Types of Storage

Types of Storage

When you discuss storage, you will need to be able to place them into one of three categories: Magnetic, Optical, or Solid State.

Activity

You may also need to compare the benefits and drawbacks of each. Recreate your own version of the table below and complete the missing sections.

StorageExamplesBenefitsDrawbacks
MagneticHDD, tape,Moving parts may break
OpticalCD
Faster to read / writeMore expensive per MB

Activity

Test out your understanding of types of Secondary Storage using the game below – will you be top of the leaderboard?

Revision Task

Download the scribl.it notes below and add your own notes from the video to this.

Primary Storage

Primary Storage

Primary Storage (also called primary memory) refers to the collection of RAM, ROM, and cache memory that is used to run the computer system. Without primary memory, the computer system would not be able to run.

When answering exam questions about primary storage, it is important to remember that:

  • Primary storage is always internal
  • Primary storage may be volatile or non-volatile
  • Is made up of RAM, ROM, & cache
  • As a group, is sometimes called the IAS (immediate access store)
  • Other exam boards refer to this as primary memory, or just memory

Task

Download the Scribblit notes sheet below and add your own notes. Use the video lesson to identify definitions for each key terms and any additional important information.

Scribblit-Main-MemoryDownload
Practice Practical – Task 1

Practice Practical – Task 1

Although the new specification no longer has practical tasks to complete in order to prepare for your exams, you will still be expected to be confident with programming skills (which will be tested in a written paper). This practice task will help you to practice all of the skills that you have learnt so far in one larger project.

When completing the practice tasks, make sure that you have saved each version of the tasks into a separate file. This will make correcting any major mistakes much easier and is called Version Control.

Introduction to The Tasks

Introduction to The Tasks

The programming tasks shown in this section are for practice only. These are not the tasks that will be questioned in your exam. You will be required to obtain a copy of the tasks from your exam centre and work through them in the same way that you have been shown here.

Before completing the real tasks, it is strongly recommended that you follow this tutorial for the practice tasks to give yourself sufficient experience in documenting your progress and attempting practice questions.