Memory Levels

Memory Levels

Designing systems involves balancing speed, cost, and capacity to optimize performance.

1. CPU Cache (L1, L2, L3 Caches):

• Access Time: Nanoseconds

• Description: Extremely fast but very small. Stores frequently accessed data to speed up processing.

2. RAM (Main Memory)

• Access Time: Tens of nanoseconds

• Description: Larger than CPU caches, used to store currently running programs and data.

3. SSD (Solid State Drive)

• Access Time: Microseconds

• Description: Faster than traditional hard drives, used for storing files and applications.

4. HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

• Access Time: Milliseconds

• Description: Slower than SSDs, used for large-scale storage.

5. Network Storage (e.g., NAS, SAN)

• Access Time: Milliseconds to seconds (depends on network speed)

• Description: Storage accessed over a network, used for shared access to data.

6. Remote Storage (e.g., Cloud)

• Access Time: Variable, typically slower due to network latency

• Description: Data stored in remote servers, accessible over the internet.

For obvious reasons, we want low latency and high throughput for any application

Throughput: Number of transactions per sec

Latency: Response time for a single request

Cost: Faster storage is generally more expensive.