What is the Difference Between Computer Memory and Hard Disk Space?
Computer memory is temporary storage that is used when your computer runs programs. It is used to load data from your hard disk. For example, when you run iTunes, it is loaded from your hard disk into Random Access Memory (RAM). When you turn off your computer, everything that is stored in RAM is erased. You can think of RAM as short-term memory. It is very fast, but it can’t store information if the computer is turned off. It is also relatively expensive compared to hard disk storage. A hard disk is used for long-term storage. When you turn off your computer, information that is stored on your hard disk stays on the hard disk. The two types of storage work together so that you can save your information (on your hard disk) and load it into faster memory (RAM) when you need to use it.
