A RAM disk (also known as RAM drive or virtual RAM drive) turns RAM into a logical disk drive for temporary storage purposes. It can come in the form of a software that converts a portion of regular computer memory into a drive, or an actual physical device that uses RAM as a storage medium. Both offer a tremendous boost in storage speeds of several magnitudes over the hard disk drive.

The RAM disk has been around since the 1980s, but it has never been popular due to the high cost of computer memory. It is now making a comeback, partly because RAM is now cheap and plentiful and partly because solid state drives (SSDs) are fast replacing hard disk drives as the storage medium of choice, not only in notebooks but also in desktops where they serve as boot drives.

SSDs are not only much faster than hard disk drives, they are silent and virtually impervious to vibration and shock. The downside though is their limited lifespan, especially consumer-grade SSDs which use MLC flash memory that last only 5,000 program/erase cycles. That's where the RAM disk comes in - it allows the user to reduce wear and tear on the SSD by shifting some of the work to it.