Storage Devices - Content Flashcards
What is a storage device?
It is a type of peripheral device used for storing, backing up and sharing data where a network is not available.
Examples:
-Hard disk drives
-Solid state drives
-SD cards
-USB memory sticks
-Optical disks
-Magnetic tape
What is a hard disk drive?
It is a magnetic storage device commonly used as the primary internal storage device but can be external.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hard disk drives?
Advantages:
– large storage capacity
– relatively low cost
– very reliable
Disadvantages:
– slower than solid state drives at loading data
– not as portable
What is a solid state drive?
It is a flash memory device commonly used as the primary storage in portable computing devices.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a solid state drives?
Advantages:
– very fast data read and write speeds
– low power consumption
– extremely reliable because they have no moving parts
Disadvantages:
– higher cost
– lower storage capacity
– finite number of writes
What is an SD card?
It is a small flash memory card that is commonly used for storage in digital cameras and sometimes smart phones.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an SD card?
Advantages:
– small and portable
– easy to transfer between devices with SD card readers
Disadvantages:
– small storage capacity
– greater capacity is costly
– potential compatibility problems
What is a USB memory stick?
It is a small flash memory device that connects through a USB port.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using USB memory sticks?
Advantages:
– extremely portable device
– compatible with most computer systems
Disadvantages:
– storage capacity is relatively lower
– finite number of writes
– can be lost easily due to their size
What is an optical disk?
It is used for software, music and movies. E.g. CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using optical discs?
Advantages:
– small and portable
– a lot of devices have built in capability
– External devices are inexpensive if needed
Disadvantages:
- stability of media can be questionable
– fragile and easy to damage
What is a magnetic tape?
It is used for large data backups
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using magnetic tape?
Advantages:
– very large storage capacity
– very cheap
Disadvantages:
– data is accessed serially which is very slow
– requires specialist equipment for recording and reading data
