Differentiate between RAM and ROM

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM is used to store the programs and data being used by the CPU in real-time. The data on the
random access memory can be read, written, and erased any number of times. RAM is a
hardware element where the data being currently used is stored. It is a volatile memory.

Types of RAM:

Static RAM, or (SRAM) which stores a bit of data using the state of a six transistor memory
cell. The word static indicates that the memory retains its contents as long as power is being
supplied. However, data is lost when the power gets down due to volatile nature. SRAM chips
use a matrix of 6-transistors and no capacitors. Transistors do not require power to prevent
leakage, so SRAM need not be refreshed on a regular basis.

Characteristic of Static RAM

● Long life
● No need to refresh
● Faster
● Used as cache memory
● Large size
● Expensive
● High power consumption
 Dynamic RAM, or (DRAM) which stores a bit data using a pair of transistor and
capacitor which constitute a DRAM memory cell.DRAM, unlike SRAM, must be
continually refreshed in order to maintain the data. This is done by placing the memory
on a refresh circuit that rewrites the data several hundred times per second. DRAM is
used for most system memory as it is cheap and small. All DRAMs are made up of
memory cells, which are composed of one capacitor and one transistor.

Characteristics of Dynamic RAM

● Short data lifetime
● Needs to be refreshed continuously
● Slower as compared to SRAM
● Used as RAM
● Smaller in size
● Less expensive
● Less power consumption

What is ram used for?

RAM allows your computer to perform many of its everyday tasks, such as loading
applications, browsing the internet, editing a spreadsheet, or experiencing the latest game.
Memory also allows you to switch quickly among these tasks, remembering where you
are in one task when you switch to another task. As a rule, the more memory you have,
the better. When you turn on your computer and open a spreadsheet to edit it, but first
check your email, you’ll have used memory in several different ways. Memory is used to
load and run applications, such as your spreadsheet program, respond to commands, such
as any edits you made in the spreadsheet, or toggle between multiple programs, such as
when you left the spreadsheet to check email. Memory is almost always being actively
used by your computer.
In a way, memory is like your desk. It allows you to work on a variety of projects, and the larger
your desk, the more papers, folders, and tasks you can have out at one time. You can quickly and
easily access the information without going to a filing cabinet (your storage drive). When you’re
finished with a project or leaving for the day, you can put some or all the projects in the filing
cabinet for safekeeping. Your storage drive (hard drive or solid-state drive is the filing cabinet
that works with your desk to track your projects.

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

ROM is a type of memory where the data has been prerecorded. Data stored in ROM is retained
even after the computer is turned off ie, non-volatile. Read-Only Memory (ROM), is a type of
electronic storage that comes built into a device during manufacturing. You’ll find ROM chips in
computers and many other types of electronic products; VCRs, game consoles, and car radios all
use ROM to complete their functions smoothly. ROM chips come built into an external unit –
like flash drives and other auxiliary memory devices – or installed into the device’s hardware on
a removable chip. Non-volatile memory like ROM remains viable even without a power supply.

Types of ROM:

1. Programmable ROM, where the data is written after the memory chip has been
created. It is non-volatile. Programmable ROM, or PROM, is essentially a blank
version of ROM that you can purchase and program once with the help of a special
tool called a programmer. A blank PROM chip allows current to run through all
possible pathways; the programmer chooses a pathway for the current by sending a
high voltage through the unwanted fuses to “burn” them out. Static electricity can
create the same effect by accident, so PROMs are more vulnerable to damage than
conventional ROMs.
2. Erasable Programmable ROM, where the data on this non-volatile memory chip
can be erased by exposing it to high-intensity UV light. Erasable Programmable
ROM chips allow you to write and rewrite them many times. These chips feature a
quartz window through which a specialized EPROM programmer emits a specific
 frequency of ultraviolet light. This light burns out all the tiny changes in the
EPROM to reopen its circuits. This exposure effectively renders the chip blank
again, after which you can reprogram it according to the same process as a PROM.
EPROM chips will eventually wear out, but they frequently have lifetimes of over
1000 erasures.
3. Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM, where the data on this non-volatile
memory chip can be electrically erased using field electron emission. To modify an
Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM chip, apply localized electrical fields to
erase and rewrite the data. EEPROMs have several advantages over other types of
ROM. Unlike the earlier forms, you can rewrite EEPROM without dedicated
equipment, without removing it from the hardware, and in specifically designated
increments. You don’t have to erase and rewrite everything to make a single edit.
4. Mask ROM, in which the data is written during the manufacturing of the memory
chip classic or “mask-programmed” ROM chips contain integrated circuits. A ROM
chip sends a current through a specific input-output pathway determined by the
location of fuses among the rows and columns on the chip. The current can only
travel along a fuse-enabled pathway and thus can only return via the output the
manufacturer chooses. Rewiring is functionally impossible, and so there’s no way
to modify these types of ROM chips. While producing a template for an original
ROM chip is laborious, chips made according to an existing template can be much
more
What is ROM used for?

ROM stores “firmware,” which is permanent software that’s hard-wired with integrated circuits.
The manufacturer fits a specifically designed ROM chip into a device during the building
process.

Unlike the non-volatile memory of a hard drive, it’s difficult and time-consuming to rewrite a
ROM chip’s memory. In most cases, it’s impossible to alter integrated circuits, which may mean
you can’t update more basic forms of ROM. You may be able to reprogram some modern types
of ROM, but only at slow speeds and with special equipment. These hurdles make traditional
ROM poorly-suited for functions that require frequent feature updates or are prone to bugs or
security issues.

Conventional ROM is pre-programmed to suit its intended hardware. It often controls functions
that are both integral to the utility of the device and unlikely to need modification or
personalization. One kind of data usually stored in a ROM chip is the Basic Input-Output System
(BIOS). A device’s BIOS controls the way the device responds to cues from the user at the most
fundamental level, such as a computer’s “booting-up” process that occurs when the system
powers on.
Difference RAM ROM

Data Retention RAM is a volatile memory ROM is a non-volatile

which could store the data memory that could retain
as long as the power is the data even when power
supplied is turned off.

Working Type Data stored in RAM can be Data stored in ROM can
retrieved and altered. only be read.

Use Used to store the data that It stores the instructions

has to be currently required during bootstrap
processed by CPU of the computer.
temporarily.

Speed It is a high-speed memory. It is much slower than the

RAM.

CPU Interaction The CPU can access the The CPU can not access
data stored on it. the data stored on it unless
the data is stored in RAM.

Size and Capacity Large size with higher Small size with less
capacity. capacity.

Used as/in CPU Cache, Primary Firmware, Micro-

memory. controllers

Accessibility The data stored is easily The data stored is not as

accessible easily accessible as in
RAM

Cost Costlier Cheaper than RAM