Memory & Hard drives

Pata · Feb 28, 2002

I have several question about memory and hard drives, so I think I'll break them down into different posts.
Question one:
What is a good analogy for telling someone the difference between RAM and HD? I have thought of a hard drive being like a Library and the books being the programs and documents. RAM is like a lirarian that looks for the documents. If I hire ten librarians, they can do the research much faster then one.
So, Is that a fair analogy, or am I off base?
Can you give me a good one? So many people I deal with think HD and memorey are the the same thing and it bugs me at times. I know... let it go....

Edited by Pata on 02/28/02 08:35 AM.

FatBurger · Feb 28, 2002

That's a decent analogy, but think of DDR as a faster librarian, and SDRAM as a huge one that has trouble moving their fat ass around the place :tongue:

Quarter Pounder Inside
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AMD_cErTiFiEd · Feb 28, 2002

Your computer is a kitchen
hd is cupboard space, more cupboards equals more hd
ram is counter space, longer counter, more jobs completed
cpu is chef, jet-li or me is an athlon xp

Blame the newbies not the technology

FatBurger · Feb 28, 2002

Jet Li?

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AMD_cErTiFiEd · Mar 1, 2002

yeah man
Kiss of the Dragon and Romeo must die. A major league asskicker (like me)

Blame the newbies not the technology

FatBurger · Mar 1, 2002

Not exactly a chef, though.
Maybe Yan, or one of the Iron Chefs instead?

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Guest · Mar 1, 2002

cache is the food that the chef is working with
RAM is the food on the counter
the hard disk is the food in the refrigerator

Guest · Mar 1, 2002

The library works but the librarian part doesn't.

Memoy is faster because it has no moving parts. We don't use only RAM because it is expensive and it is volatile(cannot retain info after shutdown). The library as a whole, including the librarians is good for an example of the hard drive... and how about a teachers pet for the RAM. If the teacher want's to know something than the TP(teachers pet) just thinks about it and gives her the answer right away. If the TP doesn't have the answer then he sends the librarian to go look for it. Then once he has it he can just repeat it the the teacher when ever she needs it again.

Only problem is ya got to hit him with something every time ya go to bed so he doesn't remember anything in the morning. Oh well, I tried.

Anthony@ParamountTechnology.com

If I ever meet you I'll control alt delete you.

Guest · Mar 1, 2002

The library works but the librarian part doesn't.

Memoy is faster because it has no moving parts. We don't use only RAM because it is expensive and it is volatile(cannot retain info after shutdown). The library as a whole, including the librarians is good for an example of the hard drive... and how about a teachers pet for the RAM. If the teacher want's to know something than the TP(teachers pet) just thinks about it and gives her the answer right away. If the TP doesn't have the answer then he sends the librarian to go look for it. Then once he has it he can just repeat it the the teacher when ever she needs it again.

Only problem is ya got to hit him with something every time ya go to bed so he doesn't remember anything in the morning. Oh well, I tried.

Anthony@ParamountTechnology.com

If I ever meet you I'll control alt delete you.

camieabz · Mar 1, 2002

cache is the food that the chef is working with
RAM is the food on the counter
the hard disk is the food in the refrigerator

Damn! I'm hungry now.

I've used the library analogy myself. Your hands are the RAM. Your need extra hands (more people) if you want to carry more books (tasks). Swapfile is a trolley you take with you until you've finished the task.

No sound card. Shhh! Quiet please!

~ They're coming to take me away. Ha Ha! ~

debgk · Mar 2, 2002

not exactly sure about this ... but one way that helps me explain (or at least understand) some of the innards in my PC is ...

the PC is like a house

the HD is a room -- bigger HD means a bigger room

the CPU is how fast you can move stuff in an out of the rooms -- BUT what you move is still limited because you just can't fit everything into a doorway if it's not big enough...

so ... the RAM is like the doorway -- the wider is is (ie the more ram) the "faster" everything can happen ... and the more stuff can move at the same time (because there's more space to move it in/thru).

I dunno ... sounds better when I SAY it and draw my little diagrams than when I type it ... ... still...

the pc is the house ... the hd is a room ... the cpu ....

=) deb

rickd59 · Mar 2, 2002

The most fundamental thing that you MUST mention is the permanence of information in each....RAM only exists while power is on, whereas, HDD stores information even after computer is shut off. I also had heard an analogy that emphasized the speed difference between RAM and HDD something to the effect of:

Imagine that the task your trying to execute is like emptying a jar of jellybeans one at a time, from one jar to the next. If you are lucky enough to work only in RAM, it is like both jars are right beside you; you can just reach over and remove one jellybean and place it in the second jar, as fast as you can. If you don't have enough RAM to hold your work area, then it would be like the first jar being located at the local mall. You would have to get in your car and drive to grab the next jellybean, drive back and then drop the jellybean into the second jar, then do it again and again, until the first jar is empty. RAM is just like a workspace (I like the counter analogy).....if you run out of counterspace, you have to run back to the warehouse to execute a task, and then return to get your next set of instructions. I think a key to this analogy is the relative distance that information must travel....far for HDD, close for RAM. Hope that helps.

-Rick

rickd59 · Mar 2, 2002

WHOOOOOO! I'm a newbie now...my status has finally changed from "STRANGER" to "NEWBIE"....SWEEEEEEEET!!!!!

-Rick

camieabz · Mar 2, 2002

Congrats!

I remember that one. Its like getting a yellow belt.

~ They're coming to take me away. Ha Ha! ~

Trumphent · Mar 3, 2002

I think the librarian is the OS. RAM has a library card. It can borrow things from the library and access it from there.

Signature? We don' need no stinkin' signature!

camieabz · Mar 3, 2002

Problem is some librarians are fussy about the RAM types. If the RAM doesn't come up to the librarians requirements, the librarian will refuse borrowing of books.

Several librarians at once can cause confusion or even problems for the RAM if it needs books in a hurry!

As librarians get older, younger ones turn up to take over, but trying to get used to a new librarian can take time. Although the new librarian has a freah, pleasant outlook, sometimes the old ones are the best.

~ They're coming to take me away. Ha Ha! ~

Guest · Mar 7, 2002

i thought the idea was to make it easier and more simple to explain how memory works, rather than harder and more complicated?

FatBurger · Mar 7, 2002

ROFL
How true

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Memory & Hard drives

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