Secondary Storage

Secondary Storage

1. USB Flash Drive (Solid State)

   • Portability
     • Very small and light (designed to be moved from computer to computer
   • Capacity
     • Typically range from 1 GB to 64 GB (higher capacities are being developed)
   • Suitability
     • Commonly used by students who work on multiple computers
   • Durability
     • USB flash drives are very sturdy
   • Speed
     • USB 2.0 transmits data at 5m bits per second

2. Optical Disks

   • Capacity
     • CDs: 700MB, DVDs: 4.7GB, Blu-rays: 25 GB
   • Speed
     • Highly variable
   • Portability
     • Small and light (not as easy to carry as USBs)
   • Durability
     • Quite sturdy but can be scratched easily
   • Suitability
     • Useful for transporting data from one place to another

3. Internal Hard Disk Drive (Magnetic)

   • Capacity
     • Very frequent to see computers with terabytes
   • Speed
     • Quicker than any external device
   • Portability
     • Difficult and time consuming
   • Durability
     • Very well protected in computer
   • Suitability
     • Most programs are stored in the hard disk

4. Cloud Storage

   • Capacity
     • Unlimited (must pay for space)
   • Speed
     • Depends on internet speed of the user
   • Portability
     • Very good (so long as internet connection is good)
   • Durability
     • Data is usually backed up multiple times
   • Suitability
     • It can be used to back data up