What is the difference between Ram and a processor?

Answer 1

RAM=Random Access Memory, used for fast swapping of data on computer

Processor= a small chip on the motherboard performing millions+calculations a second.

your computer uses ram all the time to keep background apps open, and to basically run everything.

your computer uses your processor when you do graphic intensive or calculation intensive things, such as gaming, video converting, multiple things at once, like running Photoshop, a video encoder, your internet browser, and watching a movie.

now if you want to know which to upgrade, it depends on the current status of your computer, and your aim of the upgrade.

Answer 2

RAM stands for Random Access Memory, which is a temporary (as long as your PC is running) storage area for active applications and data. So if you're editing a picture with a graphics application or writing a document with a wordprocessor (like Word), both the application and the image or document are at that moment stored in RAM.

More info : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory

The processor (aka CPU) is the hardware component in your PC which "organizes" everything that happens in your PC. It makes all hardware "talk" with each other; it transfers data from your drives to RAM, it processes (calculates) all instructions and handles all data fed into the system. It really does much much much more than this...

It's the "traffic manager" for all your hardware and software. Without the processor, a "computer" wouldn't be a computer anymore.

More info :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor

I hope this information (and the info at WikiPedia) will help you in understanding the difference between both components.