The hard drive provides storage for your computer's programs and frequently used data. Most hard drives today are rated in Gigabytes (GB). Not to be confused with RAM, your hard drive is permanent storage for your data. RAM is memory; your hard drive is storage. However, hard drives do serve a function of memory. When Microsoft Windows runs out of RAM to use for programs, it taps into the hard drive to sustain programs. The hard drive then becomes "virtual memory," and while your system will slow considerably when this backup occurs, it prevents your PC from crashing.

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RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory, the working memory in your PC. As your computer runs programs and works with data, it uses RAM to store the program information. RAM is usually measured in megabytes (MB). More RAM allows your computer to run more complex programs and to do so faster. RAM also allows you to "multitask," or work among several open programs. For example, working on a Word document as you surf the Internet and listen to MP3 music files can be very draining on your computer's RAM. After the processor, RAM is the second biggest factor in overall system speed. If you work with large spreadsheets or digital images, having more RAM is a big help.

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CD-ROM
This compact disc is similar to a music CD, and contains computer data. In order to read CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), your system needs a CD-ROM or other compatible drive. A single CD-ROM can store up to 650MB of data. CD-ROM drive speeds are compared in multiples of the original CD-ROM speed, which transferred data at 150kbps. So, a 40x CD-ROM drive can transfer data at 6000kbps.

DVD-ROM
This disc looks similar to a CD, but has a significantly higher capacity for data storage. DVD-ROMs hold up to 4.7GB of data. DVD drives can also play CD-ROMs, music CDs, as well as other DVD and CD formats. Besides playing software, a DVD-ROM drive (combined with a monitor) can replace your DVD player and TV, as it can play full-length DVD-Video movies.

CD burners
CD burners, which are often called CD-R/RW drives depending on the media they're being used with, allow you to record data or music files onto blank CD media. This process is called burning and is different than ripping, which is copying music files from a CD onto a computer hard drive as a MP3 file. CD burners can burn onto CD-Rs, which can only be written onto once, or CD-RWs, which can be written over about 1,000 times.

CD-R/RW burning times
The higher the values, the faster the burner can perform the operation. Here is a comparison grid that will help you understand the time savings that a faster burner can have. The times below are based on an entire 700MB.

Rewritable DVD
Now that the rewritable DVD revolution is well underway, it's clear that this medium will provide versatile solutions for your PC storage and computing needs, as well as serve as a great entertainment source.

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