What are Storage devices?
They are a type of peripheral device used for storing, backing up and sharing data, usually for individual use where a network is not available
Types of Storage devices
- Hard disk drives
- SD cards
- Optical disks
- Magnetic tape
- USB memory sticks
- Solid state drives
Hard disk drives
A magnetic storage device which are commonly used as the primary internal device but can be external
Solid-State drives
These are flash memory devices commonly used as the primary storage in portable computing devices like tablets and laptops
SD cards
Small flash memory cards that are commonly used for storage in digital cameras and some smartphones
USB Memory stick
Small flash memory devices that connect through a USB port
Optical Disks
Such as CDs, DVDs, and Blue-ray disks are used for software, music, and movies
Magnetic Wipe
Used for large data backups
Ad of Hard disk drive
- Offer a big storage capacity at a relatively low cost (1 terabyte)
- Reliable storage method, as they have a long life span and tend not to fail completely
Dis of Hard disk drive
- A relatively slow read/write speed, compared to Solid State Drive.
- Not portable storage device, have a number of moving parts, which means knocks can easily damage the device.
- Heavy and bulkier
Ad of Solid State drives
- Very fast read/write speeds, compared to HDDs -faster to turn on your computer, load programs, and save files.
- Consume less power than HDDs- very useful for devices that often run off of battery power, such as laptops.
- They have no moving parts, they are less likely to be damaged by knocks and bumps, which makes them useful as portable storage devices.
Dis of Solid State drive
- More expensive than HDDs.
- Because of this heightened cost, this means that generally, SSDs will have a lower storage capacity than HDDs.
- Have a finite number of writes before they no longer work - less useful for devices that require regular writing to the disk (like many servers).
Ad of USB memory sticks
- Very portable storage devices- small size, light-weight & easy connectivity to other devices
- No moving parts- durable and reliable as they’re unlikely to be damaged by knocks and bumps.
- The USB connector built into the device makes them highly compatible with devices,
Dis of USB memory sticks
- Due to the device’s small physical size, USB can be very easy to lose.
- Compared to HDDs and SSDs, USB has a low storage capacity. (Up to 128GB)- to get larger it then becomes expensive
Ad of SD Cards
- Extremely small and portable, even compared to USB flash drives- easy to transfer data between devices (as long as they have an SD card reader).
- Reliable storage device that is less likely to take damage from bumps.
Dis of SD Cards
- Very small storage capacity, generally around 64GB- greater capacity is costly
- Various “enhancements” resulting in potential problems with compatibility with SD card readers E.g SDHC and SDXC
Ad of Optical Disks
- Small and highly portable- why they’re used for distributing things like software and films.
- A lot of devices have built-in capability to read optical discs
Dis of Optical Disks
- A small storage capacity (A Blu-Ray can store up to 50GB of data)
- Easy to damage- flimsy and also are easy to scratch which can damage the data it is storing.
- Only work for a finite number of writes. CDRW disks, for example, can be written to around 1000 times.
Ad of Magnetic Wipe
- Very large storage capacity
- Very cheap on per-byte basis
Dis of Magnetic Wipe
- Data is accessed serially which is very slow
- Requires specialist equipment for recording and reading data
