Storage devices and media : Advantages vs Disadvantages Flashcards
Advantages of Magnetic tape drives:
They are generally less expensive than hard disk drives.
It is a very robust technology.
They have a huge data storage capacity.
The data transfer rate is fast.
Advantages of Fixed Hard Disks/Drives:
They have a very fast data transfer rate and access times.
They have a very large memory capacity.
Advantages of Portable Hard Disk Drives:
Data access time and data transfer rate are very fast.
It has a very large memory capacity.
It can be used as a method of transferring information between computers.
Advantages of CD-R/DVD-R:
Cheaper medium than RW discs.
Once burned (and finalized) they behave like a ROM.
Advantages of CD-RW/DVD-RW:
Can be written over many times.
Can use different file formats each time it is used.
Not as wasteful as the R format because the files/data can be added later.
Advantages of CD-ROM/DVD-ROM:
They are less expensive than hard disk drive systems.
Very portable as they are small and light.
Data stored on them is read-only, so it cannot be accidentally overwritten.
Advantages of Blu-Ray discs:
Very large storage capacity.
Very fast data transfer rate.
The data access speed is also greater than with other optical media.
Blu-ray discs automatically come with a secure encryption system.
Advantages of Solid-state drives (SSD):
They are more reliable as they have no moving parts.
Because of no moving parts, they are very thin.
They are considerably lighter, and suitable for laptops.
They do not have to ‘get up to speed’ before they work
correctly.
SSD data access time is only 0.1 milliseconds compared to 10 milliseconds for HDD.
Data transfer speed for SSDs is also much faster than for HDDs.
They have lower power consumption.
They run much cooler than HDDs.
Advantages of Pen drives (Memory sticks):
Very compact and portable media.
Very robust.
Does not need additional software to work on most computers.
They are not affected by magnetic fields.
Advantages of Flash Memory cards:
Very compact.
Because they have no moving parts, they are very durable.
They can hold large amounts of data.
Compact cameras and smartphones can read and write memory cards, allowing the user to transport extensive collections of photographs, songs etc.
Disadvantages of Magnetic tape drives:
Prolonged data access times (uses serial access).
When updating, another tape is needed to store the final updated version.
They are affected by magnetic fields, a strong field can corrupt data stored on the tape.
Disadvantages of Fixed Hard Disks/Drives:
It can be fairly easily damaged.
They have many moving parts which affects overall reliability.
Their read/write operation can be quite noisy when compared to solid-state drives.
Disadvantages of Portable Hard Disk Drives:
They can be easily damaged if the user accidentally drops it or doesn’t correctly shut down the drive after use.
The data transfer rate is not as fast as for fixed hard disk drives.
Disadvantages of CD-R/DVD-R:
Can only be recorded once; if an error occurs then the disk has to be thrown away.
Not all CD/DVD players can read CD-R/DVD-R.
Disadvantages of CD-RW/DVD-RW:
Can be relatively expensive media.
Possible to accidently overwrite data.
