Summer Ferrell
Assignment: RAM and Expansion Cards
CISB 11 CRN 22254
October 30, 2009
http://www.howstuffworks.com/ram.htm
Random Access Memory is the best known form of computer memory. You can access
any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at that
cell, which is why RAM is considered “Random Access”. SAM is the opposite of
RAM and the data can only be accessed sequentially, while RAM data can be
accessed in any order. There are many types of RAM, such as DRAM which has
memory cells with a paired transistor and capacitor requiring constant
refreshing. You can almost never have enough RAM, and it is the most important
factor for your computers performance. If you don’t have enough, adding RAM can
make more of a difference than getting a new CPU.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_access_memory
Random Access Memory is commonly known as RAM. It is a form of computer data
storage. The data stored can be accessed in any order regardless of its
condition. DRAM is a form of ram where the information is lost after the power
is switched off. Many other types of memory are RAM
too including ROM and flash memory. If a computer is low on RAM during
intensive application cycles, many CPU architectures and operating systems are
able to perform an operation known as “swapping”. Swapping uses a paging file
that’s an area on a hard drive. However this generally lowers overall system
performance.
http://en.kioskea.net/contents/pc/ram.php3
There are generally two broad categories of random access memory, DRAM and
SRAM. DRAM is the most commonly used type of memory this millennium. The Random
Access Memory comprises hundreds of small capacitors that store loads. They
must be constantly refreshed about every 15 nanoseconds. Each capacitor is
coupled with a transistor enabling recovery of the status of the capacitor. The
many forms of ram exist in memory modules such as SIMM, DIMM, and RIMM each one
containing a different amount of pins modules.
Video
Graphics Board
|
Manufacturer |
Model |
|
Price (Aprox.) |
Core Clock |
Memory |
|
||
|
ATI |
|
Radeon HD 5870 |
$400 |
900 MHZ |
|
1 GB GDDR5 |
||
|
Nvidia |
|
GeForce GTX 295 |
$500 |
576 MHZ |
|
896 GB DDR3 |
||
|
MSI |
|
NX8600 GT |
$200 |
580 MHZ |
|
256 MB GDDR3 |
||
If I were choosing a video graphics board I would purchase from ATI. Their
cards seem to have the highest performances and can be found at lower prices
than cards from Nvidia’s. Even if the ATI Radeon HD 5870 was out of my price range there are many
other cards at a lower price that still hold up to a high quality standard
needed for a good video graphics board. I was impressed with this company’s
card and if I ever start searching for one, it will
definitely be with this company.
