What is the primary purpose of virtual memory?

Correct answer: Extend RAM by disk space. Virtual memory uses part of the disk as extra RAM when physical RAM is full.

Background: It lets a computer run larger programs than RAM alone allows.

• Increase CPU speed: Virtual memory does not make the CPU faster.
• Store data permanently: Permanent storage is the job of the disk.
• Reduce power: Virtual memory does not reduce power use.

Did you know? It is slower than real RAM.

Memory trick: Virtual = disk acting as RAM.