Types of storage devices

Types of storage devices

1. Optical

   • Definition - Optical devices use a laser to scan the surface of a spinning disc made from metal and plastic. The disc surface is divided into tracks, with each track containing many flat areas and hollows. The flat areas are known as lands and the hollows as pits.
   • Devices: CD, DVD, Blu-ray Discs, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM
   • Characteristics- cheap, lightweight, fairly portable

2. Magnetic

   • Definition - Magnetic devices such as hard disk drives use magnetic fields to magnetise tiny individual sections of a metal spinning disk. Each tiny section represents one bit.
   • Devices: hard disk drives, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, jaz drives
   • Characteristics- cheap, large capacity, fairly reliable

3. Solid state

   • Definition- a storage device with no moving parts and therefore it is more portable then other storage devices.
   • Devices: USB memory sticks, solid state drives, SD cards
   • Characteristics- durable, reliability, fast access speeds, portable