Computer memory guide – what you should know about buying computer memory

Memory of the computer, also known as RAM (random access memory) is the place in the computer where the operating system information about applications and data in use so that they can be quickly reached by the computer processor.

RAM is much faster to read from and write to than the other types of storage in a computer, the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM. However, the data in RAM only remains only as long as your computer is running. When the computer is turned off, lose its data RAM.When you turn the computer back on, your operating system and other files in RAM, usually loaded from the hard disk. There is technology in the works to solve this problem, but that takes a while to get the rest of us.

Computer memory can be likened to a persons short-term memory and the hard disk to the long-term memory. The short-term memory focuses on work at hand, but so many facts only for the purposes of a specific time.Long term memory is much more abundant, and lasts much longer.

Computers work much like this also, random access memory (RAM) ensures the current workload and the hard disk are long term data saved. the faster these two can work, the faster your computer can calculate.

There are three types of memory of the computer.

SDRAM-the slowest, but cheapest

DDR-quickly and efficiently and very cost effective

DDR2-the fastest available memory so far

RDRAM-use the quickest and the most expensive, generally a pain because they are to be used in pairs

The motherboard must be compatible with the type of memory that you want to use. Different motherboard companies produce motherboards with SDRAM and DDR slots, which may not be used at the same time, but it's nice to have a choice of what you can use.

Each type of RAM also has several speeds with which it works, and the motherboard must also support this speeds. DDR for example, currently in either pc2100, pc2700, pc3200, & in while DDR2 pc4200, pc3200, pc5400, pc6400, & pc8000.

RAM also works on various megahertz, limited by the megahertz that front-side bus on your motherboard works (the Front Side Bus, or FSB, the channel is on the motherboard uses information from the CPU to the RAM) so if you RAM who works at 500 megahertz and the FSB of your motherboard only runs at 333 MHz and 333 MHz is the fastest your memory also can perform.

A very important note about the memory of the computer, you do not want to mix different speeds of memory, because the motherboard will the slowest speed and all the rest of the fast memory at that lower speed dummy. here is an example:

You have three sticks of DDR memory in your computer, of 2 pc2700 and 1 pc2100. The motherboard slows down the 2 pc2700 of the speed of the pc2100, so they all at the same speed.

Although this scenario works ok, it's not a good idea, because you set the value of the higher-speed RAM have lost.