Computer Storage Devices Types and Uses

The place where all the data on the computer goes is a storage device. This allows users to access all the data safely and without any trouble. This device is one of the core components of a computer system. It is a hardware device to store digital data in multiple forms like text, images, audio, etc.

Computer systems need to have storage to remember any settings or information. Yes, they can function without storage devices but only to read and not edit. Even a task like surfing the internet needs storage to function. Thus, having storage in the system is crucial for its functioning.

These devices are neither input devices nor output devices. It is more suitable to refer to any device capable of storage as a storage device or media. The storage device access depends on the location of the saved information. By default, all information goes to the computer hard drive. I

t also depends on the operating system. The Microsoft users have file managers to access files, while mac has a finder as the default device.

And to move information, users can opt for removable storage devices. But many storage devices are not relevant anymore as now SSD is the go-to choice for everyone. USB and flash drives are also quite easy to use. Most of the systems have a disc drive as an inbuilt feature to read and edit CDs and DVDs.

Need for different Storage Devices in Computer

The requirements for the storage device are changing with time. Consumers want more and more space and features with evolution. This includes lower cost, faster speed, and larger space. Thus, scientists are also coming up with more and more advances.

Punch cards were very useful earlier but didn’t have magnetic media thus the floppy disk came. But soon cd-rom took its place because of better features. This cycle continues even now with better devices replacing the previous ones.

The largest capacity device is either a hard drive or solid-state drive. Cloud networks also have large space because of large networks. This is the list of devices in order of their capacity, starting from the lowest ones.

1. Punch card
2. Floppy diskette
3. Zip disk
4. CD
5. DVD
6. Blu-ray disc
7. Flash jump drive
8. Hard drive / SSD
9. Tape drives
10. NAS / Cloud Storage

Evolution of Computer Storage Devices

Early storage devices were mainly primitive and had mechanical systems. Punch cards, magnetic tape, etc are two examples of it. They had physical data which was later changed to binary data. But with digital media, they became irrelevant.

Floppy disks were the first ones to have large space for digital formats and then came the compact disks. Computers still had primary hard drives as traditional platters to deal with data. Then came the solid-state drives replacing everything.

Non-Volatile Memory Express is the most recent storage device that is available in the market. But cloud storage and SSDs are the most famous ones even today. Tape drives and hard disks are quite old but they are innovating to meet the dynamic market needs.

Characteristics of Computer Storage Devices

• They save the data securely as it has volatile memory. 
• Saving and replacing the data is easier.
• They are readable, editable, and re-editable allowing easy replacement of data. 
• They are easily accessible and very convenient to use by anyone. 
• Their capacity is increasing with the time that is a big advantage. 
• They allow easy transfer of data from one device to another. 

Types of Computer Storage

1. Primary Storage

• The Central Processing Unit directly accesses this storage.
• It is the main memory and is volatile. 
• But at the same time, it is temporary as everything vanishes after the system reboot. 
• It has a small size and consists only of internal memory.
• Examples – RAM, cache memory, etc.

2. Secondary Storage

• The CPU doesn’t have direct access to this storage.
• The connection is by input and output channels as it is external to the system.
• It has large storage and is non-volatile.
• It is permanent storage unless removed by an external force.
• This has both internal and external memory.
• Examples – USB drives, floppy disks, etc.

Difference between Primary and Secondary Storage Devices

3. Tertiary Memory

• Mostly not a part of personal computers.
• It has mounting and unmounting of mass storage data.
• It has inbuilt robotic functions.
• Doesn’t need human intervention and has automatic functioning.

Random Access Memory

It is the primary memory of the computer with a very fast solid-state storage accessible by the CPU. All the open files and programs go to the RAM by default. It is volatile and thus removal of power leads to data deletion.

Thus, it is not suitable for the long run and hard drives are a better option. It is quite expensive and has storage in GBs.

Types of RAM

1. Static RAM

This type of RAM does not need refreshing but it has less memory per chip. It is more expensive than DRAM but is faster as well. It is commonly present in cache memory and needs less power to function.

