MEMORY AND STORAGE DEVICES- ESSENTIAL POINTS

Computer Memory: A memory is just like a human brain. It is used to store data and instructions. Computer
memory is the storage space in computer where data is to be processed and instructions required for processing
are stored.
Memory is primarily of three types:
1. Cache Memory: Cache memory is a very high speed semiconductor memory which can speed up
CPU. It acts as a buffer between the CPU and main memory.
2. Primary Memory or Main Memory: Primary memory is also known as main memory. It only holds
those data and instructions on which computer is currently working. It has limited capacity and
data is lost when power is switched off. Primary memory can be divided into:
1. RAM (Random Access Memory): It is Volatile or temporary memory. Faster memory, Data gets
erased when power supply goes off. RAM is of two types −
Static RAM (SRAM) : The word static indicates that the memory retains its contents as
long as power is being supplied. However, data is lost when the power gets down due to
volatile nature.
Dynamic RAM (DRAM) : DRAM, unlike SRAM, must be continually refreshed in order to
maintain the data. This is done by placing the memory on a refresh circuit that rewrites
the data several hundred times per second.
2. ROM (Read Only Memory): It is Non Volatile or permanent memory. Slow memory,Data
stored permanently. Various types of ROM:
MROM (Masked ROM): The very first ROMs were hard-wired devices that contained a
pre-programmed set of data or instructions. These kind of ROMs are known as masked
ROMs, which are inexpensive.
PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory): PROM is read-only memory that can be
modified only once by a user. The user buys a blank PROM and enters the desired contents
using a PROM program
EPROM (Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory): EPROM can be erased by
exposing it to ultra-violet light for a duration of up to 40 minutes. Usually, an EPROM eraser
achieves this function. During programming, an electrical charge is trapped in an insulated
gate region.
EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory): EEPROM is
programmed and erased electrically. It can be erased and reprogrammed about ten thousand
times. Both erasing and programming take about 4 to 10 ms (millisecond). In EEPROM, any
location can be selectively erased and programmed.
3. Secondary Memory: It is also known as auxiliary memory or non-volatile memory. It is slower than
main memory. These are used for storing data or information permanently. For example: hard disk, CD-
ROM, DVD etc
1. Hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as Hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile memory
hardware device that permanently stores and retrieves data on a computer. A hard drive is a
secondary storage device that consists of one or more platters to which data is written using a
magnetic head, all inside of an air-sealed casing. Internal hard disks reside in a drive bay, connect
to the motherboard using an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable, and are powered by a connection to
the PSU (power supply unit).
Hard drive consists of the following components: the head actuator, read/write actuator arm,
read/write head, spindle, and platter.
2. Short for Solid-State Drive (or Solid-State Disk, although it doesn't use a disk mechanism),
an SSD is a storage medium that uses non-volatile memory as a means of holding and accessing
data. Unlike a hard drive, an SSD has no moving parts which gives it advantages such as faster
access time, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower power consumption.
SSDs primarily use the SATA connection which has a theoretical maximum transfer rate of
 750 MB per second. However, a newer generation of SSDs is emerging that utilize a PCIe
connection, offering speeds of up to 1.5 GB per second.
3. USB flash drive, data stick, pen drive, memory unit, key chain drive and thumb drive, a jump
drive is a portable storage device. It is often the size of a human thumb (hence the name), and it
connects to a computer via a USB port. Flash drives are an easy way to store and transfer
information.
Unlike a standard hard drive, the flash drive has no movable parts; it contains only an integrated
circuit memory chip that is used to store data.
4. SD Card(Short for Secure Digital Card): the SD Card is one of the more common types of
memory cards used with electronics.
Types of SD cards: The three versions of the SD card, along with their physical dimensions,
are shown below.
SD - 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm.
miniSD - 21.5mm x 20mm x 1.4mm.
microSD - 15mm x 11mm x 1.0mm.

Memory storage Units:

Units Description
A binary digit is logical 0 and 1 representing a passive or an active
Bit
state of a component in an electric circuit.
Nibble A group of 4 bits is called nibble.
A group of 8 bits is called byte. A byte is the smallest unit, which can
Byte
represent a data item or a character.
A computer word, like a byte, is a group of fixed number of bits
processed as a unit, which varies from computer to computer but is
fixed for each computer. The length of a computer word is called
Word
word-size or word length. It may be as small as 8 bits or may be as
long as 96 bits. A computer stores the information in the form of
computer words.
Higher storage Units:

1. Kilobyte (KB): 1 KB = 1024 Bytes

2. Megabyte (MB): 1 MB = 1024 KB

3. GigaByte (GB): 1 GB = 1024 MB

4. TeraByte (TB): 1 TB = 1024 GB

5. PetaByte (PB): 1 PB = 1024 TB

Cloud storage is a model of data storage in which the digital data is stored in logical pools, the physical
storage spans multiple servers (and often locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and
managed by a hosting company. These cloud storage providers are responsible for keeping the data available
and accessible, and the physical environment protected and running. People and organizations buy or lease
storage capacity from the providers to store user, organization, or application data.
The most commonlly used cloud storages are: Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud, Box, Carbonite,
Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Mozy,and many more
SATA, in full serial advanced technology attachment, also called serial ATA, an interface for transferring data
between a computer’s central circuit board and storage devices. SATA was designed to replace the long-
standing PATA (parallel ATA) interface.
BIOS (basic input/output system) is the program a personal computer's microprocessor uses to get the
computer system started after you turn it on. It also manages data flow between the computer's operating system
and attached devices such as the hard disk, video adapter, keyboard, mouse and printer. BIOS software is stored
on a non-volatile ROM chip.
CMOS is short for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor. CMOS is an on-board, battery powered
semiconductor chip inside computers that stores information.
The motherboard serves as a single platform to connect all of the parts of a computer together. It connects
the CPU, memory, hard drives, optical drives, video card, sound card, and other ports and expansion cards
directly or via cables. It can be considered as the backbone of a computer.