Memory or storage — the distinction worth having
Never again be confused when someone says a computer “has 8 gigabytes” — because you will know to ask eight gigabytes of what.
These two words get muddled more than any other pair in computing, including by some of the people selling computers.
Key points
- Memory holds what is open and empties without power; storage keeps what you save
- “8 GB, 512 GB” means eight of memory and five hundred and twelve of storage
- Starting up is the act of copying the system from storage into memory
- Swapping a hard disk for an SSD is the single most transformative upgrade to an older machine
What to remember
- Every Windows computer has this screen, and a Mac has the same thing under About This Mac. The two numbers are always both on it.
- When somebody says a computer “has eight gigs”, the useful reply is “eight gigs of what?”
- The last two items are the same thing in two different places. Sit with that for a moment — it is the clearest picture there is of what starting up actually does.
- Press Ctrl+S whenever you pause to think. It costs nothing, and it moves your work from the counter into the cabinet.
Try this
Find out whether your own machine has a hard disk or an SSD. On Windows, press the Windows key and type Defragment — the tool that opens lists every drive and says which kind it is. On a Mac, hold Option, click the apple menu, choose System Information and look under Storage.
Practice: Memory or storage — the distinction worth having. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.