Types of memory and storage
Memory
• memory is usually referred to as the internal
devices which the computer can access
directly
• it can be the user’s workspace, temporary
data or data that is key to running the
computer
• include components such as registers (which
are part of the processor), memory cache
(external to processor) – use to store data
which the processor will probably need to use
again
See figure 3.2 on page 70
Storage Device
• allows users to store applications, data and
files
• user’s data is stored permanently and they
can change it or read it as they wish
• needs to be larger that internal memory
• can also be removable to allow data to be
transferred between computers (can serve as
back up)
• removable data become less important with
the advent of technology such as ‘data drop’
(which uses Bluetooth) and cloud storage
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ANSWER EXTENSION ACTIVITY 3A
page 73

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Categories of Secondary Storage Devices

• Hard disk drives (HDD)

• Solid State Drives (SSD)
• Optical Media: CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs

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Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

➢ one of the most common methods used to

store data on a computer
➢ data is stored in a digital format on the
magnetic surfaces of the disks (or platters,
as they are frequently called)
➢ it has a number of platters which can spin
at about 7000 times a second
➢ a number of read-write heads can access
all of the surfaces which can be used to
store the data
➢ typically they can move from the centre of
the disk to the edge of the disk (and back
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again) 50 times a second
➢ direct access device
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

➢ unfortunately, HDD have very slow

data access when compared to, for
example RAM
➢ many applications require the read-
write heads to constantly seek for
the correct blocks of data which
means a large number of head
movements thus, latency occurs
➢ latency is defined as the time it
takes for a specific block of data on
a data track to rotate around to the
read-write head
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➢ removable hdd are external hdd
(backup)
Solid State Drive (SSD)

➢ reduce the issue of latency with HDD because

they have no moving parts and all data is
retrieved at the same rate
➢ stored data by controlling the movement of
electrons within NAND chips
➢ data is stored as 0s and 1s in millions of tiny
transistors
➢ a transistor is called floating gate and another
one is called a control gate
➢ a number of SSD uses EEPROM, the main
difference is the use of NOR gates instead of
NAND gates which makes the operation faster but 8
more expensive
Solid State Drive (SSD)

➢ NAND only allows block of data to be erased but

NOR allows data to be erased in single bytes at a
time
➢ but NAND is more popular because of its cheaper
cost
➢ Main benefits of using SSD than HDD
▪ more reliable
▪ Lighter
▪ do not have to ‘get up to speed’ before they
work properly
▪ lower power consumption
▪ run cooler than HDD
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▪ very thin
▪ access data considerably faster
Solid State Drive (SSD)

➢ main drawback of SSD is the unknown longevity

➢ most SSD are conservatively rated at only 20GB write
operations per day over a three year period – SSD
endurance
➢ not commonly use in servers
➢ note that it is also not possible to over-write existing data
on a flash memory device; it is necessary to first erase the
old data and then write the new data at the same location
➢ memory stick/ flash memories (pen drives) use solid state
technology
➢ complex or expensive software, such as expert system, will
often use a memory stick as a dongle to prevent illegal or
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unauthorized use of software or copying of software
Optical Media: CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs

➢ optical storage devices which uses laser light to read data from and write data
onto the surface of the disk
➢ CDs and DVDs use a thin layer of metal alloy or light-sensitive organic dye to store
the data
➢ uses a single spiral track which runs from the center of the disk to the edge, when
a disk spins, the optical head moves to the point where the laser beam ‘contacts’
the disk surface and follows the spiral track from the centre outwards; divided into
sectors

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Optical Media: CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs

➢ data is stored in pits and bumps on the spiral track, a red laser is used to read
and write the data
➢ CDs and DVDs can be designated by R (write once only) or RW (can be written to or
read from many times)
➢ DVD uses dual layering which increases the storage capacity compared to CDs

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Optical Media: CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs

➢ Blu-ray uses blue laser light to carry out the read and write operations and which
has smaller pits or bumps and can store five times more data than a DVD
➢ All optical storage media are used as back-up systems for phots, music and
multimedia files

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Main Differences Between CDs, DVDs and Bluray

Track pitch
Laser
Disk Type Wavelength Disk Construction (distance
Colour
between tracks)
CD red 780 nm single 1.2 mm 1.60 µm
polycarbonate layer
DVD red 650 nm Two 0.6 mm polycarbonate 0.74 µm
layer
Blu-ray blue 405 nm Single 1.1 mm 0.30 µm
polycarbonate layer

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ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:
• EXTENSION ACTIVITY 3B page 74
• EXTENSION ACTIVITY 3C page 75
• EXTENSION ACTIVITY 3D page 77

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TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC PAGES NAME

PRINTERS 77-79
SPEAKERS, MIC, TOUCH 80-83
SCREEN
VIRTUAL HEADSETS, 83-87
SENSORS

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