storage devices

storage devices

1. solid state

2. magnetic

   • Magnetic fields can corrupt /damage the stored data
   • Not as portable as other storage technologies: It is physically larger e.g. a hard disk is bigger than a CD. If is integrated into a computer e.g. hard disk, then it would have to be physically removed to carry it with you
   • Hard disks have mechanical moving parts. These can be damaged or wear out over time
   • Huge storage capacity – measured in terabytes (TB)
   • Cheapest out of the three storage technologies in terms of storage per gigabyte

3. optical

   • Media is very portable, especially when compared to a hard disk
   • It is inexpensive when only a small amount of data needs to be stored e.g. less than 10GB
   • It is immune to magnetic fields, unlike magnetic media where the data can be damaged
   • 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.