Help explain computer memory to me please?

Question

I just got this macbook pro, its got 2.16ghz intel core duo processor, and 2gb 667 Mhz ddr2 sdram. Okay, so my friends keep saying how much memory do you have on your computer, ill say 2gb, and everyone is like oh thats nothing b/c my ipod is 80 gb. That doesnt make sense to me! how can an ipod have 80 gb and my computer only have 2gb?? Also, is what i have considered a lot of memory or does what i have suck?

Answer 1

..... your friend's are confusing Hard Drive memory, with RAM memory...... They're completely different.
When they're comparing their 80GB, to your 2GB,... they are actually talking about their Hard Drive.
Also,... an IntelCore 2 Duo processor @ 2.16ghz,.. and RAM @ 2GB,... indicate's you have around, or over, 100 GB's of Hard Drive.
So,..... judging by the size of your Processor and RAM,..... your laptop is definitely packing some fire-power....

Answer 2

We mostly have two different types of memory in the computer trade. One type of memory is called volatile memory. Volatile memory is your RAM, or your 2gb 667 mhz ddr2 your macbook pro has. Volatile means that you lose the stored memory once power is turned off from your system. The next type of memory is, stored memory. Stored memory for example is a hard drive. The hard drive is not volatile memory and the information remains on your hard drive after computer shuts down. In simple terms, the RAM acts as a buffer for the hard drive and helps in retrieving information much faster that if the hard drive was doing everything on its own.

When you tell your friends that your computer has 2 gigs of RAM you are not telling them what your hard drive storage is and I can guarantee you it is a lot more than 2 gigs. When they make the ipod analogy they do not understand that 80 gigs is in fact a hard drive in the ipod, not volatile RAM memory. My guess is your hard drive is at least 160 gigs in size and will blow away any ipod because it is not only bigger than a ipod hard drive but moves information much faster. A Macbook pro is not a lap top you can sneeze at. They are very powerful for a lap top, so you did yourself good. I can go on with more tech nerdy crap but I hope you get the picture some what?

Answer 3

There is two kind of memory in Computer. one is RAM and the other is your hard disk.
The hard disk is the one where all you files & windows OS & any software you install goes. (ipod has an 80GB harddisk)
The RAM is where your computer puts all the files currently in use / need to be used often with every software you run.

Having a good RAM ( 2gb=2048mb) you PC will run more effitiently. No 2.16GHZ is available with 2GB of hard disk because it is the minimum installation requirment for windows XP.

To check how much hard disk space ( The one your friends call memory) you have . Right CLick My Computer click manage. WHen that console opens click disk management. Disk 0 will be your hard disk space. im guessing it would be sumthing above from 80gb.

Answer 4

If your friends are asking how much "memory" you have, then 2GB's is the correct answer. When they say they have 80GB's of "memory" on their iPod's, they are wrong. They have a 80 Hard drive on their iPod. A harddrive, and RAM are completely different.

A hard drive is mechanical, and slower, and is used for mass storage.

RAM(Memory, or Random Access Memory) is electrical, and is used to speed up the computer. RAM is much faster then a harddrive ( because its electrical rather then mechanical )_so what the computer does is it loads things into the RAM in advance that are going to be needed soon, so it can retrieve the data faster then getting it directly from the slower harddrive.

Answer 5

2gb is different from your storage memory. Your computer storage memory is probably 100-160gb on your computer. The 2gb of RAM is just your computer's "short term memory" this is what it uses to process the functions of your computer. Like opening Word or browsing the internet. Your laptop has more storage than your ipod. And your friends should be asking how much storage space you have and not how much memory, lol.

Answer 6

One thing, that is the ipod hard drive space not the RAM memory. Your RAM is very good in you computer. I am running at 384 MB of RAM and I am happy.

Answer 7

They're confusing RAM (memory) with hard drive space. 2GB is a very good amount of memory.

Answer 8

your friends are freaking idiots
memory = ram. an ipod doesn't even have 512mb. memory (ram) is very important in improving your pc or mac's performance. they are talking about their drive space not ram.... so just say how much your hard drive space has...

Answer 9

Right click on computer and Properties
Or you can find more computer information by Help and support Center It will show you all detail of your computer including hardware + software installed to it.