Unit 1.3 Storage V2

Unit 1.3 Storage V2

1. Characteristics of storage devices to consider

   • Capacity
     • How much data does it store?
   • Speed
     • How fast can it access the data?
   • Portability
     • How easily can it be moved around from device to device?
   • Durabilty
     • How long may the data last? Will it corrupt easily?
   • Cost
   • Reliabilty
     • Will the data save properly?

2. Also see V1

3. Secondary Storage/Auxillary

   • These are devices that are removable storage!
   • It can grant extra storage capacity
   • It is often used to backup data
   • A USB Memory Stick is an external secondary storage device
   • HDDs and SSDs are internal secondary storage devices
   • Can be bad as data may be outdated
   • Type vs. Device! Be specific and read the question if it asks for type your answer will be either optical, magnetic or solid state!

4. The Three Types of Storage

   • Optical
     • Data is made up of marks that can be read with the aid of light typically a laser
     • CDs and DVDs are optical storage devices
   • Magnetic
     • Data is made up of different levels of magnetisation in a certain pattern making it readable by certain devices
     • Hard Drive, Floppy Disk Drives, Zip Drives and Tape Drives are all examples
   • Solid State
     • A form of non-volatile storage that does not need any moving, mechanical parts to function as it works all electroniclly
     • An example is an SSD!