When was ram created

Magnetic memory was, in effect, quite expensive as well. Dennard's revolutionary achievement was to reduce RAM to a memory cell with only a single transistor.

His key insight was that it should be possible to store binary data as a positive or negative charge on a capacitor. After several months of experimenting, Dennard had reduced his RAM cell to a small capacitor and a single field-effect transistor, gating the flow of data to and from a data line. Dennard was granted a patent for his one-transistor DRAM in When personal computers became a realistic possibility, Dennard's system allowed them to perform complex operations and still fit on a desktop and later, to become affordable.

Since then, "How many megabytes of RAM. Watson Research Center since , Dennard has continued his career of invention with refinements to RAM, specialized FETs, and low-voltage, high-performance operation of circuits.

Magnetic-core memory works through the use of tiny metal rings and wires connecting to each ring. One bit of data could be stored per ring and accessed at any time. However, RAM, as we know it today, as solid-state memory , was first invented in by Robert Dennard.

Known specifically as dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM , transistors were used to store bits of data. Home Dictionary R - Definitions. Tip New users often confuse RAM with disk drive space. Types of RAM. Additional RAM information. What's the largest stick of RAM? History of RAM. Related pages. SIMM was used from the early s to early s. As processors grew in speed and bandwidth capability, the industry adopted a new standard in dual in-line memory module DIMM.

DIMMs range in capacity and can be installed singly instead of in pairs. Capacity ranges from 2 to 32GB per module. The industry has been moving to low-power DDR4 modules in thinner and lighter laptops, because they use less energy and are more compact.

Unfortunately, they must be soldered into place, meaning the average user can't replace the original RAM. Most memory available today is highly reliable. Most systems simply have the memory controller check for errors at startup and rely on that.

Memory chips with built-in error-checking typically use a method known as parity to check for errors. Parity chips have an extra bit for every 8 bits of data. The way parity works is simple. Let's look at even parity first. When the 8 bits in a byte receive data, the chip adds up the total number of 1s. If the total number of 1s is odd, the parity bit is set to 1.

If the total is even, the parity bit is set to 0. When the data is read back out of the bits, the total is added up again and compared to the parity bit. If the total is odd and the parity bit is 1, then the data is assumed to be valid and is sent to the CPU. But if the total is odd and the parity bit is 0, the chip knows that there is an error somewhere in the 8 bits and dumps the data.

Odd parity works the same way, but the parity bit is set to 1 when the total number of 1s in the byte are even. The problem with parity is that it discovers errors but does nothing to correct them. If a byte of data does not match its parity bit, then the data are discarded and the system tries again.

Computers in critical positions need a higher level of fault tolerance. High-end servers often have a form of error-checking known as error-correction code ECC. Like parity, ECC uses additional bits to monitor the data in each byte. The difference is that ECC uses several bits for error checking — how many depends on the width of the bus — instead of one.

ECC memory uses a special algorithm not only to detect single-bit errors, but actually correct them as well. ECC memory will also detect instances when more than one bit of data in a byte fails. Such failures are very rare, and they are not correctable, even with ECC. The majority of computers sold use nonparity memory chips. These chips do not provide any type of built-in error checking, but instead rely on the memory controller for error detection. It's been said that you can never have enough money, and the same holds true for RAM, especially if you do a lot of graphics-intensive work or gaming.

If your system responds slowly or accesses the hard drive constantly, then you need to add more RAM. If you're upgrading to Windows 11, you'll need at least 4GB. Linux has a reputation for working happily on systems with low system requirements, including RAM. Xubuntu uses the lightweight Xfce desktop environment, which also works with other Linux distributions. Of course, there are distributions of Linux that have higher system requirements. You may also need more RAM if your computer acts as a server of some sort webpages, database, application, FTP or network.

Another question is how much VRAM you want on your video card. This is normally enough to operate in a typical office environment. You should probably invest in a higher-end graphics card if you want to do any of the following:. When shopping for video cards, remember that your monitor and computer must be capable of supporting the card you choose. Most of the time, installing RAM is a very simple and straightforward procedure. The key is to do your research.

Here's what you need to know:. RAM is usually sold in densities with multiples of 2 gigabytes: 2, 4, 8, 16, In other words, the module is the same standard size, but there can be different amounts of memory on the same board.

Once you know how much RAM you want, check to see what form factor card type you need to buy. You can find this in the manual that came with your computer or you can contact the manufacturer.

It's important to realize that your options depend on the design of your computer. High-end systems are moving to RIMM technology, which will eventually take over in standard desktop computers as well. Putting the wrong type of card in a slot can cause damage to your system and ruin the card. You will also need to know what type of RAM is required. Some computers require very specific types of RAM to operate.

Most computers are not quite that restrictive, but they do have limitations. Additionally, some computers support dual-channel RAM configuration either as an option or as a requirement. When dual channel is an optional configuration, installing RAM in matched pairs speeds up the performance of certain applications. Your computer is only configured to accept so much memory. There is a limited number of memory slots, and depending on your machine, you may be limited to an 8GB density module even if the manufacturer makes a 16 or 32GB module.

Or, in some cases, your computer may allow you to upgrade the RAM that was installed in the factory. Some manufacturers — both computer and memory — offer a wizard on their websites where you can enter your computer's model to help you find what type of memory you'll need to install.

Check the system settings on your machine to find out how much memory is installed. Once you know how many slots there are and how much memory it can accept, you can decide how much memory to buy. Some manufacturers solder the base memory in place, but otherwise you may be able to uninstall a smaller RAM card and replace it with a larger one.