16 February 2021

Unit 1.3 – Memory as part of a computer system

A computer has three important types of memory:
 RAM (short-term memory)
 storage devices (long-term memory)
 ROM (read-only memory).
ROM
◊ the read-only memory (or ROM) stores the computer’s BIOS.
◊ your computer’s read-only memory can only be retrieved but not overwritten or
deleted during normal operation. This prevents the accidental deletion of the
instructions needed to use the computer.
◊ As the ROM cannot be changed normally, the settings are saved on a tiny piece of
memory connected to the ROM called the CMOS.
◊ Unlike the ROM, the CMOS needs to have power to keep its data. To ensure that the
CMOS continues to store the BIOS settings (even when the computer is turned off
and disconnected from power) the CMOS is connected to a small battery.
RAM
 all active programs and data that is currently being worked on is stored in its RAM.
 Since the RAM is closely connected to your CPU and has very high read and write
speeds, it can ensure that your CPU has access to all the data it needs when it needs
the data. Without RAM, your computer would need to read and write all data it is
using to your hard drive, which is much slower than the RAM.
 As a result, your CPU would spend a lot of time waiting for data to be loaded.
Examples of data stored in RAM include:
information currently shown on the screen.
applications running in the background.
instructions the computer is busy with.
instructions the computer might need next.
data the computer might need next.
Since RAM is only used for short-term memory storage, it is cleared the moment
you turn off your computer.

Temporary and permanent Storage

Temporary storage includes:
 16 February 2021
 RAM is electronic memory and comprises of a combination of capacitors and
transistors to store data.
 Cache memory is also called CPU memory. It Is very fast and works directly with the
CPU to store small amounts of information that may be needed by the CPU.
 Disk cache memory: Instead of the CPU having to wait for data to be stored on a slow
hard disk, it sends the information to be saved to the disk cache memory. From the
disk cache, the data is written to the hard drive, which stores it permanently.
Permanent storage includes:
 Magnetic tape and hard disk drives use magnetic properties to store and retrieve
information. This allows large amounts of information and programs to be stored
permanently, although the devices take longer to write and read the information than
RAM.
 SSD (Solid State Drives): As with RAM, SSDs store data on a chip, which means
that it uses electricity to store data rather than magnetism like conventional hard
drives or lasers like DVD drives. However, unlike RAM, SSDs can store data
permanently. SSDs are faster but more expensive than a hard disk drive.
 Flash drives use the same technology as SSD’s but usually have a smaller capacity
and are designed to be a portable form of storage.
 Optical storage media: CD, DVD and Blu-ray disks are cheap, portable media that can
be used to store data. While these disks can have a high capacity, they are slower to
read from and write to than all the previous storage types.

Differences between RAM, storage devices and ROM