Secondary Storage

Secondary Storage

1. Optical

   • Disadvantages
     • Not very durable in comparison to solid state
     • Has limited capacity unlike magnetic
   • Examples
     • CD
     • DVD
   • Advantages
     • Very cost effective unlike solid state and magnetic
     • Very durable as it has the ability to run on a variety of computers unlike magnetic and solid state

2. Solid State

   • Examples
     • Kingston Flash Drive
     • SD card
   • Disadvantages
     • Smaller storage capacity in contradistinction to magnetic
     • Less cost effective in comparison to magnetic and optical
   • Advantages
     • It can read and write data much faster than magnetic storage
     • More durable as opposed to magnetic and optical

3. Magnetic

   • Examples
     • Magnetic Tape
     • Floppy Disks
   • Disadvantages
     • Has a slower read and write speed compared to solid state
     • Not as durable due to moving parts in comparison to solid state
   • Advantages
     • Has a larger capacity compared to a solid state
     • Very cost effective unlike solid state

4. Secondary storage is non volatile storage. It is needed in a computer system to store your programs

5. Keywords and Definitions

   • Solid State storage - Uses microchips to store data instead of magnetised disks and do not contain any moving parts.
   • Magnetic storage - Data is stored by magnetising the surface of flat, circular plates called platters. These platters rotate at a very high speed.
   • Optical storage - Is any storage method in which data is written and read with a laser.
   • Volatile - When data get lost when the computer is turned off.
   • Non volatile - When data is not lost when the computer is turned off.
   • Capacity - The amount of data a computer can hold.
   • Durability - How robust / hard wearing the storage device is.
   • Portability - How easy the storage device can be used on other devices.