The
computer relies on physical storage memory, which is called random access
memory or RAM, and it relies on virtual memory. System memory or RAM does not
work in the same way as mechanical hard disk drives and solutions that hold
content when your computer is shut down. When a program is started, the central
processor gives a command to retrieve instructions from the hard disk. Once
these instructions are retrieved, the system will need a workspace to process
this data and allow the user to interact with it, this space is RAM or as we
call it RAM.
The
operating system is concerned with storing all program instructions in RAM, but
you may be wondering, why isn't this workspace on disk storage instead of RAM,
the answer is simply that RAM runs at twice the speed of fixed storage
solutions when it comes to the central processor's request for data from in
order to analyze and process it. So this in turn poses a very important
question, do I need to increase the capacity of the RAM, or do I need the
memory with higher frequencies?
What is RAM
First of all, the more RAM you have, the better chance
you have of making the larger workspace available to you while dealing with
multiple programs at the same time. But if you are facing a noticeable slowdown
in performance as a result of the apparent deficit in the RAM capacity, your
only option is to increase the memory capacity or rely on some alternative
methods as a temporary solution such as using a flash drive and converting it
to a virtual RAM memory.
But one way or another you will eventually need to buy
an additional RAM chip sooner to be able to interact better with the system
because the central processor has the ability to access RAM faster than
external storage drives. This brings us back to our starting point to remember
that RAM has two main characteristics that affect system performance: capacity
and speed.
RAM capacity: The more gigabytes of RAM, the more
programs and applications you can run simultaneously. For example, 2 to 4 GB
was recommended with XP and Vista and this was the same time laptops were
shipped with that capacity. This capacity did not allow us to deal with many
applications simultaneously, and it was always better to run one application at
a time.
Today, some budget laptops are still shipped with a
capacity of 4 to 6 GB, which is sufficient for browsing the Internet,
responding to electronic mail, and productivity programs such as writing and
blogging programs. As for the RAM capacity from 6 to 8 GB, it is suitable for
the category of casual gamers and some methods of multimedia program work, and
it also allows running a number of different programs simultaneously. Anything
more than 8GB is for seasoned gamers, creators, and professional software users
to edit photos, videos, etc.
RAM Speed: Speed expresses the amount of time the RAM takes to receive
instructions from the central processor and then write or read data. In
general, the higher the speeds of the RAM memory, the more this helps to
perform the processing process in fewer periods of time. Frequency speed plays
a critical role in sending information to other hardware components, meaning a
faster central processor will have a better chance of dealing with
higher-frequency RAM. This helps to raise the overall performance and make the
computer more efficient.
The frequency of the RAM is measured in megahertz,
which means millions of cycles per second, which is the same as the number of
clock cycles of a central processor. But speed is not everything in RAM, CPU
frequency (IMC) and motherboard bus speed play the most important role in
determining the real working speed of RAM.
Why do we need RAM in the first place?
Considering that you have narrowed down the source of
your computer's slowdown to RAM, now which of the two would be better,
increasing the capacity of the RAM or buying RAM with higher frequencies? To
answer this question, you need to think about RAM as a short-term memory that
the central processor uses as a workspace that allows it to store instructions
and processed data until it needs it again, then it will be able to access it
quickly and a short period of time and repeat if necessary.
This memory allows the entire operating system to
speed up the process of responding to commands immediately instead of waiting
for several seconds. You might think that several seconds is a short period of
time, but in reality seconds in a computer operating system means very slow
execution of tasks and a noticeable delay in the overall performance output -
which I mean, this computer is old and you'll feel like it's from the Middle
Ages although the rest of the hardware specs can be pretty good.
So we always need an instantaneous response time which
is in nanoseconds rather than several seconds or even one second. But if you
feel that your computer is struggling hard while opening and running programs,
or delays in loading the main interface of programs and applications, or
responding in executing the commands you ask from these programs during your
work, then these are all indications of a shortage in RAM capacity, not speed.
This slowdown, delay, and poor performance result from
the CPU having to empty the tasks and processes it handled to the storage disk
memory instead of the RAM because there is no free space on it. The storage
space on the hard disk may be very large, and you can also have super-fast SSD
storage solutions, but no matter how fast they are, they are very slow compared
to the speed of RAM, and the physical distance between the integrated central
processor bus and the storage disks is far Very much compared to the distance
between it and the RAM memory.
The difference between capacity and speed
RAM capacity can be measured in MB, GB, or TB. The
larger the RAM capacity, the less likely the processor will need the hard drive
while storing temporary files. But once you have enough RAM to meet all your
business requirements and needs, then you have reached the point that any
additional increase in capacity will not benefit you and is not important to
improving or enhancing the performance of your computer. Only in this case can
the speed of the higher frequencies be taken advantage of - even if they are of
the same amplitude.
There are two criteria that determine the speed of
RAM: Frequencies, which mean the bandwidth of the amount of data that can be
sent and received with the central processor per second, and its speed is
specified in megahertz, and the higher it is in the megahertz frequency, the
more it has the ability It increases the amount of data being transferred.
While the other factor is the effect of timings on how quickly the RAM responds
to the request submitted by the central processor, and these timings are
measured in milliseconds, ms, and the lower the timing values, the faster the
RAM is in response time to execute commands and tasks.
So when you have enough RAM for your usage
requirements, start thinking about RAM with faster frequencies and lower
timings because it will play on increasing the amount of data that can be
stored or transferred in faster periods of time, and this is the same reason
why users resort to overclocking or activating Setting an XMP profile for RAM.
Eventually (theoretically) you will get faster frequencies and lower timings
for higher efficiency and faster performance for the entire computer system.
Is the amplitude or frequency of the ram enough for you?
The 8 to 16 GB RAM is supposed to be enough to handle
professional business software and video and audio editing in the best possible
way, this capacity will allow you not to think about upgrading or increasing
for several years to come. If you are a gamer, it is necessary to have 16 GB of
RAM, however, there are many games that are not looking to use more than 8 GB
nowadays.
Nowadays we can consider that 32 GB of RAM is not
necessary - if you are not thinking of building a server or workstation for
example - 32 GB is an excessively large capacity, especially since there is a
good chance that you might consider Change the platform completely in the
coming years, then we may be starting to deal with the next generation DDR5
memory. Before we talk about the necessary frequency, remember that the
motherboard determines the speed of the supported memory frequency, and the
memory bus built into the CPU block determines what the frequency and bandwidth
of the RAM are working with.
Here we will ask if the RAM controller built into the
CPU core works at a maximum of 2133MHz, why is there 2666MHz, 3600MHz, or
higher RAM? The answer to this question lies in overclocking or activating the
XMP profile mode. As the CPU overclocks, the bandwidth of the data that the
integrated memory controller can send and receive will increase.
But remember, although the speed of higher frequencies
increases the amount of data that can be transferred, there are many theories
and reviews that confirm that the increase in performance is not noticeable in
practice, meaning that there is no need to buy RAM with higher frequencies than
the bandwidth supported by Pre-memory microcontroller built into the central
processor. If the processor supports memory with a frequency of 2133MHz, there
is no need to buy RAM higher than this frequency because the performance
difference on the ground does not require the difference in the financial cost
that will fall on you, and also if the frequency of the memory controller supports
2933MHz, there is no need for 4200MHz memory.
As for professionals and hobbyists who break speed barriers and own motherboards that support high frequencies, this may be their chance to achieve records in benchmark and review software only, but real businesses do not really benefit greatly from these frequencies.