Storage

What is primary storage

Storage used for storing data currently being used by the CPU

What is secondary storage

Non-volatile storage used for storing data that is not currently being used

Examples of magnetic storage

hard disk drive, magnetic tape, floppy disk

Examples of primary storage

RAM (volatile), ROM (non-volatile)

Types of secondary storage

magnetic, optical, flash storage.

Advantages of magnetic storage

High capacity, cost effective, long lifespan (lots of read/write cycles)

Disadvantages of magnetic storage

Not robust, slow access times due to moving head

What data can a hard disk drive hold?

Operating system, applications, user data

What data can magnetic tape hold?

Backups, media (past)

What data can optical storage hold?

Multimedia content

Examples of optical storage

CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray (in ascending order of capacity)

Advantages of optical storage

Low cost, portable (small, water + shock proof)

Disadvantages of optical storage

Slow access speed, low capacity, easily scratched, limited write cycles

Write cycles for optical?

Some disks only allow you to write once, whereas others are limited to up to 1000 cycles

Examples of flash storage

USB drives, SSDs, memory cards, ROM chip (not secondary)

Advantages of flash storage

High capacity, fast access speed, robust, portable

Disadvantages of flash storage

Expensive, average write cycles