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IT Support & Hardware · Foundational

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Volatile working memory that holds the OS, running programs, and active data for fast CPU access.

Definition

RAM is volatile, so its contents are lost when power is removed. Insufficient RAM causes heavy paging to disk and slow performance. PC RAM is typically DRAM installed as DIMMs or SO-DIMMs, or soldered in thin laptops.

Example

Upgrading a laptop from 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM reduces paging when many browser tabs are open.

Exam tip

Slow performance with high disk activity and high memory use points to insufficient RAM.

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