how much memory?

[bananasquash]

if a computer has 1gb memory and 80gb hard drive what does that mean? i.e does that mean you can only store 1gb's worth of stuff on there? or more i dont understand what the difference between the memory and the size of the hard drive is can anybody explain what each one is used for.

[fo3nix]

OK, so when you have your computer turned off, everything is stored on the hard drive.

Problem -- the hard drive is a mechanical device, and slow (in computer terms). So, to access your stuff faster RAM is also used (your 1GB), which is in the form of microchips.

When you turn your computer on, it loads what it needs immediately (i.e., the important parts of windows), into RAM from your hard drive. As you open a document such as an essay or spreadsheet or music or whatever, it is loaded from hard drive to RAM too. As it's being used, you're using RAM. When you press save, it saves this back to hard drive.

RAM is 'volatile' memory, meaning that it loses its memory when the power goes. This is why you can be typing a letter and the power goes or it crashes, and you lose it if you don't save it -- it hasn't been saved to hard drive yet!

You can store as much as your hard drive allows, not your RAM.

But, the more RAM you have, the more you can do at any one time (since it can store more for quick access). Some things eat more memory than others. Letters etc. don't take up much memory, but video editing for example takes up a lot of memory so needs lots of RAM too to store as much of it as it can as you're working with it.

[vehelpfulguy]

You have 1Gb of RAM, and 80Gb of hard disk, and they are totally different things.

The 1Gb of RAM is used for temporary files, a bit like thinking something in your head, and your hard disk is used for more permanent things, a bit like writing it down on a piece of paper.

When you install programs like Windows, games and applications (like a word processor) they are all stored onto your hard disk.

They stay there even if your PC is switched off.

But to actually USE any program on your computer (a game, a browser etc) it needs to be loaded into your 1Gb of RAM.

When you first turn your PC on the 1Gb of RAM is empty.

As your PC starts up files are copied from your hard disk and loaded into your 1Gb of RAM. This is things like Windows, and any other programs you need to get your computer working.

Suppose you then start a word processor, the files for this are copied from your hard disk into your 1Gb of RAM (remember a program HAS to be in RAM before it can be used).

If you then start to write a document, then this is also held in RAM.

If you then SAVE this document it is copied from RAM to your hard disk.

So you now have a permanent copy of this document on your hard disk (unless you choose to delete it of course).

If you now close your computer down EVERYTHING in your 1Gb of RAM is lost, but that is not a problem because it is still stored on your hard disk and so can be reloaded again next time you start your PC.

Every time you start any program it is loaded into this 1Gb of RAM, so if you start a LOT of programs you could fill it up, but Windows has some clever code to handle this so it will not be a major problem (it may just slow your PC down).

But your 80Gb hard disk COULD fill up (if you put loads of programs and photos and music files on there).

[bananasquash]

wow thankyou so much that ws th most helpful asnwer iv ever had! thanks again x