Why can’t we just use SSDs with 128GB as RAM on our Computers? It seems way better than 8 or 16 GB.
In: Technology
We do, kind of. There’s different levels of memory a computer has access too.
Registers: Smallest capacity, fastest memory that the CPU uses to actually manipulate code.
Cache: Small capacity, fast memory located on the CPU itself that is used to store section of code that it’s currently working on.
System DRAM (dynamic random access memory): Medium capacity, medium speed memory that a computer stores the entire programs that are currently running. When the CPU needs some of that code, it fetches it from the RAM then adds it to the cache memory.
Virtual Memory: Large capacity, slowest memory located on a hard disk or SSD, that acts as an extension to RAM should System RAM not be enough.
SSDs, while much faster than hard drives, are still a lot slower than any other type of RAM. And while they’re both made up of integrated circuits of transistors, SSDs and DRAM have a vastly different design from one another.
Due to the way they retain data without being powered, SSDs will actually wear out over repeated write cycles. Which can be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand writes depending on the design used. SSD controllers utilize algorithms to spread wear evenly across the entire drive, but they will fail eventually. DRAM, meanwhile, does not wear out with repeated writes. So while you would get more capacity going this route, it would work out to be a lot slower, but much more expensive in the long run as you had to keep replacing drives.
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