RAM is memory storage chips , Hard drive capacity is storage, The difference is RAM gets reset every time you reboot the computer and Hard drive storage doesn't, RAM is what a computer uses to run programs and the hard drive is what the computer uses to store files from the programs. The way to look at it is the more memory (RAM) a computer has, the more it can do simultaneously. The bigger the hard drive the more it can store. So 2GB of RAM and 80 GB Hard drive, is not bad, however if you are buying a new laptop. I would think it would have at least a bigger hard drive like at least 160GB would would hold twice as many files.