Computer Memory

We all know that a computer works based on the I/O

cycle. In a simple method, the input we give, the process,
and the output that gets. To understand clearly, let say
the user gives the input to the system and the given input
processed by the processor, and the processed data is
given as output.

Different devices perform different operations in the

computer, and the input device gives the input to the
computer, the processing device processes the required
result for the given input. and the output devices display
the output. But how the data get processed? Where was
this data stored in the computer?.

In Order to store the information in the computer system.

we require another device called the storage device. The
computer must use the storage memory to store the
information. These devices we call the storage devices.
We all know, the computer only understands the binary
language called 0's and 1's. The set of all eight bits
combination of them both 0's and 1's are called the bytes.

Every symbol, operator word has its own binary code in

it. It is difficult to understand the language of the
computer. so to avoid this problem, there are some
components which to translate the binary code into user
understandable language. Now, let us know the capacity
of the storage device of the computer.

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we have different types of memory sizes in the
computer, we have some of the units to measure the
memory in the system. We have the memory sizes in
bytes, kilobytes, Megabytes, Terabytes, Petabytes,
Exabytes, Zettabytes, and Yottabytes. We also have
different kinds of memory in the computer system.

Typically, we have two types of memory like primary

memory and secondary memory. The primary memory is
also called the internal memory and the secondary
memory is also called the External memory. The primary
memory is the main memory in the system.

The primary memory is again divided into two types lie

RAM and ROM. RAM stands for "Random access
memory" and the ROM stands for "Read Only Memory".
The Secondary memory can store the information
permanently in it. It is the permanent storage memory,
For example, hard disk, SSD, pen drive, CD, discs,
DVD, and many more. Let us understand each type of
the devices individually.

In primary memory, we have RAM. RAM stands for

random access memory, it stores the information
temporarily and all the information gets disappears once
the process is getting done. So the random access
memory is also called temporary storage memory.

The best example for primary memory is MS paint, if the

system gets off without saving the editings you need,
then the drawings you have done on the MS paint gets
disappear instantly after the system gets turned off.

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Another type in the primary memory is the Read-only
memory, the read-only memory can store the data
permanently, once the information stored in the memory,
it can get changed further.

The best example for secondary memory is a program to

start the system, a program to shut down a system, etc.
There is much permanent storage memory in the system.
Let us discuss some of the permeant storage memories in
the computer system. One of the Examples is a Hard
disk. the hard disk is the fixed permanent storage
memory, it is getting fixed in the computer system. Once
any file is get saved in the primary memory, the
information is immediately copied to the secondary
memory like a hard disk.

We can also store in any other secondary storage

memories. The harddisk is again divided into two types
like Internal Hard disk and External Hard disk. Another
permanent storage memory is a solid-state drive, it
works similar to the hard disk but works faster than the
hard disk the SSD also can be divided into two types.

There are an Internal hard disk and an external hard disk

with a capacity of 128 GB to 2 TB. We have a high
booting system when we install the operating system in
the SSD. The SSD stands for a solid-state drive that
works faster than the hard disk. The solid-state drive has
cost expensive than the hard drive.

The other example of permanent storage is a pen drive.

The pen drove can be referred to as the small portable

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device that stores the information permanently. The pen
drive can also be called the flash device acts as the
permanent data storage. The pen drive is easy to use as
we can carry the pen drive anywhere. The pen drive can
have a storage capacity of TB.

There are many more storage devices like CD, DVD,

BD. All these devices are portable in nature but have
different storage capacities. There is one more storage
device called the data card. we might have a brief idea
about what is a data card is. The data card can normally
be used in cameras, tablets, mobile phones, etc.

It is also called a smart card. Another most known

permanent storage is cloud storage, nowadays many
companies preferring to store the data in clouds, the data
can be stored in the cloud. All the files documents and
any personal information can be stored in the cloud
storage.

The data can be stored in remote servers through the

internet. The best examples for cloud storage are google
drive, dropbox, etc. The main advantage of using cloud
storage is, we can access the data and at any time
anywhere. Everything stored in the computer memory
can be in the form of bits.

All the files and programs consist of the millions of bits

in it and get processed through the central processing
unit. Always there be a struggle in storing and managing
the huge data of the users, so we use different types of
memory storage like short term memory and long term

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memory, the short term memory can be used to store the
data that need to be executed where the long term
storage is used to store the data permanently as we
discussed above.

When we run a program in the computer system, the

operating system allocates space in the short term
memory to execute instructions in it. When we click a
button to download a particular file in the operating
system, the CPU will access the information present at
that particular file to retrieve the information from the
file. The time that takes to perform these operations is
called memory latency.

For the process of the execution, we use short term

memory storage so that the information can be accessed
quickly. so we called the short term the random access
memory. Each Random access memory consists of a tiny
transistor a memory in it that stores the data in the form
of 0's and 1's. It can also consist of another RAM called
the static RAM. The static RAM acts as the high-speed
internal memory cache.

Static RAM is shortly called the S-RAM that consists of

six interlocked transistors in it. It works as the fastest
memory in the computer system and very expensive. It
can hold the data only when the system power is gone. to
store permanently, we have to store the data in the
permanent storage device.

The storages like magnetic storage, optical-based

storage, and solid-state drives. Magnetic storage is the

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cheapest storage, the data can be stored in the magnetic
pattern on a spinning that coated with the magnetic film.

The disc should rotate where the data is located. We also

have optical-based storage like DVD and Blue-ray uses
the spinning disks with the reflective coating on it. In the
optical storage, the bits are encoded in the form of dark
and light spots, that can be read by the laser. Optical
storage is the cheapest than optical-based storage and has
slower latencies than magnetic storage with a lower
capacity.

Another type of storage is Solid-state drives SSD. The

SSD's are the newest and the fastest of the other storage
device types. There doesn't have any of the moving parts
in it and uses the transistors by storing the bits in the
form of the elctric charges.

The computer memory can degrade very quickly, the

heat generated from the device can lead to degrading or
demagnetizes the hard drives. T may also lead to
leakage. The solid-state drives have the additional
weakness. The continuously writing of the floating gates
may make them work less. The data that lives on the
storage media will have less life expectancy than the
other storage devices.

Many scientists are trying to improve the memory

devices to work faster and with more durable. The
memories can play the same role as all the different
types of storage devices, but only differs the
implementation for the various types of storage devices.

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Every computer memory can take the input in the form
of bits. It can also be called binary digits. We can switch
data between the two possible states for the possible
values 0's and 1's.

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