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Primary Memory

What Does Primary Memory Mean?

Primary memory is computer memory that a processor or computer accesses first or directly. It allows a processor to access running execution applications and services that are temporarily stored in a specific memory location.

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Primary memory is also known as primary storage or main memory.

Techopedia Explains Primary Memory

Primary memory is a computer system’s volatile storage mechanism. It may be random access memory (RAM), cache memory or data buses, but is primarily associated with RAM.

As soon as a computer starts, primary memory loads all running applications, including the base operating system (OS), user interface and any user-installed and running software utility. A program/application that is opened in primary memory interacts with the system processor to perform all application-specific tasks.

Primary memory is considered faster than secondary memory.

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