What’s the difference between hard disk and RAM ? 💾

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When choosing a computer or smartphone, you often pay attention to features like hard disk and RAM. But do you know the difference between the 2? We talk about it in #AskGriots

Storage vs. memory

The hard disk is commonly referred to as « storage », while RAM is often referred to as « memory ».

Storage is used to permanently hold your data, such as the operating system, applications, photos and videos, even when the computer is switched off. Memory, on the other hand, is used to temporarily store data currently being used by the computer. Although faster than storage, all data is erased when the computer is switched off.

Space vs speed

In general, a computer or smartphone offers far more storage space than memory space. For example, you might find a configuration with 128 GB of storage combined with 8 GB of memory.

Substantial storage space enables you to save a large volume of data, while a large amount of memory enables the computer to run considerably faster.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us in comments. Your favorite griots will answer them 😁