2. Dynamic RAM

This needs a regular refresh to update data but this leads to slower performance. It is cheaper than SRAM and is mostly present in the main memory. 

Applications of RAM

Its typical application is as the main and direct accessible memory of the computer.

Benefits of RAM

• Direct access to the CPU
• Faster processing
• Faster solid-state storage

Drawbacks of RAM

• Relatively expensive
• Volatile in nature

Read-only Memory

It is a non-volatile memory chip that does not allow any data alteration. It is usually to store the start-up routines in the system. This is the only application of ROM.

Types of ROM

1. Masked ROM

This is inexpensive and the first type of ROM which had hard-wired devices. The instructions were pre-programmed inside the devices for them to function.

2. Programmable Read-Only Memory

This allows only one modification by the users when they are uploading it for the first time. But the programs are not erasable as the fuses of the device burn during the programming.

3. Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory

In this type, the data is erasable by exposing the device to UV rays for at least 40 minutes. This is because the electoral charge inside the insulated region is trapped during programming but passage of rays dissipates the charge.

4. Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory

The data is programmable and erasable electrically at least ten thousand times in just 4 to 10 ms (millisecond). This is applied to particular locations as well as it erases one byte at a time becoming a slow process.

5. Flash Read-Only Memory (Flash ROM)

It is present in the computer as a storage medium. It is also erasable and reprogrammable electrically. But in this, 512 bytes of data is erased at a particular time.

Benefits of ROM

• Non-volatile in nature.
• It is cheaper than RAM.
• Does not need refreshing due to static nature.
• More reliable than RAM with simpler circuits.
• Permanent data storage. 

Drawbacks of ROM

• The users cannot modify it.
• No changes can be done at all.

List of Computer Storage Devices

1. Magnetic Storage Devices

These are quite common in all the systems now as they are affordable and easily accessible. They can also store a large amount of information through magnetized mediums.

They create a magnetic field after attaching it to the computer allowing them to read binary language with the help of the two magnetic polarities.

a. Floppy Disk

Floppy Diskettes are a removable storage device with magnetic elements. They spin around in the computer’s disk reader and store information. Though CDs, DVDs, and USB drives are more relevant now.

b. Hard Drive

This is a primary storage device with access to the motherboard’s disk controller. It is integral to the system and stores programs or applications. The hard drives now also have spaces in terabytes allowing users to save software programs easily.

c. Zip Disk

It is a removable storage device by Iomega that has 750MB. Initially, it had only 100MB of space, but with time the space increased.

d. Magnetic Strip

This is an attachment to the device that deals with digital data. A debit card is the best example of this type as it has a strip that stores digital data.

e. Super disk

It is a type of disk drive with space between 120 MB and 240 MB of data.

f. Tape cassette

It is a flat device that stores data usually as a backup for a huge amount of data. It is quite cheap and accessible as storage media.

2. Optical Storage Devices

These devices use lasers and lights to deal with data. They are cheaper than flash devices and can store more data as well.

a. CD-ROM

Compact Disc – Read-Only Memory is what it stands for. It is an external device for managing audio or software data.

b. Blu-Ray Disc

It came out in 2006 as a single-layer disc with a space of 25 GB of data in a single-layer disc. Now there is also a dual-layer disc with 50 GB of data. It has a special blue laser that has to read the bumps on multiple layers. The space even goes up till 128 GB with variants.

c. DVD

Digital Versatile Disc is a readable, recordable, and rewritable optical storage device. The users can record on this device and then attach it to the system. CCTV uses this quite frequently and it has a capacity of 9.4 GB.

It allows reading and writing at the same time and prevents accidental deletion. But it has low compatibility and has lower speed than the discs.

d. CD-R

Readable compact disks have photosensitive organic dye to deal with the data. They are cheaper for storing software and applications.

