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GROUP 2
What is a Storage Device?
A storage device is any hardware capable of holding information either temporarily or permanently. There are two types of storage devices used with computers: 1. a primary storage device, such as RAM, and a secondary storage device, such as a hard drive. 2. Secondary storage can be removable, internal, or external. (www.computerhope.com 2017) A primary storage device is a medium that holds memory for short periods of time while a computer is running. Although it has a much lower access time and faster performance, it is also about two orders of magnitude more costly than secondary storage
RAM (random access memory) and cache are both examples of a primary storage device. The image shows three different types of storage for computer data. Primary storage's key differences from the others are that it is directly accessible by the CPU, it is volatile, and it is non-removable. A secondary storage device is a non-volatile device that holds data until it is deleted or overwritten. Secondary storage is about two orders of magnitude cheaper than primary storage. Consequently, a hard drive or an additional, slower SSD may use as secondary storage to a primary, faster, PCIe SSD. Off-line storage is a subset of secondary storage, as they both serve the same purpose and do not interact directly with the CPU. Examples of secondary storage: Hard Disk Drive A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as a hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device. It is usually installed internally in a computer, attached directly to the disk controller of the computer's motherboard. It contains one or more platters, housed inside of an air-sealed casing. Data is written to the platters using a magnetic head, which moves rapidly over them as they spin. Internal hard disks reside in a drive bay, connected to the motherboard using an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable. They are powered by a connection to the computer's PSU (power supply unit). Examples of data that may be stored on a computer's hard drive include the operating system, installed software, and the user's personal files Solid-State Drive
Short for solid-state drive, an SSD is a storage medium that uses non-volatile memory as a means of holding and accessing data. Unlike a hard drive, an SSD has no moving parts which gives it advantages such as faster access time, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower power consumption. The picture shows an example of an SSD made by Crucial.
Short for solid-state drive, an SSD is a storage medium that uses non-volatile memory as a means of holding and accessing data. Unlike a hard drive, an SSD has no moving parts which gives it advantages such as faster access time, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower power consumption. The picture shows an example of an SSD made by Crucial. USB Thumb Drive Alternatively referred to as a USB flash drive, data stick, pen drive, memory unit, keychain drive, and thumb drive, a jump drive is a portable storage device. It is often the size of a human thumb (hence the name) and connects to a computer via a USB port. Flash drives are an easy way to store and transfer information between computers and range in sizes from 2 GB to 1 TB. Unlike a standard hard drive, the flash drive has no movable parts; it contains only an integrated circuit memory chip that is used to store data. Flash drives usually have plastic or aluminum casings surrounding the memory chip. The picture shows a SanDisk Cruzer Micro 16 GB flash drive. SD Card Short for Secure Digital card, the SD card is one of the more common types of memory cards used with electronics. The SD technology is used by over 400 brands of electronic equipment and over 8000 different models, including digital cameras and cell phones. It is considered the industry standard due to the wide use.
Types of SD cards The three versions of the SD card, along with their physical dimensions, are shown below. SD - 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm. MiniSD - 21.5mm x 20mm x 1.4mm. MicroSD - 15mm x 11mm x 1.0mm
CD
Abbreviated as CD, a compact disc is a flat, round, optical storage medium invented by James Russell. The first CD was created at a Philips factory in Germany on August 17, 1982. The picture is an example of the bottom of a standard compact disc and is the side the disc player reads. The opposite side of the disc has a label to help indicate what is on the disc
DVD
Short for digital versatile disc or digital video disc, a DVD or DVD-ROM is a disc capable of storing a significant amount more data than a standard compact disc. DVDs are widely used for storing and viewing movies and ot her data. The picture of the Matrix DVD movie disc is an example of a DVD movie. DVD-ROM drives that utilize these discs were first sold in 1997. Floppy Diskette
Alternatively referred to as a floppy or floppy disk, a floppy diskette is a type of storage
media, capable of storing electronic data, like a computer file. The floppy diskette was first created in 1967 by IBM as an alternative to buying hard drives, which were extremely expensive at the time.
Tape Drive
A tape is a magnetically thin coated piece of plastic wrapped around wheels capable of storing data. Tape is less expensive than other storage mediums, but it is a much slower solution because it is sequential access and is often used for backing up large amounts of data.
