What does RAM do in a Computer?

Computer memory, or RAM if you prefer, temporarily stores the programs and data that allows your computer to do tasks. This includes the pictures, text, and code of any website you’re browsing. The actual browser will be held in memory too. The same is true for your word processor (for example Microsoft Word) and the document you’re working on, as well as your preferred spreadsheet application (such as XL) and the data being held in the individual cells. It’s all stored in RAM until you close the application or program down—remember to save your data first of course.

The reason you want to save your data is because system memory is volatile, which basically means that it's temporary. This means that when you close the application you are using, or turn the machine off, then any unsaved data is lost. Gone for good.

This lack of permanence is offset by the speed of RAM, memory is so fast that you’re not waiting around for memory to do its thing, as far as your concerned, is pretty much instantaneous.

If you want to keep your data for longer then you’re going to want to save it somewhere. This is where your hard drive or SSD come in, or if you like to work in the cloud then someone else’s hard drive or SSD.

The point being: this kind of storage is non-volatile and therefore stores your files even when they are not powered, i.e. when you turn your laptop or desktop PC off. This kind of storage isn’t as fast as system memory, but it is permanent. Your permanent storage is usually much bigger than your RAM too.

This is why your machine has both kinds of storage. RAM for working with your programs and data in the here and now, and a hard drive or SSD to store everything when you close your applications or turn the machine off.

This relationship between memory and hard drive/SSD is closer than you may think, because if you’re trying to keep several applications open at the same time, with lots of data in each one, then there’s a chance you’ll exceed your memory capacity. When this happens, some of that data will be temporarily stored on your hard drive/SSD in something called the page file or scratch area. This basically acts as virtual memory, but it’s slower than your actual memory.

Having more memory means you can have more applications and bigger sets of data open at the same time without having to go to virtual memory. Allowing you work on large photos, videos, and documents all concurrently to create whatever masterpiece you’re working on without slowing down.