The storage capacity of these devices are –

3. Flash Memory Devices

They are now a replacement for magnetic and optical storage devices. They are affordable, portable, and accessible. All this makes them more convenient to use as well.

a. USB Drive

Pen drives are portable storage devices with space up to 1 TB. It has an integrated circuit allowing users to manipulate the data. They are cheap and easily accessible. They are portable and durable with a range of capacities available in the market. But they are more expensive than hard drives.

b. Memory Card

It is a very small device that usually goes inside smartphones and cameras to store data. It is compatible and supports visual, audio, and video formats.

c. Memory Stick

Sony was the first one to launch it to store more data easily and quickly. Now, many other companies are offering this device in the market.

d. Solid State Drive

It is a device with integrated circuit assemblies that deals with the data steadily.

e. Compact Flash (CF)

It is mostly present in digital cameras and other portable devices with space up to 128 GB.

f. MultiMediaCard

It is mostly present in-car radios, printers, MP3 players, and digital cameras as an external storage device. The MMCP and MMCM are a few variants of this card.

g. SDHC card

It is an upgraded version of the standard SD card but is not compatible with the SD format. It only has a capacity of 32 GB.

h. Non-Volatile Memory Express

It is usually present in data centers as it standardizes computer connection. This is a device by Intel that came out in 2007. It is similar to an SSD and can connect to the PCI Express bus.

i. SmartMedia Card

A SmartMedia card is a memory card by Toshiba which is similar to a solid-state floppy disk card.

j. EXtreme Digital Picture Card

It is a flash memory card by Olympus and Fuji that came out in 2002. It is a very small flash memory card. H and M/M+ versions of this have space up to 2GB.

4. Online Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is mainly on the internet in the form of databases and files. This makes the data available anywhere and anytime. This is very famous in today’s world as the data is remotely accessible on the network.

Most of the features are free but there are a few premium paid features as well. There is a network media as well where a community can save their content together.

5. Paper Storage

a. OMR

Optical Mark Recognition is the process of collecting data on paper in the form of markings. The exams with MCQs are commonly using this process to assess the students.

b. Punch card

It is a piece of paper with digital information coming from the perforated holes. This is where they are present, defining the data.

Hard Disk Drives and Solid-State Drives

1. Hard Disk Drives (HDD)

This device came out in the 1950s as the original hard drive. They are magnetic storage devices with spinning metal disks called platters. Each platter has trillions of fragments representing bits.

The actuator arm scans the platters and then writes digital information. It reads the information by detecting the magnetic charges.

Applications for hard disk drives

• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• TV and satellite recorders
• Servers and mainframes
• Portable drives 

Advantages of hard disk drives

• Can hold vast amounts of data
• Affordable
• High-speed reading and writing
• Reliable technology
• Size is relatively small 

Disadvantages of hard disk drives

• Moving parts can lead to breaking
• Not as fast as solid-state drives
• Fragile and less robust
• Higher power consumption 
• Noise creation by moving parts

2. Solid-State Drives (SSD)

This device came out in the ‘90s. Solid State drives use NAND, a type of flash memory that is faster and takes less space. It has semiconductors to store information by electrical current changes in the circuits. They don’t need moving parts for operation and thus work faster, smoother and longer. 

Applications for solid-state drives

• Smartphones
• Tablet computers
• High-end laptops
• Two drive desktop solutions
• Portable drives like HD video cameras

Advantages of solid-state drives

• Superfast reading and writing speed
• Physically smaller and lighter
• Reliable and durable
• Increases battery time
• Requires less power
• Doesn’t make noise
• Generates less heat

These are a few of the reasons why people are making a shift from hard drives to solid-state drives. 

Disadvantages of solid-state drives

• Higher Cost
• Limited capacity in the drive
• Limited chances to write

Conclusion

The computer storage devices enable a computer system to work efficiently without worrying about the data. When you enter the corporate world, you will deal with data all the time. Thus it is important to know about the basic functioning of the storage devices to maintain the data better.

This is why exams like RRB, Insurance, IBPS, SBI PO, RBI, etc. have computer aptitude as one of the sections. They want individuals to adapt to a dynamic environment. All the applicants should keep this in mind and read it carefully.