What is the role of RAM in a computer?

Kaustubh Katdare · 2009-10-05T18:58:11+00:00

While we all seriously question the effectiveness of education systems, we never bother how far we go on our own to satisfy our curiosity. I had few shocking realizations in past about how careless most of the engineers are. I used to ask above question to all the CS engineers I interviewed - and shockingly 80% of them were totally clueless. So now, answer these question for the benefit of clueless engineers: 1. What is the role of RAM in a computer? 2. Can a computer function without RAM? CE can seriously help you prepare for Interviews, folks. No one expects CS engineers to bullshit in personal interviews.

What is the role of RAM in a computer?

Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator

Updated: Oct 26, 2024

Views: 1.3K

While we all seriously question the effectiveness of education systems, we never bother how far we go on our own to satisfy our curiosity. I had few shocking realizations in past about how careless most of the engineers are. I used to ask above question to all the CS engineers I interviewed - and shockingly 80% of them were totally clueless.

So now, answer these question for the benefit of clueless engineers:

1. What is the role of RAM in a computer?
2. Can a computer function without RAM?

CE can seriously help you prepare for Interviews, folks. No one expects CS engineers to bullshit in personal interviews.

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Anil Jain

Member • Oct 5, 2009

The_Big_K
1. What is the role of RAM in a computer?
RAM is the pool of memory accessible from the processors. It is the space available for the processor (CPU) to work in. The more the merrier. The faster, the even merrier.

The_Big_K
2. Can a computer function without RAM?
Nopes, the OS needs atleast a partial amount of RAM to work and programs need RAM as well. Without RAM Any computer wont make it past the BIOS menu.

PS: Though Virtual machines don't have the physical RAM still they eats up RAM of the physical machines.

-CB

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Rohan_sK

Member • Oct 5, 2009

Though I am not a CS engineer that doesnt imply that I should keep myself from getting the correct knowledge about the technology we use daily. As Biggie rightly said its an ignorance on our part.
The question what Biggie has asked is in the real sense how deep we can go logically rather than just taking the things we use daily for granted.
I too am not sure of th answer but I will try to answer to the best of what I think should be the case. Please correct me if I am wrong and add to my knowledge. I have not refered to any Computer Engineering book before answering this question so please excuse me if I sound stupid.

The answers:

1. What is the role of RAM in a computer?
The RAM is the temporary memory used to load the OS and other prorgams and applications while he PC functions. It is a dynamic memeory which can read and write data ( does both) as far as the power is ON. And the processor accesses it to receive any particular data required to be processed and it stores temporarily the data that we input when a particular program runs ( the input we give).

The BIOS which boots the PC and searches and loads the OS to the RAM does it from ROM which is a computer chip on which the data is stored permanenetly on it and cant be modified ie nothing can be written into it after the initial software for booting is loaded into it and stays there permanently.

2. Can a computer function without RAM?
Now this the trick part. To the best of what comes to me is that as the OS creates the Virtual Memory on the HDD by what is called creating a Pagefile when the PC runs out of RAM it is clear that the HDD though a permanent memory it is readable as well as writeable memory.
So the programs can be stored there and accessed by the processor from the HDD in the same way it does from the RAM the only difference being the Speed of the two.

So what I think is that if the ROM chips can hold data to instruct the BIOS to load the OS from the HDD to the RAM it can be made possilble to program such chips with instructions to load the OS directly to the Pagefile. And a certain amount of space be already allocated on the HDD as a sort of permanent Page file where the OS can be loaded and reside and hold some other programs as well.
And from there on the OS can load all other apllications in the Virtual Memory itself just as it does normally when the system runs out of RAM.

And the system can work from here but just with a bugging slow speed. But as far a possibility is concerned I think it can work.

And to add to the justification I can cite the examples of many other chip controlled electronic systems and equipments of daily use making using sensors to control various functions by means of chips holding data the small set of instructions necessary for the working and do not have a seperate dedicated RAM as such. Eg. modern refrigerators, many systems in cars using ICs, washing machines, microwaves etc.

So story cut short : We can possibly have a computer without a RAM and have pre porgrammed ROM chips to load the OS to the Virtual Memory from where all other applications can be loaded and accessed from by the Pocessor. Provided the Pagefile is big enough in space ( MBs) to atleast hold the OS and some other applications simultaneously. and the other possibility with this system would be low speed and limitations on available space on HDD.

