Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
RAM disk

RAM disk

6.2
A fast virtual drive using computer memory that can lose data when power stops
  • noun
  • /ræm dɪsk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : disco RAM
  • If you save files on a RAM disk without backing them up, a power loss will result in losing all unsaved data.
  • RAM disk of GB
  • using a RAM disk

Examples

  • They can also be used as so-called RAM disks.

    Academic text (1995)

  • It'll just take your OS off of your storage medium, throw it all onto the RAM disk, and then start it up.

  • Of course, getting the 100 floppies to back up the RAM disk before shutdown would have been a pain.

    Blog text (7)

  • Mainly, it is to support a reasonable RAM disk as swap or working area (12 to 20MB).

    Blog text (10)

  • A RAM disk is a virtual storage drive created in your computer's memory, which operates much faster than traditional disk drives.

  • Using a RAM disk can significantly improve the performance of applications that require quick access to large amounts of data.

How Fast

RAM
  • Specialized
27 3.5
RAM disk
  • Specialized
6.2
solid-state
  • Specialized
1 5.5
hard drive
  • Specialized
106 2.8

Surface Forms

RAM disk singular
RAM disks plural

Morphology

RAM + disk

The compound combines 'RAM' (temporary/main memory) and 'disk' (a storage drive) so its meaning — a storage drive implemented using RAM — is directly derivable from the constituents. While some technical implications (e.g. volatility, backing storage) require domain knowledge, the basic concept is compositional and thus understandable to a learner who knows both words.

Etymology

RAM disk describes making a disk out of RAM, the computer's working memory. That's why a RAM disk is 'very fast' but the files can be 'lost when the power goes off'.