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Difference between RAM and free disk space

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Séba -  
Supreme-Shiif Posted messages 16 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -
Hello,

I would like to buy a game for my new Mac, and while checking the compatibility, I noticed that the game in question requires 2 GB of free RAM and 7 GB of free disk space...

Could someone explain the difference between the two? I don't know anything about computer language.

Thank you in advance.

Configuration: Mac OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2) / Safari 6.0.2

7 answers

  1.
    Neliel Posted messages 7012 Status Contributor 1 702
     
    Hello,

    RAM is the volatile memory.
    It is used for the processor's calculations. The larger it is, the more calculations the processor can perform and retain the results in memory at the same time.
    In other words, the PC will be faster in its operation and in games. Within the limits of the processor's capabilities, of course.
    For the game to start, it requires a certain amount of volatile memory known as the necessary configuration...

    Disk space... is the available free space on the hard drive. Since the game is installed on the hard drive, it needs a minimum available space. Otherwise, no installation and therefore no game.

    "Trotti Trotta, Mr. P, there are angels who want a kiss..."
    "Even Mr. P's toys need toys"
    6
    1. Supreme-Shiif Posted messages 16 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
       
      Then I want to install Saints Row 4. I have 4 GB of RAM and 600 GB of hard drive space in total, including the OS and local storage. Since the game requires 4 GB of RAM, can I install it or not?
      0
  2. Séba
     
    Oh no, I just saw something else about my hard drive's capacity; it has a capacity of 999.35 GB and an availability of 981.7 GB. Even I, who knows absolutely nothing about all this "gobbledygook," thought that 8 GB for a Mac was a mistake on my part...

    A link helped me for those who are interested:

    http://www.macworks.ch/macworks/?page_id=70

    But in that case, what do the 8 GB I mentioned earlier correspond to?
    2
  3. Neliel Posted messages 7012 Status Contributor 1 702
     
    The 8 GB is the RAM, the volatile memory of your computer.

    --
    "Trotti Trotta, Mr. P, there are angels who want a kiss..."
    "Even Mr. P's toys need toys"
    1
  4. Séba
     
    In other words, for a Mac with 8 GB of memory, it may not be appropriate to take a game that requires 7 GB of disk space? Notably, if I want to install several games, this particular game might be a bit too much?
    0
  6. Neliel Posted messages 7012 Status Contributor 1 702
     
    You only have 8 GB of space on your hard drive?

    --
    "Trotti Trotta, Mr. P, there are angels who want a kiss..."
    "Even Mr. P's toys need toys"
    0
  7. Séba
     
    The characteristics of my Mac are as follows:

    Processor 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5
    Memory 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
    Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M 512 MB
    Software OS X 10.8.2

    So I suppose the 8 GB of memory I’m talking about refers to the hard drive?!?
    0
  8. Séba
     
    Ok, thank you very much for your help.
    0