I can be totally wrong in the concept technically please excuse my ignorance and correct me.

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Anil Jain

Member • Oct 5, 2009

Rohan_sK
So story cut short : We can possibly have a computer without a RAM and have pre porgrammed ROM chips to load the OS to the Virtual Memory from where all other applications can be loaded and accessed from by the Pocessor. Provided the Pagefile is big enough in space ( MBs) to atleast hold the OS and some other applications simultaneously. and the other possibility with this system would be low speed and limitations on available space on HDD.

I can be totally wrong in the concept technically please excuse my ignorance and correct me.
I appreciates your efforts put in to explain this. Theoritically all the information you gave looks good. But my question is can a computer be booted without RAM. My knowledge says that BIOS requires RAM to compile and load windows files. So for booting virtual memory can not be of great help.

Again this is my perception, not sure about answer. Any CS gurus please confirm the answer.

-CB

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Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator • Oct 5, 2009

The question is very simple and I believe computer science engineers should be able to answer it through common sense. I remember I asked this question to a fresh computer science graduate whom I was interviewing for a technical position. I was shocked to see that she couldn't go beyond repeating 'Its volatile memory' {something she had read in books} for whole 5 minutes.

I began asking the same question to almost every computer science engineer I interviewed.

I hope some day CEans will influence the way things are taught in schools & colleges.

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MaRo

Member • Oct 5, 2009

Imagine it's a clinic, a big room for the waiting patients (hard disk), a smaller secretary room with the next 2 patients (RAM) & the doctor's room with one patient (CPU)

Same analogy for computers but more stations till the CPU:

1- Hard disk
2- Virtual memory (on the hard disk)
3- RAM
4- CPU cache
5- CPU (Registers)

The ratio between CPU memory (Registers) & Hard disk speed is like the ratio between swimming & jumping into a blackhole, so we will need some way to get to a middle point between the two speeds, RAM is this point.

this was the answer for question one.

Question 2:

If you can get the swimming speed to the speed of jumping into a blackhole (speed of light) all the way down to the processor will not be needed, but with ratio between both development speed it can't be done, unless processors stop or hard disks get to speed of light, i.e. 15 years ago, Windows 95 days 16 MB was a great piece of RAM, now processor caches get up 16 MB & even more, they're scaling in parallel.

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Mahesh Dahale

Member • Oct 5, 2009

RAM comes under the internal memory
Mainly providing the storage for all data required by the operating system and software
A computer uses Ram to hold temporary instructions and data needed to complete tasks.
Role of RAM once the computer is Turned ON each and Every action related to it's operation is loaded into RAM automatically

The OS needs RAM so computer can not work without RAM😎

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Manish Goyal

Member • Oct 6, 2009

yeah absolutely a computer can work without Ram
but withOUT Ram a computer is just like slow snail...
however Ram is pool of memory where a instructions are stored for initial purpose ...

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safwan

Member • Oct 6, 2009

well, what you can expect from Still student CEAn .Answer is

ANSWER 1

RAM is Random access memory. which helps the processor and stores the immediate data like Cach Memory.

ANSWER 2
No, Computer cannot work without RAM , as per my knowledge .but My Teacher one day in school he told me their is new technology that whole computer will not have hard disk (ooppss!! I did' nt believe him and never bothered to searched about it ) .

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Rohan_sK

Member • Oct 6, 2009

Biggie can we now get the correct answer from you with techincal details, cant wait to know about this :smile: .

So can you please enlighten us quickly!!

Almost 24 hrs closing in but no answer from the source. The Big_K seems to be too busy to answer this question is it so 😒

Expected the views from the right person.

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arun.aj

Member • Oct 7, 2009

2>computer cannot function without a ram.
everything s loaded onto the ram before it reaches the processor.

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Manish Goyal

Member • Oct 7, 2009

goyal420
yeah absolutely a computer can work without Ram
but withOUT Ram a computer is just like slow snail...
however Ram is pool of memory where a instructions are stored for initial purpose ...
I am sorry for my answer
computer can't work without ram

The functioning of the RAM<a href="https://www.articlealley.com/#" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Publish quality content and get exposure for your work</a> in a computer is of immense importance. The function of the RAM is mainly important as all programs, operating systems, applications and software must be loaded onto the Random Access Memory before they are used. All computer functions rely on the capacity of the RAM. The name of the entity itself, Random Access Memory, shows the various functions and the various aspects with which it is related. The name explains that all of the things loaded on to the memory can be randomly accessed. Without loading things onto the memory, they cannot be accessed on the computer. Without the RAM, there is nothing that you can do on the computer. A computer without RAM is worth nothing.

