OCR GCSE

SLR1.2 Memory and storage (J277)

Common types of storage

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SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Common types of storage

• Drive: The device that reads and writes data from secondary storage.

Magnetic + drive = “Magnetic hard drive”

Solid-state + drive = “Solid-state drive”

Optical + drive = “Optical drive”

SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Common types of storage

• Drive: The device that reads and writes data from secondary storage.
• Media: What the data is actually stored on.

Magnetic + drive = “Magnetic hard drive”

Solid-state + drive = “Solid-state drive”

Optical + drive = “Optical drive”

SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Common types of storage

Optical

Storage
Magnetic
devices

Solid State
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Optical storage

CD-R Pits
CD-RW
DVD-R
DVD-RW
Blu-Ray
Lands
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Optical storage

label
CD-R
DVD-R protective layer
Blu-Ray land

pit

base

laser
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Optical storage Positives

• Cheap
• Light weight
• Portable

CD-R label
CD-RW
protective layer
DVD-R
DVD-RW land
Blu-Ray
pit

base

laser
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Optical storage Positives Negatives

• Cheap • Slow access times
• Light weight • Prone to scratches
• Portable

CD-R label
CD-RW
protective layer
DVD-R
DVD-RW land
Blu-Ray
pit

base

laser
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Common types of storage

Optical

Storage
Magnetic
devices

Solid State
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Magnetic storage

N S

S N
0 1
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Magnetic storage

Dust Human Hair

Drive Head

Smoke
Particle Fingerprint

Disk
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Magnetic storage

Dust Human Hair

Drive Head

Smoke
Particle Fingerprint

Disk

Positives
• Cheap
• Large capacity
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Magnetic storage

Dust Human Hair

Drive Head

Smoke
Particle Fingerprint

Disk

Positives Negatives
• Cheap • Slow access times
• Large capacity • Fragile
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Common types of storage

Optical

Storage
Magnetic
devices

Solid State
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Solid-state storage

Oxide layer
floating gate
Oxide layer
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Solid-state storage

Oxide layer
floating gate
Oxide layer
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Solid-state storage

Oxide layer
floating gate
Oxide layer

Positives
• Durable
• Fast access times
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

Solid-state storage

Oxide layer
floating gate
Oxide layer

Positives Negatives
• Durable • Cost
• Fast access times • Limited read / writes
SLR1.2 Memory and storage | Common types of storage OCR GCSE (J277)

The common types of storage include:

Optical (CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, Blu-Ray):

• Low capacity compared to other types of storage.
• Slow to access data.
• Thin, lightweight and portable.

Magnetic (Hard disk drive, tape):

• High storage capacity.
• Quick to access data.
• Has moving parts, which eventually fail.
• Hard disks perform better if they are defragmented.

Solid-state (SSD, Memory sticks, Flash memory cards):

• Medium storage capacity.
• Very quick to access data.
• No moving parts, very reliable.
• No noise.
• Low power.
• No need to defragment.
• Limited number of read/write cycles.
• Expensive compared to other types of storage.