RAM architecture

In random-access memory (RAM) the memory cells can be accessed for information transfer from any desired random location. That is, the process of locating a word in memory is the same and requires an equal amount of time no matter where the cells are located physically in memory.

Due to RAM architecture, the memory cells can be accessed for information from anywhere on the computer system.

This communication between different peripherals and RAM is achieved by data input and output lines, control lines which specify the direction of transfer, and address selection lines.

The n data input lines deliver the all information which are hold in the memory, and n data output lines transfer the information that is come out of specific word selected among the 2k available. inside the memory.

Types of RAM
*SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) - is made up of four to six transistors. The word static indicates that the memory retains its contents as long as power is being supplied unlike DRAM, which has to be refreshed periodically.
*DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) - is widely used as a computer’s main memory. Each DRAM memory cell is made up of a transistor and a capacitor within an integrated circuit, and a data bit is stored in the capacitor. DRAM must be continually refreshed in order to maintain the data. This is done by placing the memory on a refresh circuit that rewrites the data several hundred times per second.
*VRAM (Video Random Access Memory)
RAM architecture

System RAM

RAM is the hardware location in a computer where the operating system, application programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer's processor. RAM is acronym used for Random Access Memory. RAM is much faster to read from and write to than most other kinds of storage in a computer (the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM).

When the user opens an application, it is loaded into RAM. RAM can be compared to a person's short-term memory and the hard disk to the long-term memory. The short-term memory focuses on work at hand, but can only keep so many facts in view at one time.

When the user saves a file and close the application, the file is written to the specified storage device, and then it and the application are purged from RAM.

Without RAM it becomes impossible to get very far, from the moment the PC is turned ON. The software applications installed on the computer depends largely on the RAM. It is responsible for holding the data while any application is running. Once the application is closed without saving, the data gets lost.

RAM is called "random access" because any storage location can be accessed directly. Externally, RAM is a chip that comes embedded in a personal computer motherboard with a variable amount of additional modules plugged into motherboard sockets. To add memory to the computer, just simply add more RAM modules in a prescribed configuration.

Whether it comes from permanent storage (the hard drive) or input (the keyboard), most data goes in random access memory (RAM) first. The CPU then stores pieces of data it will need to access, often in a cache, and maintains certain special instructions in the register.

The opposite of RAM is Serial Access Memory (SAM). SAM stores data as a series of memory cells that can only be accessed sequentially. If the data is not at the current location, each memory cell is checked until the needed data is found.
System RAM