Storage Devices

Storage Devices

1. Magnetic

   • Huge storage capacity – measured in terabytes (TB)
   • Cheapest out of the three storage technologies in terms of storage per gigabyte
   • Data can be stored for a long period of time
   • The media is not as robust as magnetic or solid state alternatives. Disks can easily be scratched or broken.
   • It is slower to write to than other types of media. It is also slower to access data from, compared to a magnetic or solid state hard disk.
   • Although it is inexpensive for storing small amounts of data, the cost would be prohibitive for storing terabytes of data.

2. Solid State

   • It is very portable compared to other storage technolgies e.g. a USB memory stick compared to a CD or hard disk
   • It is robust. There are no moving parts, unlike a magnetic hard disk, and so it is less likely to be damaged.
   • It is faster to access the data from, compared to a magnetic hard disk
   • SSD are expensive compared to an equivalent magnetic hard drive
   • Solid state storage has a limited number of erase/write cycles.

3. Optical