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Glite Dictionary
insufficient RAM

insufficient RAM

5.3
A computer that does not have enough memory to run programs
  • adjective
  • Specialized
translation icon : RAM insuficiente
  • If your laptop is slow, it may be due to insufficient RAM.

Examples

  • The program crashed because there was insufficient RAM to load all the files.

  • Upgrading your system can help solve issues caused by insufficient RAM.

  • My computer has insufficient RAM for gaming.

  • Are you experiencing insufficient RAM issues?

  • Many applications will not run smoothly on computers with insufficient RAM.

  • I decided to upgrade my laptop because it had insufficient RAM for the tasks I needed to perform.

  • The video game struggled to load due to insufficient RAM on my device.

Surface Forms

insufficient RAM positive

Morphology

insufficient + RAM

The meaning 'not having enough random access memory' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'insufficient' (not adequate) with 'RAM' (temporary memory); there is no idiomatic shift or metaphor. Given a learner knows the technical term 'RAM', a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning, so the phrase is compositional and straightforward.

Etymology

The term insufficient RAM comes from imagining a computer's short-term memory as a small desk covered with papers: RAM is the computer's working space, and if it is too small you cannot keep all the papers you need. So a computer with insufficient RAM will slow down or even crash because it has 'not enough memory' to run tasks.