works quickly and smoothly.

At the moment, the minimum acceptable amount of RAM is 2 GB. For comfortable work, it is advisable to purchase a smartphone with 3 GB of memory or higher in order to have a margin for the ever-increasing requirements, both from the OS and applications as they are updated.

How to view the amount of RAM on a smartphone

Choosing a smartphone in a store, the amount of RAM can be viewed on the attached price list with technical characteristics. If it is not specified, then ask the seller for a consultant. But in this case it is worth considering, because sellers try not to indicate modest characteristics, but to highlight attractive parameters for an inexperienced buyer. For example, to focus on camera resolution or screen size, support for LTE networks, and the amount of memory is modestly silent.

You can find out the amount of RAM on the manufacturer's website, or by typing the name of the model you like in the search bar and find out the characteristics on any profile resource.

My respect, dear readers, friends, foes and other personalities!

Today I would like to talk with you about such an important and useful thing as RAM, in connection with which two articles have been published at once, one of which talks about memory in general (you are below in the text), and the other (in fact, the article is right under this one, just published separately).

Initially, it was one material, but in order not to make another multi-letter page-sheet, and simply for reasons of separation and systematization of articles, it was decided to split them into two.

Since the crushing process was carried out on the fly and almost at the last moment, some flaws in the text are possible, which should not be scared, but you can report them in the comments, in order, in fact, to correct them on the fly as well.

Well, now, let's get started.

Introductory

Sooner or later (or never) every user is faced with the question of modernizing his faithful "iron horse". Some immediately change their "head" - the processor, others - tinker with the video card, however, the easiest and cheapest way is to increase the amount of RAM.

Why the simplest one?

Yes, because it does not require special knowledge of the technical part, the installation takes little time and does not create almost any difficulties (and it is also the least expensive of all that I know).

So, in order to find out a little more about such a simple and at the same time effective upgrade tool like random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM), for this we turn to our dear theory.

General

RAM(random access memory), it is RAM ("Random Access Memory"- random access memory), is an area of ​​temporary storage of data, with the help of which the functioning software... Physically, RAM in a system is a set of chips or modules (containing microcircuits) that are usually plugged into the motherboard.

During operation, memory acts as a temporary buffer (data and running programs are stored in it) between the disk drives and the processor, due to the significantly higher speed of reading and writing data.

Note.
Newbies often confuse RAM with hard disk memory ( ROM- read-only memory), which you do not need to do, because these are completely different types of memory. Random access memory (by type it is dynamic - Dynamic RAM), unlike a constant, it is volatile, i.e. it needs power to store data, and when it is turned off (turning off the computer), the data is deleted. An example of non-volatile memory ROM- Flash memory, in which electricity is used only for writing and reading, while the power supply itself is not needed for storing data.

By its structure, memory resembles a honeycomb, i.e. consists of cells, each of which is designed to store honey of a certain amount of data, usually one or four bits. Each cell has its own unique "home" address, which is divided into two components - the address of the horizontal line ( Row) and vertical column ( Column).

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Cells are capacitors capable of storing electrical charge. With the help of special amplifiers, analog signals are converted into digital signals, which in turn form data.

To transfer the address of the line to the memory chip, a signal is used, which is called RAS (Row Address Strobe), and for the column address - the signal CAS (Column Address Strobe).

How does RAM work?

The work of the RAM is directly related to the work of the processor and external devices of the computer, since it is to it that the latter "trust" their information. Thus, the data first goes from the hard disk (or other media) to the very RAM and then processed by the central processor (see image).

The exchange of data between the processor and memory can occur directly, but more often it still happens with the participation of cache memory.

Cache memory is a temporary storage location for the most frequently requested information and is a relatively small chunk of fast local memory. Its use can significantly reduce the time for delivering information to the processor registers, since the speed of external media (RAM and disk subsystem) is much worse than the processor one. As a result, the forced downtime of the processor is reduced, and often completely eliminated, which increases the overall system performance.

The RAM is controlled by the controller, which is located in the motherboard chipset, or rather in that part of it called North bridge(northbridge) - it provides connectivity Cpu(processor) to nodes using high-performance buses: RAM, a graphics controller (see image).

Note.
It is important to understand that if during the operation of the RAM, data is written to any cell, then its contents, which were before the receipt of new information, will be irretrievably lost. Those. at the command of the processor, data is written to the specified cell, while at the same time erasing what was previously written there.

Let's consider another important aspect of the operation of the RAM - it is dividing it into several partitions using special software (software), which is supported by operating systems.

Now you will understand what I mean.

