System Memory

Question 1

What is Random Access Memory?

Answer 1

Temporary storage for data and instructions before processing by the CPU

Question 2

How fast is RAM compared to other data components?

Answer 2

RAM is faster than storage devices but slower than CPU cache

Question 3

What is the cache?

Answer 3

High-speed memory in the CPU, small capacity

Question 4

How does RAM compare to cache and storage?

Answer 4

It is larger than cache but smaller than storage

Question 5

What is storage in terms of memory?

Answer 5

It houses permanent data for files but is slower than RAM

Question 6

How does RAM increase system performance?

Answer 6

It acts as a disk cache for frequently used data

Question 7

How does the processor access data?

Answer 7

The processor accesses data using unique addresses

Question 8

What is a memory controller?

Answer 8

A memory controller manages data flow between CPU and RAM

Question 9

What is a bus in terms of storage?

Answer 9

A bus is a pathway for data transfer, includes a data bus and an address bus

Question 10

What does the data bus do?

Answer 10

The data bus determines the amount of data transferred per clock cycle

Question 11

What does the address bus do?

Answer 11

The address bus determines how much memory the CPU can address

Question 12

How much memory can 32-bit addressing address?

Answer 12

Up to 4 GB of memory

Question 13

How much memory can 64-bit addressing address?

Answer 13

Up to 16 exabytes of memory

Question 14

What’s the workflow for data?

Answer 14

Storage>RAM>CPU cache>processing by the CPU

Question 15

What are Dual In-Line Memory Modules used for?

Answer 15

DIMM is used in desktops and are large in size

Question 16

What is Small Outline DIMM used for?

Answer 16

SODIMM is used in laptops and are compact in size

Question 17

What determines RAM compatibility?

Answer 17

Motherboard specifications

Question 18

What describes Dynamic RAM?

Answer 18

DRAM requires constant refreshing

Question 19

What describes Static RAM?

Answer 19

SRAM is faster and used in CPU caches, but it is expensive

Question 20

What describes Synchronous DRAM?

Answer 20

SDRAM operates in sync with the motherboard’s bus

Question 21

What describes Double Data Rate SDRAM

Answer 21

DDR SDRAM transfers data twice per clock cycle

Question 22

How is speed and throughput measured?

Answer 22

Speed and throughput is measured in megabytes/second

Question 23

How many pins does DDR have?

Answer 23

DDR has 184 pins

Question 24

How many pins does DDR2 have?

Answer 24

DDR2 has 240 pins

Question 25

How many pins does DDR3 have and what was its max size?

Answer 25

DDR3 has 240 pins and its max size is 8 GB per module

Question 26

How many pins does DDR4 have and what was its max size?

Answer 26

DDR4 has 288 pins and its max size is 32 GB per module

Question 27

How many pins does DDR5 have and what was its max size?

Answer 27

DDR5 has 288 pins and its max is 128 GB per modules

Question 28

What is multi-channel memory?

Answer 28

Multi-channel memory allows multiple memory modules to work together in tandem

Question 29

What is a benefit of multi-channel memory?

Answer 29

Multi-channel memory increases performance by widening the data pathway between the CPU, memory controller, and RAM

Question 30

Describe single-channel

Answer 30

One 64-bit data bus

Question 31

Describe dual-channel

Answer 31

Two 64-bit pathways combined to 128-bit

Question 32

Describe triple-channel

Answer 32

Three 64-bit pathways combined to 192-bit

Question 33

Describe quad-channel

Answer 33

Four 64-bit pathways combined to 256-bit

Question 34

What is interleaving?

Answer 34

Process of modules working together to enhance data transfer speed

Question 35

What is non-parity memory?

Answer 35

Non-parity memory is standard memory that does not perform error checking. It is faster and cheaper than parity memory

Question 36

What is parity memory?

Answer 36

Parity memory performs basic error checking; it is slower and more expensive than non-parity memory

Question 37

What is Error Correcting Code Memory?

Answer 37

ECC Memory is an advanced type of memory that can both detect and correct errors

Question 38

What is Buffered/Registered Memory?

Answer 38

It includes a register that sits between memory and CPU and it stores data in a buffer to reduce electrical load

Question 39

How does parity memory error checking work?

Answer 39

It adds a parity bit based on the binary data's sum

Question 40

How does parity memory detect errors?

Answer 40

It detects single-bit errors by comparing calculated and stored parity

Question 41

How does ECC work error detection work?

Answer 41

It detects and corrects single-bit errors automatically

Question 42

How does ECC fix errors?

Answer 42

It uses complex algorithms to identify and fix errors

Question 43

How does DDR5 check for errors?

Answer 43

DDR5 includes internal error-checking capabilities within memory modules

Question 44

Is DDR5 considered full ECC memory?

Answer 44

No

Question 45

Can DDR5 work on non-ECC-compatible motherboards?

Answer 45

Yes

Question 46

Can ECC work on any system?

Answer 46

No, the motherboard and CPU must explicitly support ECC

Question 47

Where is ECC mostly used?

Answer 47

Servers, banks and data centers

Question 48

Where is non-parity most common?

Answer 48

Consumer desktops and laptops are

Question 49

What does Windows call virtual memory?

Answer 49

A page file

Question 50

What does Linux/Unix/Mac call virtual memory?

Answer 50

Swap space

Question 51

What does virtual memory do?

Answer 51

It allocates a block of hard drive or SSD space to act as RAM

Question 52

Why would you use system memory?

Answer 52

When physical RAM is insufficient for actively running programs