Memory and processors Flashcards
What category does memory come under
primary memory
What is memory used for
To store instructions so that it can be quickly fetched by the processer and carried out.
How is Memory different from storage-
It can be accessed faster by the processor
It has a lesser relative capacity compared to storage
Memory is volatile, what does this mean?
It cannot store data if there is no power in the computer system.
Having more RAM will allow the user to….
Open and run more applications at the same time.
What will happen when there is no space left in a computers RAM to store instructions.
The operating system of that device will create virtual memory for the remaining instructions by using an area of secondary storage.
The user has opened multiple applications on his computer and has noticed a significant drop in the system’s performance- why is this?
It is most likely because the computer has run out of RAM to store the instructions of all those programs. The operating system has created virtual memory for those excess instructions using an area of secondary storage.
The user’s laptop repair person has told him that his SSD has reduced in terms of performance- what is most likely to have caused this.
As a lot of excess instructions of the users programs were constantly swapped to and from the SSD which served as the virtual memory for these instructions, the device has been worn out.
The user is unable to afford buying more ram cards and having them installed on the motherboard, what is something he can do for now to improve the systems performance and why would it work.
He can close the programs he is not actively using, so that more RAM is made available. The instructions stored on the virtual memory can then be moved to this available RAM. The processor will take lesser time to fetch those instructions and that will improve the systems performance.
A user can add more RAM to a computer but up to a maximum limit supported by the…..
computer and its operating system.
The user has updated most of his applications, why can adding more RAM be useful to improve his systems performance?
Updates include more complex features which often require the use of more memory.
The two signs you have high ram
Programs and applications launch quickly and respond promptly to user input.
The system runs smoothly and without significant lag, even when running multiple programs simultaneously or performing resource-intensive tasks.
Rom is used in single purpose computers. What are single purpose computers?
Computer systems that store only one program.
What are the two things general purpose computers use ROM for?
To boot the system
to load the operating system from the secondary storage.
What is ROM’s full name and what is it generally used to refer to?
- masked programmed read only memory
-Memory that cannot be changed after manufacture.
