When we speak of the hardware or physical components of the computer, we identify 4 components. These are input devices, output devices, the central processing unit, and storage devices.
The storage devices referred to here are secondary storage devices. It is a very important part of computer hardware. However, secondary storage, as with many other areas in information technology, has evolved over the years. Today there are many other better options for storage than there were twenty years ago. In fact, you are no longer limited by the amount of storage space available on the computer.
Today extending your storage space simply requires that you purchase one of the many dynamic external devices available. You can guarantee storage devices will also continue to evolve.
Keep reading to learn:
- What a storage device is;
- Types of storage devices;
- Primary storage vs. secondary storage; and
- Examples of storage devices.
Related article: Units of storage in the computer
What is secondary storage – Definition of the term storage device
A secondary storage device also referred to simply as a storage device, is a part of a computer that stores information/data for an extended period of time. Secondary storage is non-volatile. What this means is that when the computer is turned off, the information stored on these devices remains the same.
Now when you research the term storage devices, you may find mention of primary storage and secondary storage. These are two distinctly different things. So how do primary and secondary storage differ?
Related article: The IPOS cycle
Differentiate between primary and secondary storage
Unlike secondary storage, primary storage is not a place where you are able to put information for future use. In fact, when the computer is turned off, all information stored in primary storage is lost. On the other hand, when we store information in secondary storage, we are able to access it for years to come.
While the computer is in use, primary storage is accessed more frequently than secondary storage. This is because all information and programs being used are stored in primary storage.
Related article: How to convert data storage units.
Types of secondary storage devices
Magnetic storage devices;
- Optical storage devices; and
- Solid-state storage devices.
Definitions and examples of the different types of storage devices (local storage)
Optical storage devices: These are thin circular disks that use laser technology to read from and write to the disk. They are usually made of aluminum and are portable. Some examples of optical discs 💿 are:
- DVDs (digital versatile disks;
- CDs (compact disk); and
- Blue-ray disks.
Magnetic storage devices: Magnetic storage is one of the most popular storage devices in use today. This is highly influenced by the fact that it comes in very large sizes and is a very cheap form of technology used to store information. These devices have the ability to be written to and read time and again.
These types of devices use a type of magnetic technology to both read and write information and data.
Examples of magnetic storage devices are:
- Hard drives; and
- Magnetic tapes.
Solid-state devices: are those devices that use neither moving heads nor magnetic technology to store information. These devices use electronically programmable flash memory to store information. Solid-state storage is faster than magnetic and optical storage devices. As a result, they are also more expensive. Some examples of solid-state devices are:
- Memory card;
- Flash Drive; and
- Solid state drives.
If you found this article interesting, be sure to visit our article on audio output devices.