In a computer, a register is the fastest memory. Registers are temporary memory units that store data and are located in the processor, instead of in RAM, so data can be accessed and stored faster. Cache memory is extremely fast memory that is built into a computer’s central processing unit (CPU).

Microprocessor, any of a type of miniature electronic device that contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry necessary to perform the functions of a digital computer’s central processing unit.

Most modern processors contain the following components: A memory management unit, which handles memory address translation and access. An instruction fetcher, which grabs instructions from memory. An instruction decoder, which turns instructions from memory into commands that the processor understands.

Every time you open a program, it gets loaded from the hard drive into the RAM. This is because reading data from the RAM is much faster than reading data from the hard drive. The more RAM your computer has, the more data can be loaded from the hard drive into the RAM, which can effectively speed up your computer.

RAM is faster than ROM just because writing data to a ROM chip is a slow process, whereas writing data to a RAM chip is a faster process. A RAM chip can store multiple gigabytes (GB) of data, up to 16 GB or more per chip; A ROM chip typically stores only several megabytes (MB) of data, up to 4 MB or more per chip.

RAM, which stands for random access memory, and ROM, which stands for read-only memory, are both present in your computer. RAM is volatile memory that temporarily stores the files you are working on. ROM is non-volatile memory that permanently stores instructions for your computer.