Capacity, speed, portability, durability, reliability, cost

The advantages and disadvantages of different storage devices and storage media relating to these characteristics: Capacity, speed, portability, durability, reliability, cost

1.2.2 Secondary Storage

Practise exam questions

Secondary Storage — Note 4 of 4

What you need to know

Each storage type has advantages and disadvantages relating to capacity, speed, portability, durability, reliability, and cost. Understanding these trade-offs is essential for choosing appropriate storage for different scenarios.

What to know

HDD: High capacity, cheap per GB, good for desktops/servers. But bulky, easily damaged by movement, slower than SSDs.
SSD: Very fast read/write, no moving parts, lightweight and durable. But expensive per GB and relatively lower capacity.
Optical: Very cheap per disc, small and portable. But very low capacity, easily scratched/damaged, slow read/write speeds.

Key terms

Capacity: How much data a device can store. HDDs and SSDs hold the most (often several terabytes). Optical discs hold far less.
Speed: How quickly data can be read or written. SSDs are fastest (no moving parts). HDDs are slower, and optical discs are slowest.
Portability: How easily a device can be carried. SSDs and optical discs are most portable. HDDs are bulky and heavy.
Durability: How well a device withstands physical damage. SSDs are most durable (no moving parts). HDDs are least durable (moving read/write head).
Reliability: How likely a device is to keep working without losing data. HDDs fail from worn moving parts, optical discs from scratches, and SSDs after many write cycles.
Cost: The price of storing data, usually per GB. HDDs are cheapest per GB. SSDs are most expensive per GB. Optical discs are cheap each but hold little data.

Exam technique

Tip:Questions often ask you to compare TWO types. Structure your answer: advantage of Type A vs disadvantage of Type B for each characteristic.

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