Yes, some video games may access the hard drive during gameplay to load content or save progress.
Yes, some video games may access the hard drive during gameplay to load content or save progress.
I understood that RAM serves as a quicker alternative to a traditional hard drive. Why not design computers with a combination of a hard drive and RAM, similar to an SSD hybrid?
When the computer shuts down, the memory loses its power and erases whatever data is stored there. A hard drive or SSD retains its information even when powered off. Storing things in these ways takes a significant amount of time. Modern PCI-e or M.2 cards make drives extremely fast, so performance mainly depends on read/write operations. RAM boasts an enormous number of cycles—far more than what you'd typically use. In contrast, HDDs and SSDs suffer more damage when repeatedly accessed, like loading something 100 times in a minute.
In an imagined world, you desire an ultra-fast solid-state storage with vast capacity, rapid read/write capabilities, endless durability, and affordability. Currently, such a device remains out of reach, and I question if we'll achieve it within the next two decades. For now, stable performance and dependable memory are the top priorities.
We're far removed from such advanced technology. You'll notice the advantages if you have ample extra memory and wish to explore how storage would function with RAM. You can always set up a RAM disk for testing. Just remember, any data on that disk will vanish when the computer powers off.
of course, just to be sure, if Mozilla is running, I could spend all day exploring the internet without needing to use my hard drive. Or I could start Windows and as long as it's active, I wouldn't require the drive unless the operating system needs files for programs. Which ones... I'm not entirely sure yet. I understand what they need to access once it's booted up.