How does RAM work with the CPU? RAM – access memory, or commonly known as RAM, temporarily stores the data which the CPU needs to access. The CPU or Central Processing Unit on the other hand, acts as the brain of your computer.
So, how do CPU and RAM work together?
The RAM, stores the data which your CPU retrieves and processes it. The data which your CPU has processed, continues its path to other components. As such, both the CPU and the RAM are both essential parts of a computer. The computer cannot function without these two.
How do CPU and RAM Work Together if You Need to Process a Lot of Data?
If you need to process a lot of data, how do CPU and RAM work together?. In this case, the computer uses what is known as “Virtual memory”. If the RAM is full, the data instead goes to the HDD or SSD. However you can also use a USB stick for the same purpose.
Be it as it may, RAM is specially designed to withstand large amounts of data that are being copied into it. Data storage devices like HDDs and SSDs are oriented toward storing large amounts of data. But there are significantly slower than RAM and their lifespan is shortened from constant copying and overwriting.
Thus you have to ensure that your system has lots of RAM to function with. The more RAM you have, the better. Additionally, if you play a lot of graphically intensive games, your system may require plenty of RAM.
How Do CPU and RAM Work Together When it Comes to CPU Cache?
If you did not know before now, understand this. The CPU cache is a type of hardware cache which stores the data your CPU needs at a given time. CPU cache is much like the RAM because it also stores data which the CPU uses.
Note however that the CPU cache is way smaller and is located on the same die as the CPU. It stores the most commonly accessed data in order for your CPU not to take data from RAM all the time, increasing its speed.
Processing Data
The RAM’s ability to process data quickly aids the CPU. Each application needs a minimum amount of temporary memory in order to operate efficiently. Applications that need graphics require more RAM than applications without graphics. So for whatever task you carry out within an application, the RAM offers the needed amount of memory needed to run each application. It does this while storing the data of the work you are carrying out. However, bear in mind that having more than one application open reduces the amount of temporary memory which is available to move data between the open applications and the CPU.
Communication
When it comes to communication, there are two options to keep communication lines clear between the RAM and CPU. You can have a lot of RAM available or you can keep no more than two applications that run at the same time. Running multiple applications is just like buildup in a drain. As such, running multiple applications will clog up the temporary memory which prevents RAM from passing along and processing data to the CPU. Where the CPU is not retrieving data to pass through the system, everything stalls. Usually, the computer displays a box that warns that the virtual memory is running low. When this happens, it is best to save your work and close a few applications. Once you close a few applications, the RAM and CPU will return to the tasks which allow your computer to function again at top speed.
