MEMORY

Refers to electronic components of the PC that store data and instructions either temporarily or in
various degrees of permanently.
Technically memory is the storage device on the computer, including the hard disk, floppy disks,
ROM, RAM and cache.
However in its more common usage, memory is the part of the computer’s hardware that is used
to hold data and instructions before and after they are passed to the CPU for analysis and
execution.

Types of main memory

There are two types of main memory, Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only
Memory (ROM)
Random Access Memory (RAM)
holds its data as long as the computer is switched on

All data in RAM is lost when the computer is switched off

Described as being volatile

It is direct access as it can be both written to or read from in any order

Its purpose is to temporarily hold programs and data for processing. In modern computers it also
holds the operating system.

Read only Memory ( ROM)

ROM (Read Only Memory) is used to store the instructions provided by the

manufacturer, which holds the instructions to check basic hardware

interconnecter and to load operating system from appropriate storage device

TYPES OF RAM
1. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)

• Contents are constantly refreshed 1000 times per second

• Access time 60 – 70 nanoseconds

Note: a nanosecond is one billionth of a second!

2. Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM)

• Quicker than DRAM

• Access time less than 60 nanoseconds

3. Direct Ram bus Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRDRAM)
• New type of RAM architecture

• Access time 20 times faster than DRAM

• More expensive

4. Static Random Access Memory (SRAM)

• Doesn’t need refreshing

• Retains contents as long as power applied to the chip

 • Access time around 10 nanoseconds

• Used for cache memory

• Also for date and time settings as powered by small battery

5. Cache memory
• Small amount of memory typically 256 or 512 kilobytes

• Temporary store for often used instructions

• Level 1 cache is built within the CPU (internal)

• Level 2 cache may be on chip or nearby (external)

• Faster for CPU to access than main memory

The operation of Cache memory

6. Video Random Access Memory

• Holds data to be displayed on computer screen
 • Has two data paths allowing READ and WRITE to occur at the same time
• A system’s amount of VRAM relates to the no. of colors and resolution
7.Virtual Memory.
• Uses backing storage e.g. harddisk as a temporary location for programs and data where
insufficient RAM available.
• Swaps programs and data between the hard-disk and RAM as the CPU requires them for
processing
• Virtual memory is much slower than RAM

Types of Rom
• PROM ( programmable Read Only Memory) –type of ROM that can be written to by the user.
Data is held permanently once it is written.
• EPROM – (Erasable programmable Read Only Memory) – can be programmed by the user but it
can be erased. Its removed from the computer to be erased by use of EPROM erasers.
• EAPROM (Electrically Alterable Programmable Read Only Memory) – it can be read, erased
and deleted. It is erased without removing it from the computer . however the erasing and writing
is very slow which limits the use of these memory.
• EEPROM (Electrically erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) – similar to EAPROM

Memory configurations
• The elementary unit of memory is a bit. A group of 4 bits is called a nibble and a group of
8 bits is called a byte. One byte is the minimum space required to store one character.

Other units of memory are:

• 1 KB (Kilo Byte) = 210 bytes = 1024 bytes

• 1 MB (Mega Byte) = 210 KB = 1024 KB

• 1 GB (Giga Byte) = 210 MB = 1024 MB

• 1 TB (Tera Byte) = 210 GB = 1024 GB

• 1 PB (Peta Byte) = 210 TB = 1024 TB