What Is RAM And ROM, Their Types, Advantages, Disadvantages

Hello guys, welcome back to my blog. In this article, I will discuss what is RAM and ROM, the types of RAM, the types of ROM, the advantages, the disadvantages, the differences between RAM and ROM, etc.

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What Is RAM And ROM

What is RAM?

A memory that loses its contents if the device or computer loses power is known as volatile storage. RAM stands for random-access memory. When you access software applications, records, or files, they are copied from secondary storage into RAM. They stay in RAM until the files or apps are closed.

When a computer starts up, the operating system is transferred from secondary storage to RAM. If your computer crashes or restarts while you’re working on software, you’ll lose anything that hasn’t been saved. Non-volatile memory is a memory that retains its contents despite the loss of control.

Different types of RAM

Random Access Memory (RAM) is classified into two types. They are

01. DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) – DRAM is the most popular type of computer memory. Each DRAM memory cell in an integrated circuit consists of a transistor and a capacitor, with the capacitor storing a data bit.

Because transistors often lose a tiny amount of charge, the condensers progressively discharge, enabling the information contained in them to empty. As a result, DRAM must be refreshed (given a net electrical charge) every few milliseconds to preserve data.

02. SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) is a kind of memory that consists of four to six transistors. Unlike DRAM, which has to be updated regularly, it keeps data in the memory as long as power is given to the device. As a result, SRAM is more expensive but faster, but DRAM is the more common memory in computers. SRAM does not have to be regularly refreshed.

Advantages of RAM:

Some of the advantages of RAM are:

It speeds up the computer system, and the faster the system is, the more RAM it has.
Data can be read faster by the CPU than by the RAM. There is extremely minimal usage of battery life when compared to hard disc, CD, DVD, FLOPPY, DISK, and USB.
It has the ability to write and erase data.

Disadvantages of RAM:

Some of the disadvantages of RAM are:

When the CPU has to read data from RAM, data access from the registers and cache is sluggish in contrast.
RAM is volatile, which means that it is difficult to store data indefinitely.
It’s not cheap.
It has a limited amount of space.

What is ROM?

Read-Only Memory (ROM) is a type of memory that can only be used once. It’s a type of persistent memory that stores programs while a computer is being built. This memory’s stored programs cannot be modified or erased; they can only be read. As a result, this memory is referred to as read-only memory. The data in the ROM will not be destroyed even if the device is switched off. As a result, ROM is also known as non-volatile memory.

Different types of ROM

Read-Only Memory has three types in it. They are

01. PROM–PROM, sometimes known as programmable ROM, is a kind of computer memory chip that may be modified after it has been manufactured only once by a user. The written information in the PROM is permanent and cannot be deleted or erased once it is programmed.

02. EPROM stands for Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, and it is a non-volatile memory chip invented by Dov Frohman in 1971. An EPROM can be reprogrammed if required when exposed to UV light, but no new data can be accepted or stored if it is not exposed.

EPROM is used by computer makers when the data contained on the EPROM has to be modified. EPROM chips are no longer widely used in computers, and EEPROM chips have taken their place.

03. EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-On Memory)– An EEPROM is an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory that can be erased and reprogrammed using an electrical charge. EEPROM was invented by George Perlegos in 1978 while working at Intel, and unlike conventional computer memory, it maintains data even after the power is turned off.

The BIOS of newer computers manufactured after 1994 uses EEPROM as a replacement for PROM and EPROM chips. An EEPROM machine allows a computer user to update their device’s BIOS without having to open the computer or remove chips.

Advantages of ROM:

Some of the advantages of ROM are:

It is non-volatile and less expensive than RAM since it is static and does not need to be refreshed every time.
Circuits are straightforward, and ROM outperforms RAM in terms of reliability.
Data can be saved indefinitely.
It aids in the startup of the computer and the loading of the operating system.

Disadvantages of ROM:

Some of the disadvantages of ROM are:

The ROM is read-only and cannot be changed.
It is not feasible to make modifications if they are necessary.

To sum up, We discussed in this article about RAM and ROM that each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. However, all types of computer memory devices are required for a computer system to function properly. ROM is cheap and can store data indefinitely, but it has its own set of disadvantages, such as the inability to update data for a predetermined amount of time. Although RAM is expensive, data may be changed several times on it at the same time.

I hope this article ” What Is RAM And ROM ” may help you all a lot. Thank you for reading ” What Is RAM And ROM “.

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Chetan Shidling

Automotive | Technical Blogger | Engineer | Content Creator

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