More details

The fact is that modern RAM devices are quite voluminous (hello two thousandth, when there was enough and 32 Mb) so that it can accommodate data from several simultaneously running tasks. The processor can also handle multiple tasks at the same time. This circumstance contributed to the development of the so-called dynamic memory allocation system, when for each task processed by the processor, dynamic (variable in size and location) sections of RAM are allocated.

The dynamic nature of the work allows you to dispose of the available memory more economically, promptly "removing" excess memory areas from some tasks and “adding” additional areas to others (depending on their importance, the amount of information being processed, the urgency of execution, etc.). The operating system is responsible for the "correct" dynamic allocation of memory in a PC, while the application software is responsible for the "correct" use of memory.

It is quite obvious that application programs must be able to run under the control of the operating system, otherwise the latter will not be able to allocate RAM to such a program or it will not be able to work “correctly” within the allocated memory. That is why it is not always possible to run under modern operating systems, previously written programs that worked under the control of outdated systems, for example, under earlier versions Windows(98 for example).

Also (for general development), you should know that memory support depends on the bitness of the system, for example, the operating system Windows 7, bitness 64 bit, supports up to 192 GB (junior 32 -bit brother "sees" no more 4 GB). However, if this is not enough for you, please, 128 -bit declares support for truly colossal volumes - I don't even dare to voice this figure. A little more about the bit depth.

Why do you need this very RAM?

As we already know, the exchange of data between the processor and memory occurs most often with the participation of cache memory. In turn, it is controlled by a special controller, which, analyzing the executable program, tries to predict what data and commands the processor will most likely need in the near future, and pumps them up, i.e. the cache controller loads the necessary data from the RAM into the cache memory, and returns, when necessary, the data modified by the processor to the RAM.

After the processor, RAM can be considered the fastest operating device. Therefore, the main data exchange occurs between these two devices. All information in a personal computer is stored on a hard disk. When you turn on the computer in RAM drivers, special programs and elements of the operating system are written from the screw. Then those programs are written there - the applications that we will launch, when the latter are closed, they will be erased from it.

The data recorded in the RAM is transferred to Cpu(he is the mentioned processor more than once, he is Central Processing Unit), are processed there and written back. And so all the time: they gave a command to the processor to take bits at such and such addresses (such as: process them and return them to their place or write them to a new one) - he did just that (see the image).

All this is good as long as the memory cells ( 1 ) is enough. And if not?

Then the swap file ( 2 ). This file is located on the hard disk and everything that does not fit into the cells of the RAM is written there. Since the speed of the screw is much lower RAM, then the paging file slows down the system greatly. It also reduces the longevity of the hard drive itself. But that's a completely different story.

Note.
All modern processors have a cache ( cache) - an array of ultra-fast random access memory, which is a buffer between the controller of the relatively slow system memory and the processor. This buffer stores data blocks with which Cpu works at the moment, due to which the number of processor calls to the extremely slow (compared to the processor speed) system memory is significantly reduced.

However, cache memory is ineffective when working with large amounts of data (video, sound, graphics, archives), because such files simply do not fit there, so all the time you have to access RAM, or HDD(which also has its own cache).

Layout of modules

By the way, let's look at what the module itself consists of (what elements).

Since almost all memory modules consist of the same structural elements, for clarity, we will take the standard SD-RAM(for desktops). The image specially shows a different design of these (so that you know not only the "template" version of the module, but also very "exotic").

So, the modules of the standard SD-RAM(1 ): DDR (1.1 ); DDR2(1.2 ).

Description:

1. Chips (microcircuits) memory
2. SPD (Serial Presence Detect) Is a nonvolatile memory microcircuit, which contains the basic settings of any module. During system start BIOS motherboard reads the information displayed in SPD, and sets the appropriate timings and frequency of work RAM;
3. "Key" - a special slot in the board, which can be used to determine the type of module. Mechanically prevents incorrect insertion of dies into slots intended for RAM;
4. SMD-components of modules (resistors, capacitors). Provide electrical decoupling of signal circuits and power management of chips;
5. Manufacturer's stickers - indicate the memory standard, nominal operating frequency and base timings;
6. RSV- printed circuit board. The rest of the module components are soldered on it. The overclocking result often depends on the quality: the same chips can behave differently on different motherboards.

Afterword

Actually, these are the foundations of the basics and the basic basis, and therefore, I hope that the article was interesting to you both from the point of view of expanding your horizons, and as a brick in personal knowledge about a personal computer :).

That's all for this sim. As always, if you have any questions, comments, additions, etc., you can safely run in the comments below. And yes, be sure to read the material.