Leetzone

Leon takes you through the basics of RAM, explaining what it is, how it works, and why you should stock up on some! Check out tv.theleetzone.com for more in depth detail and much cooler pictures.

What is RAM (Random Access Memory)?

RAM (aka system memory) is the short term memory of your computer’s mind. Think of RAM as your physical workspace in your office, or your desk in your dorm. You can only fit so much on it at one time, correct? All the stuff you put on your desk is the stuff you plan on working CURRENTLY working on. The rest is filed away in a drawer or a binder or some sort of storage. That storage is the Hard Drive, or hard disk drive, in your computer. You can then think of yourself as the processor, or the CPU. But back to the desk, the bigger your desk is, the more items you can put on it to work on at the same time.

The bottom line? Adding more RAM allows your computer to have multiple programs open at the same time, and will allow you to switch between them seamlessly. But why?

How does RAM work?

Think back to the desk analogy and you’ll get the gist of how RAM works. As I explain in the video using some really crappy drawings, RAM is the middle man between the SUPER DUPER FAST processor (aka CPU) and the MOLASSES-LY SLOW hard drive (aka storage space). If your computer needs to think of something or get something done, it’ll grab a bunch of data from the hard drive and stick it in the RAM where the processor can work on it much more quickly than from the hard drive. Another way to look at it is if you have 2 buildings - 1 where you store a bunch of stuff, and the other where you work on things. In the storage facility, you have a golf cart to move stuff around in. But to travel between the storage facility and your workplace you have a souped up pick-up truck, custom made by Ferarri. Would you rather deliever materials between the storage facility and your workplace using the golf cart? NO WAY. You use the golf cart to load the kickass Ferarri truck, and then drive the Ferarri truck to the workplace! It’s much more efficient that way.

Why do I need RAM?

If you want to have a bunch of programs open and still have a blazingly fast computer, you need RAM. These days, I’d say 2GB is about average, but for new computers 4GB (gigabyte, thats 1,024 MB [thats megabyte 1,024KB or kilobyte {which is 1024 Bytes } ] ) to 8GB is becoming the standard. Honestly, my ‘powerhouse’ work desktop only has 2GB of RAM. I could definitely use an upgrade to 4GB as my computer would feel much snappier, but I live with it!

Common RAM confusions

• There IS an upper limit on RAM though. If you have 32GB of RAM, but if you’re only going to have a few programs open (ex. MS Word, a web browser, iTunes, and AIM), they will only take up a small fraction of the RAM… the rest is unused and wont have any impact on performance. It doesn’t matter how large your workdesk is since you’re limited by how fast you (the CPU) can actually perform the tasks.
• A lot of beginners confused hard drive space with system memory / RAM. When you’re looking at labels, the much larger number is usually disk space… nowadays you’ll be seeing things like 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, etc. for hard drive space.
• There are multiple speeds for RAM… the most common today is DDR2-800 PC-6400 … all you need to worry about is the 800, it means the speed is 800mHz (megahertz). Higher performance RAM is DDR2-1066, older RAM is DDR-400.
• If you decide to upgrade your RAM, do a little bit a research (shoot me an email, leon@theleetzone.com) because the RAM in your computer probably has to match speeds. I can link you up to a few guides on how to find the right RAM or install it yourself, but Leetzone can always help with that :)