2023-09-06 14:30:05
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Discover the podcast behind this transcription in Science or Fiction. © Futura
To start, perhaps the concept of RAM does not appeal to everyone, so let’s take a look at the definition.
What is RAM?
ram means Random Access Memory ; this is called the random access memory, or short memory of a computer. This is where data is stored that the computer, and in particular its processor, must easily find in order to function. The goal is to find it quickly to perform immediate processing tasks without having to rummage through long-term storage, such as the hard drive for example. From the start of the computer, it allows quick access to applications, programs and especially the operating system such as Windows, MacOS, or Linux, and others. Well, if it’s a little obscure for you, we’ll use a little analogy. Take the desk where you work every day. To be optimally tidy, it is best to keep on your desk the objects that will be of use to you the most – such as your coffee mug, your laptop, a mouse pad or the course notes you are currently working on. transcribe – and on the contrary, to put away in your drawers the objects which you do not have an immediate need – for example a highlighter or your last year’s lessons. What’s in a drawer is like the computer’s long-term memory, stored in a hard drive. And RAM is what you have right at your fingertips. If at any point you need to compare your notes with last year’s or highlight something, then you can pull your Stabilo or old lessons out of the drawer and pop them into RAM to actively work with. You see ! And besides, we find exactly the same functioning at the level of the brain. Psychologists Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch distinguish between the notions of long-term memory, where we store our know-how and memories, and working memory, made up of the visuo-spatial notebook and the phonological loop.
Other computer components
In short, let’s go back to our computer instead, because we haven’t seen everything yet on the performance side. The RAM connects to the motherboard, a kind of electronic circuit that connects the components together. There is also the processor. It’s a bit like the engine of the computer, it’s both its heart and its brain. And speaking of cores, the processor has several. But nothing to do with our heart! I’m talking about an electronic compound that can support multiple programs at the same time. The higher the number of cores, the more it increases its capacity to handle a heavy workload. For a laptop, you can have up to sixty-four, and in a phone, to give you an idea, it’s more like eight. It is therefore an important element in a purchase. Another important component: the graphics card. It is responsible for producing an image that can be displayed on the screen. In the same way as for processors, there are different models depending on the use you want to make of them. For example, if you want to run the latest video games of the moment, the graphics are such that it is necessary to choose a graphics card with a large RAM. Because yes! It too has its own RAM. And finally, as I told you earlier, a computer would be nothing without a hard drive to store all your data. So for that, there are external hard drives, with which you can transport and store documents and other data, but there is also, inside the construction of the computer, a so-called internal hard drive, which you don’t need to lug around separately.
To choose the right computer
There are obviously other components to make a computer work, but overall these are the main ones, and the most important. So we come to our original question: is RAM memory the element to absolutely prioritize when making a purchase? As we said, the more RAM your computer has, the more it manages to manage a large number of tasks, in parallel with each other. If you’re working with lots of open applications and there isn’t enough RAM, your computer will move things directly to the hard drive to use it as a RAM extension. Convenient, you might say, but that’s what slows down your computer. To avoid this, you must indeed have a sufficient amount of RAM depending on the applications and programs you use. The goal is not to overload your computer, so yes, in that sense, RAM is important. For example, if it is intended to process heavy programs such as editing software, video games, yes, it is advisable to have a RAM with a lot of storage capacity. To give you an idea, for word processing, web browsing or to work with, it is better to favor a RAM that has between 4 and 8 gigabytes of storage. For video editing or games, there on the other hand it is better to invest in a computer with a RAM between 16 and 32 gigas. But this is not the only component that must be taken into account. In this context, you also need a powerful processor and a good graphics card. If your computer is only intended for use in word processing and Internet research, don’t worry, the components of most computers today are more than sufficient to accomplish this type of task without difficulty. And of course, for a laptop, battery life is very important.
Just to put into perspective the amount of information with which our devices juggle today, realize that for its moon landing, the Apollo 11 mission used computers equipped with a RAM of barely 16 bits! The control center had to network several IBM 360s, devices as huge as American refrigerators, all for a processing power representing barely one millionth of the RAM of a low-end laptop. And that was not even 60 years ago! It’s clear, it’s impressive to see how technologies have evolved in such a short time. In short, if you want to buy a computer, make sure that the RAM corresponds to your needs, but do not forget to also check the other criteria that I have mentioned, to be sure that you have something that suits you perfectly. The best thing is to seek advice from a specialist if you ever want a hand!
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