INDIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER

SCIENCE
Computer - Memory
Computer - Memory

🠶 It is used to store data and instructions. Computer memory is the

storage space in the computer, where data is to be processed and
instructions required for processing are stored.
🠶 The memory is divided into large number of small parts called cells.
Each location or cell has a unique address, which varies from zero to
memory size minus one.

🠶 Memory is primarily of three types −

 Cache Memory
 Secondary Memory
 Primary Memory/Main Memory
 Cache Memory

🠶 Cache memory is a very high speed semiconductor

memory which can speed up the CPU.
🠶 It is used to hold those parts of data and program which
are most frequently used by the CPU.
🠶 The parts of data and programs are transferred from the
disk to cache memory by the operating system, from where
the CPU can access them.
 Secondary Memory
🠶 This type of memory is also known as external memory or
non-volatile. It is slower than the main memory.
🠶 These are used for storing data/information permanently.
CPU directly does not access these memories, instead they
are accessed via input-output routines.
🠶 The contents of secondary memories are first transferred to
the main memory, and then the CPU can access it.
🠶 It is known as the backup memory.
 Primary Memory (Main Memory)

🠶 Primary memory holds only those data and instructions on

which the computer is currently working.
🠶 It has a limited capacity and data is lost when power is
switched off. It is generally made up of semiconductor
device.
🠶 These memories are not as fast as registers. The data and
instruction required to be processed resides in the main
memory. It is divided into two subcategories RAM and ROM.
 Random Access Memory

🠶 RAM (Random Access Memory) is the internal memory of

the CPU for storing data, program, and program result.
🠶 It is a read/write memory which stores data until the
machine is working. As soon as the machine is switched off,
data is erased.
🠶 RAM is small, both in terms of its physical size and in the
amount of data it can hold.
🠶 RAM is of two types −
 Static RAM (SRAM)
 Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
Static RAM (SRAM)

🠶 The word static indicates that the memory retains its contents as long as
power is being supplied. However, data is lost when the power gets
down
due to volatile nature.
🠶 Characteristic of Static RAM
 Long life
 No need to refresh
 Large size
 Expensive
 High power consumption
Dynamic RAM (DRAM)

🠶 DRAM, unlike SRAM, must be continually refreshed in order to maintain

the data. This is done by placing the memory on a refresh circuit that
rewrites the data several hundred times per second. DRAM is used for
most system memory as it is cheap and small.
🠶 Characteristics of Dynamic RAM
 Short data lifetime
 Needs to be refreshed continuously
 Smaller in size
 Less expensive
 Less power consumption
 Read Only Memory

🠶 ROM stands for Read Only Memory . The memory from which
we can only read but cannot write.
🠶 This type of memory is non-volatile. The information is stored
permanently in such memories during manufacture.
🠶 A ROM stores such instructions that are required to start a
computer. This operation is referred to as other electronic
items like washing machine and microwave
🠶 Types of ROM:
MROM (Masked ROM)
PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory)
EPROM (Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory)
EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only
Memory)
MROM (Masked ROM)
The very first ROMs were hard-wired devices that contained a pre-
programmed set of data or instructions. These kind of ROMs are known
as masked ROMs, which are inexpensive.

PROM (Programmable Read Only

Memory)
PROM is read-only memory that can be modified only once by a user. The
user buys a blank PROM and enters the desired contents using a PROM
program. Inside the PROM chip, there are small fuses which are burnt
open during programming. It can be programmed only once and is not
erasable.
EPROM (Erasable and Programmable
Read Only Memory)
EPROM can be erased by exposing it to ultra-violet light for a duration of
up to 40 minutes. Usually, an EPROM eraser achieves this function. During
programming, an electrical charge is trapped in an insulated gate region.

EEPROM(Electrically Erasable and

Programmable Read Only Memory)
EEPROM is programmed and erased electrically. It can be erased and
reprogrammed about ten thousand times. Both erasing and programming
take about 4 to 10 ms (millisecond). In EEPROM, any location can be
selectively erased and programmed. EEPROMs can be erased one byte at a
time, rather than erasing the entire chip. Hence, the process of
reprogramming is flexible but slow.
 Motherboard

The motherboard serves as a single platform to connect all of

the parts of a computer together. It connects the CPU,
memory, hard drives, optical drives, video card, sound card,
and other ports and expansion cards directly or via cables. It
can be considered as the backbone of a computer.
A motherboard comes with following features −
 Motherboard varies greatly in supporting various types of
components.
 Motherboard supports a single type of CPU and few types of
memories.
 Video cards, hard disks, sound cards have to be compatible
with the motherboard to function properly.
 Motherboards, cases, and power supplies must be compatible
to work properly together.
 Memory Units

Unit & Description

• Bit (Binary Digit)

A binary digit is logical 0 and 1 representing a passive or an
active state of a component in an electric circuit.

• Nibble
A group of 4 bits is called nibble.

• Byte
A group of 8 bits is called byte. A byte is the smallest unit,
which can represent a data item or a character.
Unit & Description

Kilobyte (KB)
1 KB = 1024 Bytes

Megabyte (MB)
1 MB = 1024 KB

Giga Byte (GB)

1 GB = 1024 MB

Tera Byte (TB)

1 TB = 1024 GB

Peta Byte (PB)

1 PB = 1024 TB
 Software

Software is a set of programs, which is designed to

perform a well-defined function. A program is a
sequence of instructions written to solve a
particular problem.

There are two types of software −

 System Software
 Application Software
 System Software
The system software is a collection of programs designed to
operate, control, and extend the processing capabilities of the
computer itself. System software is generally prepared by the
computer manufacturers. System software serves
as the interface between the hardware and the end users.
Example of system software are Operating System

some of the most prominent features of a system software −

 Close to the system
 Fast in speed
 Difficult to design
 Difficult to understand
 Less interactive
 Smaller in size
 Difficult to manipulate
 Generally written in low-level language
 Application Software
Application software products are designed to satisfy a
particular need of a particular environment. Application
software may consist of a single program, such as Microsoft's
notepad for writing and editing a simple text. Example of
application software are Notepad, Microsoft Office

Features of application software are as follows −

 Close to the user
 Easy to design
 Generally written in high-level language
 More interactive
 Easy to understand
 Easy to manipulate and use
 Bigger in size and requires large storage space