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clarence456

Member • Oct 7, 2009

Thank you for this discussion. I'm currently in first year of computer science and this question was asked in my class by our professor. What I learn so far is that the RAM is necessary to speed up the entire operations; because the traditional drives or even the SSDs are not fast enough. The RAM stores all the important data so that it's readily available to the processor.

With the RAM, computer simply won't work because the processor speed will be much more than what the HDD can supply required data.

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Simranjeet Singh

Member • May 26, 2012

Ram (Random Access Memory) is a Primary Memory. Primary Memory means Computer Can not work without this memory (RAM and ROM are Primary Memories of Computer and HDD / FDD is Secondary Memory). Ram Holds All The Data of Computer which we Show on Monitor and It Also Sends instructions to Processor and Gets the Results from Processor. So we Can Say That " Ram is a Storage Space for Processor" while Processor Handles all The Arithmetic and logical Calculations.

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Anoop Kumar

Member • May 26, 2012

Using RAM/Cache/HDD is trade of reading-writing speed and cost of their memory.
RAM vs. cache vs. HDD speed are as fast as around 1000x from next successor.
If cache become as cheap as RAM we will don't need RAM here.
Now we have cache and RAM here , both are volatile memory and machine uses cache only for storing calculation data and RAM for operating program data.

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Ankur Jaiswar

Member • May 26, 2012

Okay lets get this straight.
You computer hardware is controlled by your OS. For OS to interact with the hardware the OS needs to have a fast access to control the hardware. After booting your OS instructions are in RAM, which then controls the computer. Though virtual RAM can be created in HDD but loading OS is necessary. There RAM is necessary.

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sookie

Member • May 29, 2012

As far as I know,

Qn1. What is the role of RAM in a computer?
Ans: Every computer has a processor and every processor needs some memory space to do its processing part efficiently. This space(RAM space) is actually used to save the information of the instruction given for processing.

Qn2: 2. Can a computer function without RAM?
Ans: A computer can work(abnormal behaviour 😉 ) but may not do processing.

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Ramani Aswath

Member • May 29, 2012

I am not a CS chap but is not Random Access rather than Serial Access like a spool of tape the key thing in a Ram?
That is, any part of the memory can be accessed randomly without havig to search the whole memory from the beginning.

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Jeffrey Arulraj

Member • Jul 30, 2013

A.V.Ramani
I am not a CS chap but is not Random Access rather than Serial Access like a spool of tape the key thing in a Ram? That is, any part of the memory can be accessed randomly without havig to search the whole memory from the beginning.
Yes sir Random access beat SAM in that area making it more productive In my opinion is not a RAM a high speed programmablle switch What is your take guys?

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Nayan Goenka

Member • Jul 30, 2013

RAM is the primary memory. It is the only storage the machine uses while computing. HDD and other stuff is secondary storage only. And we cannot expect a machine to even start without its memory i.e RAM. You can load a machine without HDD but not without RAM

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pradeep.pawar

Member • Aug 2, 2013

Best role of RAM is in virtualisation, you need more size of RAM for running multiple OS in virtual box or vmware, else your base OS slows down for 64 bit OS you need min of 2 gb of RAM and for me having 4 gb installed no running multiple options of OS except for linux which runs well in 512 mb still better with 2gb.
Without ram, no display so no boot and you get beeping sound.
More size of RAM with more MHZ lesser the time to run any software, do any task quicker.

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Neeraj Sharma

Member • Aug 2, 2013

In simple words, to load the initial programs required for a system to boot are stored in RAM.
Other functionality of RAM is to provide the temporary space required by any XYZ program to run.

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Feb 8, 2016

This is the most well-answered thread among many others in the Computer Science section. If any one feels they can offer a better explanation or definition, please do go ahead and put it in replies below.

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Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator • Jan 27, 2019

#-Link-Snipped-# - please ask your specific doubts here. Please look at the existing posts in this discussion and let us know if there's anything that you could not understand. Asking specific questions will help us provide better help to you.

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