Learn About Laptop Memory

Laptop memory quick guide

What is it?

Also known as random access memory (RAM). It is one of many types of memory in computers. RAM is a volatile memory, which means it will lose all stored data when power is turned off. It's main role is to store the operating system and currently active applications, so that the CPU can access them quickly to reduce the bottleneck from the much slower non-volatile memory. Think of it like your desk's surface. You get your files from the file cabinet (non-volatile memory). Then, you can only place a limited amount of open files or notebooks on your desk that you can work on. If your desk surface is bigger, you can place more files that you can work on. Similarly, if you have more RAM, then you can have more applications open at the same time.

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How does it work?

Memory works by doing the following (over simplified) steps:

  1. Retrieves data from non-volatile memory
  2. Sends requested data to CPU
  3. Receives processed data from CPU

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