Random-access memory (usually known by its acronym, RAM) is a type of data store used in computers that allows the stored data to be accessed in any order � that is, at random, not just in sequence. Eventhough more than 15 years have passed from the invention of integrated circuits, the ferite core memory was only replaced by chips in 1970s, when the price/performance ratio of the IC made them the better choice.

Common RAM packages as illustrated, from top to bottom:

1. DIP 18-pin (RAM chip, usually pre-FPRAM)
2. SIMM 30-pin (usually FPRAM)
3. SIMM 72-pin (so-called “PS/2 SIMM”, usually EDO RAM)
4. DIMM 168-pin (SDRAM)