Types Of Computer Memories
What are the types of computer memories? As you probably know, the computer has been designed after human body. The processor may be associated with human brain that processes the information and give orders, and video card with the most important sense of man, named sight. The memory together with the processor, it represented the computer model appeared through the years 40. Similar to our memory, the types of computer memories of your PC retains information necessary for a certain period of time.
There are 2 types of computer memories:
Internal memory:
The location of temporary storage of data in a computer for this types of computer memories
External memory:
This types of computer memories is a permanent data storage area (storage devices, e.x : hard drives, flash, CD/DVD)
The internal memory contains the raw data to be processed, and processing results, but this information is temporary in most cases. The memory can work as well as a channel of communications between microprocessor and peripheral devices. The internal memory from the point of view of Volatile is of 2 types:
-ROM (Read Only Memory) – is a non-volatile memory (does not lose the content if the computer shuts down) may not be ‘written’ by the user (as it is inscribed by the producer using a special apparatus), it is having a low capacity up to 2 MB and is used for storing information about the hardware, small programs that configure different devices. When the computer starts,this types of computer memories, the ROM memory check information relating to technical components, the motherboard type, the size of memory RAM, hard drive type, and existence of keyboard, mouse, monitor)
-RAM (Random Access Memory) – this type of computer memories is a volatile memory (shall be forfeited at shut down the computer), can be read and modified and is used to store programs and data, considered the main computer’s working memory
-the cache memory is a mechanism for storage of high-speed. This type of memory comes to supplant the slow response to the requirements microprocessor of RAM, storing for a limited amount of time of programs or data most commonly used by arithmetic-logic unit of the processor. The cache may be a section reserved for the main memory, or a stand-alone device. It is sometimes incorporated into the architecture microprocessor.
How memory works?
The computer uses a binary counting system that used only the digits number 0 and 1. This basis is used in the field computers as all the numbers may be represented as strings, electronic pulses switched on and off (0 -> off, 1 -> running). Bit or binary digit represents the smallest unit of data that can be represented and processed by the computer. A succession of 8 bits is called byte or octet. The data represented in memory occupies a sequence of bytes. Byte is the smallest unit of data that can be represented and addressed in the memory of the computer. Byte is in fact display of a character. The character is to be understood as a letter, a digit, a sign of a graphic symbol or punctuation represented in memory.
