Primary storage

What is the need of primary storage and how does it consist of RAM and ROM?

Primary storage is used for actively running programmes which provides fast access to data and instructions currently is use by the CPU. They consist of RAM which is volatile that holds programmes and data currently in use and ROM which is non volatile and holds permanent instructions for it to boot up.

What is volatile memory?

Volatile memory is temporary memory which requires power to retain its data.

What are the differences between RAM and ROM?

RAM stands for Random Access Memory whereas ROM stands for Read Only Memory.

RAM holds data and instructions whereas ROM stores the boot up instructions.

RAM is volatile so its contents are lost when the computer loses power whereas ROM is non-volatile so it retains its content when the power is full.

Why virtual memory may be needed in a system?

Virtual memory is needed when the computer’s RAM is full and cannot hold all the programs or data currently in use. It allows the system to use part of the secondary storage as extra memory by moving data that is not currently needed from RAM to virtual memory.

How does virtual memory work?

When the RAM is full, data that is not currently needed is moved from RAM to virtual memory, freeing up space. When that data is needed again, it is swapped back into RAM. This allows more programs to run, but it is slower than using RAM.

What is cache?

Cache memory is a small, high-speed memory located close to the CPU. It stores frequently used instructions and data so the CPU can access them faster than from RAM. This helps improve processing speed because the CPU spends less time waiting for data.