First, for the newbies, a definition of what RAM is; According to Princeton University, random-access memory is the most common computer memory that can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on. It is an integrated circuit memory chip allowing information to be stored or accessed in any order with all storage locations being equally accessible

When you check your computer's resources, you are checking the amount of RAM that is still available to run programs on your computer. Every program that runs in the background is using a little or a lot of your available RAM. All of those icons in your system tray down on the right are programs that are running and there are some necessary processes running that are not displayed as icons that are also using some of your RAM.

For a long time conventional wisdom showed us that processor speeds were outpacing memory, which didn't allow the processor to work at its own top speed. Now due to Corsair DDR2 memory, the situation has reversed. You now need to be sure your motherboard can allow this amount of faster, more effective ram to work up to its maximum potential.

This is good news for computer users. It will allow the makers of processors and motherboards to improve upon their hardware, giving us truly faster computing.

A quote from a Corsair press release states, “Corsair® Memory, the worldwide leader in design and manufacture of high performance memory, today unveiled the world's first DDR2-800 2GB kit rated at true low latency of CL3. The latest addition to the award-winning XMS. Family of products, TWIN2X2048-6400C3 delivers unparalleled memory performance at 800MHz and supports the industry's lowest latencies of 3-4-3-9 in this speed grade. Featuring Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP), a new open memory standard jointly development by Corsair and NVIDIA®, the users can take advantage of the added memory performance characteristics and capabilities when used with an EPP-capable motherboard.”

Corsair has succeeded in finally addressing the problems of latency as processor speed continues to increase. By doing so Corsair DDR2 RAM will allow manufacturers to continue building faster processors while Corsair starts working on DDR3, whatever that might be.

How fast is fast enough? That's a question I get asked often. The average computer user only uses a small portion of the computing power at their fingertips. However, many companies, government agencies, and researchers use all of the potential built into their computers processors and ram.

There are many important tasks that computers perform that affect our daily lives. Air Traffic Control, Defense Systems, Health and Medical Research, Accounting, the Stock Market, and even traffic lights and signals at railroad crossings. The need for faster, more reliable, and more powerful computers is crucial to each and every one of us. Thanks to Corsair, we are moving forward.