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Computer Storage vs. Computer Memory

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Computer Storage vs. Computer Memory
Storage and Memory
In this unit you will learn the differences between computer memory and computer storage.
Memory and storage are important concepts to master in Information Technology. The two terms
are sometimes used interchangeably, so it is important to understand some key differences.
Computer memory needs to be quick. It is constantly feeding the CPU with data to process.
Since nobody likes to wait for a computer, high-quality computers will have fast processors and
lots of quick memory.
Computers do not normally process all the information they have at once. They also need to save
some data for long term use. This is where storage comes in. Think of all the video files, mp3s ,
photos, documents, etc on your PC. These files are not always being processed by the CPU, they
are mostly just hanging around waiting to be used at some point. Storage does need to be as
quick as memory, but there does need to a lot more of it. This is a key difference between
memory and storage.
Because memory needs to be much faster than storage, it is rather more expensive than storage
per KB. A typical desktop computer today (in 2009) typically has between 512 MB and 8 GB of
memory running at speeds of anywhere from 300 MHZ to 1.2 GHZ. Don't worry if you don't
know what those measurements mean at this point. We will get to them in a later unit.
Memory is almost always based on semiconductor technology. Examples of common computer
memory include RAM, ROM, and VRAM. Memory is typically volatile in nature, meaning that
it needs power in order to retain its state. There are exceptions however, such as EPROMs,
which can retain their state even when the power is off.
Computer storage is typically cheaper, slower, and more plentiful than computer memory.
Storage comes in many different types including magnetic storage, optical storage, and more
recently semiconductor storage. Storage is typically non-volatile in nature, meaning that it retains
its state even when the power is off. A typical computer today comes with anywhere between 50
GB and 1 TB of computer storage.
The most popular example today of magnetic storage is the hard disk drive. These devices use
rotating, magnetically-charged platters to store data. Hard disk drives are popular because they
can store a lot of data very reliably with relatively quick access times. Other examples of
magnetic storage devices include the tape drive and diskette. Tape drives and diskettes are both
good examples of legacy devices. It's unlikely they will even be made much past 2010.

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Computer Storage vs. Computer Memory Storage and Memory In this unit you will learn the differences between computer memory and computer storage. Memory and storage are important concepts to master in Information Technology. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, so it is important to understand some key differences. Computer memory needs to be quick. It is constantly feeding the CPU with data to process. Since nobody likes to wait for a computer, high-quality computers will have fast processors and lots of quick memory. Computers do not normally process all the information they ha ...
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Really useful study material!

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