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Types of Storage Devices

This document provides information about computer memory and storage devices. It discusses different types of memory like RAM, ROM, caches and registers. It explains how RAM is temporary storage and ROM contains instructions that can be directly accessed by the CPU. It also describes different types of memory modules like SIMMs, DIMMs and RIMMs. Additionally, it covers various storage drives like floppy drives, hard drives, optical drives and flash drives; and provides details about each type.

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Rose Gutierrez
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142 views3 pages

Types of Storage Devices

This document provides information about computer memory and storage devices. It discusses different types of memory like RAM, ROM, caches and registers. It explains how RAM is temporary storage and ROM contains instructions that can be directly accessed by the CPU. It also describes different types of memory modules like SIMMs, DIMMs and RIMMs. Additionally, it covers various storage drives like floppy drives, hard drives, optical drives and flash drives; and provides details about each type.

Uploaded by

Rose Gutierrez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What Do You Need To Know?

Read the Information Sheet 1.1 very well then find out how much you can
remember and how much you learned by doing Self-check 1.1.

Information Sheet 1.1

MEMORY

Although memory is technically any form of electronic storage,


it is used most often to identify fast, temporary forms of
storage. If your computer's CPU had to constantly access the
hard drive to retrieve every piece of data it needs, it would
operate very slowly. When the information is kept in memory,
the CPU can access it much more quickly. Most forms of
memory are intended to store data temporarily.

The CPU accesses memory according to a distinct


hierarchy. Whether it comes from permanent storage (the
hard drive) or input (the keyboard), most data goes in random access memory (RAM) first.
The CPU then stores pieces of data it will need to access, often in a cache, and maintains
certain special instructions in the register.

Read-only memory (ROM) chips are located in the motherboard. ROM chips contain
instructions that can be directly accessed by the CPU. Basic instructions for booting the
computer and loading the operating system are stored in ROM. ROM chips retain their
contents even when the computer is powered down. The contents cannot be erased or
changed by normal means.

Random access memory (RAM) is the temporary storage for data and programs that are
being accessed by the CPU. RAM is volatile memory, which means that the contents are
erased when the computer is powered off. The more RAM in a computer, the more capacity
the computer has to hold and process large programs and files, as well as enhance system
performance.

Early computers had RAM installed in the motherboard as individual chips. The individual
memory chips, called dual inline package (DIP) chips, was difficult to install and often
became loose on the motherboard. To solve this problem, designers soldered the memory
chips on a special circuit board called a memory module.

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Here are some types of memory modules:

Dual Inline Package (DIP) Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM)

Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) RAMBus Inline Memory Module (RIMM)

Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module


(SODIMM).

SIMMs have 30-pin and 72-pin configurations. DIMM is a circuit board that holds SDRAM,
DDR SDRAM and DDR2 SDRAM.

The speed of memory has a direct impact on how much data a processor can process
because faster memory improves the performance of the processor. As processor speed
increases, memory speed must also increase. For example, single-channel memory is
capable of transferring data at 64 bits. Dual-channel memory increases speed by using a
second channel of memory, creating a data transfer rate of 128 bits.

Double Data Rate (DDR) technology doubles the maximum bandwidth of SDRAM. DDR2
offers faster performance while using less energy. DDR3 operates at even higher speeds
than DDR2; however, none of these DDR technologies are backward- or forward-
compatible.

Even with a wide and fast bus, it still takes longer for data to get from the memory card to the
CPU than it takes for the CPU to actually process the data. Caches are designed to alleviate
this bottleneck by making the data used most often by the CPU instantly available.
Registers are memory cells built right into the CPU that contain specific data needed by the

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CPU, particularly the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU). An integral part of the CPU itself, they
are controlled directly by the compiler that sends information for the CPU to process.

STORAGE DRIVES

Storage drives read or write information on magnetic or optical storage media. The drive can
be used to store data permanently or to retrieve information from a media disk. Storage
drives can be installed inside the computer case, such as a hard drive. For portability, some
storage drives can connect to the computer using a USB port, a FireWire port, or an SCSI
port. These portable storage drives are sometimes referred to as removable drives and can
be used on multiple computers. Here are some common types of storage drives: Floppy
drive, Hard drive, Optical drive and Flash drive.

Floppy Drive

A floppy drive, or floppy disk drive, is a storage


device that uses removable 3.5-inch floppy disks.
These magnetic floppy disks can store 720 KB or
1.44 MB of data. In a computer, the floppy drive is
usually configured as the A: drive. The floppy drive
can be used to boot the computer if it contains a bootable floppy disk. A 5.25-inch floppy
drive is older technology and is seldom used.

Hard Drive

A hard drive, or hard disk drive, is a magnetic storage device that


is installed inside the computer. The hard drive is used as
permanent storage for data. In a Windows computer, the hard
drive is usually configured as the C: drive and contains the
operating system and applications. The hard drive is often
configured as the first drive in the boot sequence. The storage
capacity of a hard drive is measured in billions of bytes, or
gigabytes (GB). The speed of a hard drive is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM).
Multiple hard drives can be added to increase storage capacity.

Traditional hard drives are magnetic. Magnetic hard drives have drive motors designed to
spin magnetic platters and the drive heads. In contrast, the newer solid state drives (SSDs)
do not have moving parts. Because there are no drive motors and moving parts, the SSD
uses far less energy than the magnetic hard drive. Non-volatile flash memory chips manage
all storage on an SSD, which results in faster access to data, higher reliability, and reduced
power usage. SSDs have the same form factor as magnetic hard drives and use ATA or
SATA interfaces. SSDs can be installed as a replacement for magnetic drives.

Optical Drive

An optical drive is a storage device that uses lasers to read


data on the optical media. There are three types of optical
drives: Compact Disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and
Blu-ray Disc (BD).

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