Computer memory can refer to many types of memory within a computer, but, typically, it refers to random access memory (RAM). It is physically found oncomputercomputer computer chips that are inserted onto the computer's motherboard. RAM is electronic, rather than mechanical; that is, it does not have moving parts and therefore data access to it is very fast. Modern computers often have somewhere between 256 MB (megabytes) and 8 GB (gigabytes) of RAM, although there are, of course, computers with more or less RAM. RAM is also volatile, meaning that it gets lost when the computer is switched off.