Dynamic RAM must be refreshed thousands of times per second to maintain its memory contents, while static RAM does not need to be refreshed but is more expensive. Both types of RAM are volatile and will lose their stored data when a computer shuts down. The most important specifications of RAM are its storage capacity in bytes, megabytes, or gigabytes, and its speed in transferring data to the microprocessor, usually measured in hertz, megahertz, or gigahertz.