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Commonly confused · IT Support & Hardware

RAM vs ROM: What's the Difference?

RAM is fast, volatile working memory that holds the operating system, programs, and data currently in use, and it loses its contents when power is removed. ROM is non-volatile memory that retains data without power and stores firmware such as the system's UEFI or BIOS.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

vs

ROM (Read-Only Memory)

RAMROM
VolatilityVolatile; cleared at power offNon-volatile; retains data
Read/writeRead and write constantlyRead mostly; flash-based variants can be updated (firmware flash)
PurposeWorking memory for running programsFirmware and boot code
SpeedVery fastSlower
Capacity in a PCGigabytes (e.g. 16-64 GB)Megabytes
TypesDRAM (DDR4, DDR5), SRAM cacheMask ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash
Remember it

RAM forgets when you unplug; ROM remembers forever.

Exam tip

Questions ask what happens to unsaved work during a power loss (lost from RAM) or where firmware lives (ROM/flash). Do not confuse RAM with storage capacity on a drive.

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