Common Types of Storage (Edexcel GCSE Computer Science)

• Storage devices are non-volatile secondary storage, that retain digital data within a computer system

• They provide a means of storing, accessing, and retrieving data, which can include software applications, documents, images, videos, and more

• There are 3 types of storage:

  • Magnetic

  • Solid State

  • Optical

Magnetic Storage

What is magnetic storage?

• Magnetic storage is a type of non-volatile media that uses magnets (polarity) to store binary 0s and 1s

• Magnetic drives contain moving parts which eventually fail

Solid State Storage

What is solid state storage?

• Solid state storage is a type of non-volatile media that uses electronic circuits to store binary 0s and 1s

• Solid state contain no moving parts

Optical Storage

What is optical storage?

• Optical storage is a type of non-volatile media that uses lasers to burn the surface of a disk, creating pits and lands suitable for storing binary 0s and 1s

Suitable Storage Devices

How do I choose the right storage device?

• Choosing the right storage device depends on:

  • Capacity - How much data needs to be stored?

  • Speed - How quickly can the data be read from/written to?

  • Cost - How much does it cost?

  • Portability - Does the data need to be transported? What is the physical size? Weight?

  • Durability - How robust is the media?

  • Reliability - Does the device to be accessed over and over again?

• In different scenarios, different storage devices are more suitable

Scenario 1 - army laptop

• The army would like a new portable computer than can used whilst 'in the field', it must be robust enough to withstand a few bumps and easy to transport to new places. Money is no object

• In this scenario a solid state device would be most suitable

• A solid state device has a high durability which means it can withstand any bumps or drops, it is small in size and weight which is perfect for a device that needs to be portable and because money is no object, the high cost is not a concern

Scenario 2 - school backups

• A school wants to backup all students work twice a day and keep it safe in case of any emergencies. The cost of the device is very important as the school budget is tight and they want a device that can hold terabytes of data in one go to minimise the amount of devices they would need to buy

• In this scenario a hard disk drive (HDD) would be most suitable

• A hard disk drive has the highest capacity and would limit the amount of devices they would need to buy, it is also relatively cheap per gigabyte compared to solid state. Reliability could be an issue but as this is being used for backing up data it will not be used constantly and would be less of a concern

Scenario 3 - new game release

• An international game studio wants to distribute it's new release for the latest games consoles. This could potential involve many millions of copies being sold so the device would have to extremely portable and cheap enough to produce so that the company do not make a loss. The device needs to be durable enough to withstand being handled regularly 

• In this scenario a Blu-ray (optical) would be most suitable

• A Blu-ray disc is highly portable due to its size and weight and durable enough because it has no moving parts. The cost is low which is perfect in this scenario as the company could potentially be selling millions of copies