this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
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Explain Like I'm Five

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Why do SSDs have a more limited number of times data can be written to them, but RAM memory can handle loads of re-writes? (self.explainlikeimfive)
submitted 1 year ago by lemmington_steele to c/explainlikeimfive
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In a similar vein, why can we not use the technology of RAM to prolong the life-cycle of an SSD?

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[–] rickdgray 4 points 1 year ago

Dynamic RAM tracks bits by using a capacitor for each bit. Caps' charge bleeds out so you have to top it off again every so often. The way you do that is to just write the same data back again. So it reads and writes the same data to itself every refresh. The opposition to this is static RAM which does not use a capacitor and is just a clever arrangement of transistors. No refresh needed. It's not typically used commercially except under special requirements, though as transisters are significantly more expensive. So the refresh strategy is the better choice for consumer hardware. DRAM has been dominant for decades.