1.1.3 Flashcards
input device
Any device that allows you to pass information from the outside word into a computer system
e.g. keyboard, webcam, microphone
output device
Any device that can take data stored in digital form and convert it into another format that humans can process such as sound, images or vibrations
e.g. headphones, projectors, monitors
storage device
Any device used for either temporary or permanent storage of data – can be internal or external
e.g. optical - CD, flash - USB, magnetic - hard drive
drive
The device that reads and writes data from secondary storage.
media
What the data is actually stored on.
optical storage pros
cheap
lightweight
portable
optical storage cons
slow access times
easily scratched
optical storage examples
CD
DVD
Blue-ray
magnetic storage pros
cheap
can hold a large capacity
magnetic storage cons
slow access time
fragile
magnetic storage examples
Magnetic hard drive
Mass storage tape
solid state pros
durable
fast access time
solid state cons
expensive
limited read/writes
solid state examples
SD card
USB/flash drive
Portable solid-state drive
RAM
Random Access Memory - volatile - Used for storing programs/data/parts of OS currently in use - faster than the hard disk
ROM
Read Only Memory - non volatile - Used for storing BIOS / bootstrap - small amount on the motherboard
virtual storage
aka: cloud storage
the concept of storing and retrieving data over the internet in the cloud instead of a local storage device
virtual storage pros
access at any time
access from any device
easily share data
easy to colab
can be considered ‘unlimited’
virtual storage cons
need wifi (sometimes works without wifi but not fully)
expensive
if connection is poor it is slow
