Volatile versus Nonvolatile memory

Volatile versus Nonvolatile memory?

Answer:

ROMwas described earlier as being nonvolatile, meaning that it holds its contents without
a power source. The opposite of nonvolatile is volatile. Volatile memory cannot hold its
contents, the data, or programs placed on it without an active power source, such as a
wall socket or battery. RAM is a volatile form or memory and when it loses its power, it
loses its contents. If you have ever lost everything you were working on when a power
failure hit, someone tripped over the power cord, or you had to reboot the PC, then
you’ve experienced the downside of volatile memory.

So, why is volatile memory used in the PC? Why not just use nonvolatile memory? If
you were to use EEPROMs or any of the newer types of SRAM (see the section “RAM
Types” later in this section), the cost for the amount of memory you need to run the
high-graphic and feature-rich software of today would exceed that of the entire rest of the
PC, including all of the options and bells and whistles you could add. Volatile RAM is inexpensive,
readily available, easily expanded, and, as long as you protect your system
against power problems, it is error- and trouble-free for the most part.