3.1 Storage
Overview Compare the following storage devices in terms of storage capacity, cost, speed of data retrieval and suitability for specific purposes: Hard disk DVD CD-RWCD-ROM/CDR Blu-ray Tape streamer Flash media
Units of Storage Bit Byte MB – Megabyte GB – Gigabyte
Hard disk Main storage device in most computer systems Magnetic storage device A number of disks one on top of the other in a sealed unit Lacks portability Holds a lot of information
Digital Versatile Disk Looks like a CD Requires a DVD drive Typical storage capacity 17GB
CD-RW CD Rewriteable Can be written to and erased many times More expensive than a CD-R Needs a CD-RW drive
CD-ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory Information cannot be erased Typical storage is 650MB Faster access than a floppy access More robust than a floppy disk
Blu-ray An optical storage medium Huge capacity Do not necessarily need special equipment to read them Popular applications are the storage of video and high definition graphics
Tape Streamer Digital audio tape A magnetic medium Serial access medium Has a huge storage capacity typically 60GB Used for backup
Flash Media Non-volatile computer storage Can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. Usual applications are memory cards and USB flash drives
Network storage v Local storage Network storage Network administrator backs it up Peripherals can be shared Local storage Up to the individual to back it up Every system needs its own peripherals
Acronyms MBMegabyte GBGigabyte DVDDigital Versatile Disk CDCompact Disk CD-RCompact Disk Recordable CD-ROMCompact Disk Read Only memory DATDigital Audio Tape
Associated words Primary storage Secondary storage Serial access Direct access Optical storage Magnetic storage Backing store
Complete the following: CapacityCostSpeed of data retrieval Application DVD Hard disk CD-ROM Flash memory Floppy disk Tape streamer