| Random Access Memory (RAM) is, in summary, memory used by the computer to temporarily store information that needs to be accessed by the processor (CPU). The more RAM is installed in a computer, the less often the CPU has to access the hard drive for data. Since RAM is much, much faster than the hard drive, the more RAM installed in the computer, the faster the CPU and your computer can operate.
An analogy as to how RAM makes your computer faster would be to consider yourself as the CPU, a simple in-out tray as the RAM and a large filing cabinet as the hard drive. The more in-out trays you have at hand, the less often you need to go back and forth and searching through the filing cabinet to look for the necessary paperwork (data), and so the fast you'll be able to get the work done.
For more detailed information about RAM, please see the following Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAM |
