What is violatile storage on a computer?

Answer 1

Volatile storage is a type of computer memory that needs power to preserve stored data. For instance, if the computer is switched off, whatever is stored in the volatile memory is removed or deleted. All random access memory (RAM) other than the CMOS RAM used in the BIOS is volatile. RAM is typically used as a primary storage or main memory in computer systems. Since the primary storage demands extreme speed, it mainly uses the volatile memory. Due to the volatile nature of RAM, users often need to save their work to a nonvolatile permanent medium, such as a hard drive, in order to avoid data loss. Volatile storage is also known as volatile memory or temporary memory.

RAM is considered volatile storage which means its state is reset or lost when power is turned off. In contrast, a non-volatile memory, like a USB, retains memory even if power is removed. However, non-volatile RAM is under development.

Dynamic RAM (DRAM) is very popular due to its cost effectiveness. If a computer has 1 gigabyte or 512 megabytes of RAM, the specification describes dynamic RAM (DRAM). DRAM stores each bit of information in a different capacitor within the integrated circuit. DRAM chips need just one single capacitor and one transistor to store each bit of information. This makes it space efficient and inexpensive. The main advantage of static RAM (SRAM) is that it's much faster than dynamic RAM. Its disadvantage is its high price. SRAM does not need continuous electrical refreshes, but it still requires constant current to sustain the difference in voltage. In general, SRAM needs only less power when compared to DRAM, even though the power requirements differ based on the computer's clock speed. At moderate speeds SRAM usually requires just a fraction of the power used by DRAM. When idle, the power requirements of static RAM are low. Every single bit in a static RAM chip needs a cell of six transistors, whereas dynamic RAM requires only one capacitor and one transistor. As a result, SRAM is unable to accomplish the storage capabilities of the DRAM family. SRAM is most commonly used in networking devices, like switches, routers, cable modems, etc., for buffering the transmitted information.