Memory

Most current computer architectures, at a high-level, have three distinct places to store information: in the CPU itself, system memory (RAM) and some form of attached storage (hard disks or SSDs). In such systems, the amount of space available and the relative speed of access are inversely proportional; faster access typically correlates to lower storage capacity. Within these, the CPU (registers and cache) is the fastest, followed by memory and then permanent storage.