14 POPULAR SCIENCE
FOR MOST OF THE HISTORY OF COMPUTING
science, there has been a distinct divide between a
computer’s CPU, its RAM, and its storage system.
To complete its calculations, a CPU must rapidly
store and retrieve mathematical results from
temporary memory. The fastest memory is
the CPU’s built-in cache. The next fastest is
the system RAM. And the slowest is the hard
drive, be it a magnetically-recorded diskette
or the somewhat faster (but still slow by
CPU standards) solid-state-drive.
The divide is partly due to design,
but mostly due to cost. The faster the
memory, the higher the price, and
the smaller the affordable capacity.
That’s why a typical PC has a CPU
with 12 megabytes of cache, but 16
gigabytes of RAM, and two, five,
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Art by ANTHONY FORDHAMA New Way
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