Primäärimuisti

Primäärimuisti, often referred to as main memory or primary storage, is a critical component of a computer system. It is a type of volatile memory that the central processing unit (CPU) can access directly and quickly. This means that the data and instructions stored in primäärimuisti are lost when the computer is powered off. The primary function of primäärimuisti is to hold the operating system, application programs, and the data currently being processed by the CPU. Without primäärimuisti, the CPU would have to constantly retrieve information from slower secondary storage devices, significantly hindering performance.

The most common type of primäärimuisti used today is Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM allows data to be read from and written to any location in approximately the same amount of time, regardless of its physical position. This speed is crucial for efficient operation. The capacity of primäärimuisti is measured in gigabytes (GB) and is a key factor in a computer's ability to multitask and handle large programs and datasets. More primäärimuisti generally allows a computer to run more applications simultaneously and process more complex tasks without slowing down. When a program is launched, its executable code and data are loaded from secondary storage into primäärimuisti for the CPU to access.