RAM explained - what is it?

The term "RAM" appears again and again in relation to the hardware of a computer. We provide the explanation behind the term.

Simply explained: what is RAM?

The abbreviation RAM stands for "Random Access Memory" and is better known in German as working memory.

• The main memory is a temporary memory in which Windows buffers all running processes and programs. If you are currently reading this article in the browser, your browser is also occupying some RAM. This is the only way he can run.
• At least one RAM module is installed in each computer (see picture). A RAM module usually has 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 gigabytes of memory. RAM with 32 and 64 GB of memory are currently still quite expensive. In most cases, 4 gigabytes of RAM are sufficient to run normal programs. More complex programs and games usually run much better with 8 GB RAM.
• If you open a large number of programs at the same time and your computer has relatively little RAM, it is usually overloaded and runs slowly. The amount of RAM also contributes to the speed and resilience of your computer.
• You can use the Task Manager to check the current utilization of your working memory. Here you can also see which programs and processes use a lot or little memory.
• If you switch off your computer, the memory is emptied again. For this reason, a restart can speed up a somewhat lame system.
• For some years now, the classic DDR3 RAM has been replaced by DDR4 RAM. DDR4 has some advantages, but is currently a bit more expensive. Here you can find a comparison between DDR3 and DDR4.

In the next practical tip we will show what the abbreviation LAN is all about.