STORAGE Flashcards
What are the 3 categories of storage? + give description
- Primary storage
e.g. RAM, ROM, registers, cache - Secondary storage
e.g. The operating system, programs are held here when not in use - Tertiary storage
e.g. Storage used for backing up and archiving of large amounts of data (NOT IN GCSE SO NOT COMPULSORY KNOWLEDGE)
What are the differences between primary and secondary storage?
Primary:
All (other than ROM) are volatile
ROM is considered a read only
Relitavely small capacity compared to secondary storage
Seconday:
All are non-volatile
Much larger storage capacity
What is the purpose of primary storage?
Its very fast access times compared to secondary storage, more bearable for user
Secondary is slow
What is the purpose of secondary storage?
Secondary storage is needed because ROM is read only and RAM is volatile
What is secondary storage needed for?
Backup of data files
Archive of data files
Semi-permanent storage of data that can change
Storage of programs and data when the power is turned off
What are the 3 common types of storage?
- Optical
- Magnetic
3.Solid-state
Define Drive
The device that reads andwrites data from secondary storage
Define Media
What data is actually stored on
State the properties of optical storage and give 3 examples of optical storage.
Thin, lightweight and portable
Slow to access data
Low capacity compared to others
Examples:
CD-R
DVD-R
Blu-Ray
State the properties of magnetic storage and give 3 examples of magnetic storage.
High storage capacity
Quick to access data
Has moving parts, which eventually will fail
Hard disks perform better if defragmented
Examples:
tape
drive
hard disk
State the properties of solid-state storage and give 3 examples of solid-state storage.
Medium storage capacity
No noise but low power
Very quick to access data
No moving parts = reliable
Expensive
No need to defragment
Limited number of read/write cycles
Examples:
SSD
Memory sticks
Flash memory cards
