Types of Computer Storage Devices

What are the different types of computer storage devices? Computers have revolutionized the way we carry out our daily activities. We are always in front of our computers doing a thing or two on a daily basis. The continued use of these computers has led to the increased need of memory to store our necessities which range from small documents to larger files such as movies and series. The continued evolution of computers has led to the introduction of different types of computer storage devices. In this article, we will look at some of the types of computer storage devices. These devices are either internal or external.

Internal storage Devices

These devices are installed in all digital computers. They are the storage devices are of two types. These are RAM (Random Access Memory) and Hard disk. RAM allows data to be accessed quickly and in a random order. A RAM of a computer is one of the determining factors to the performance of any computer. A computer with a small RAM, say 64mb will be slower than a computer that has a larger RAM. A hard disc is also another type of internal computer storage devicewhich is used to store and retrieve data that is stored in them. Recently, hard disks with a capacity exceeding 1 terabyte have been developed. In addition, external hard disks have also been developed meaning that they can be inserted to a computer and ejected at any time without opening the computer.

External storage devices

Traditionally, the floppy drive was the most common storage devices. It was used in the traditional PCs to store small documents. However, since the introduction of other devices which are smaller and more portable, the floppy disc is now less used. Other forms of external types of external computer storage devices are:

Flash drives

Flash drives are types of computer storage devices some of the most commonly used storage devices today. This is because of their small sizes and large capacities. They range in data capacity with a 1000GB flash drive being introduced in 2012.

External hard drives

External hard drives are also gaining popularity when it comes to external storage devices. They are preferred because of their large memory capacity and their portability aspect. They are best used to supplement the internal hard drives.

Re-writable DVDs and CDs

These are portable devices that look similar to other normal CDs and DVDs. The only difference they have with other CDs and DVDs is that they are rewritable. A mere look at both of these devices cannot give the difference between the two. The memory size of these devices usually varies but the maximum memory used today is 4.7 GB. The Blue ray disk is becoming more popular since it can carry up to 25 GB.

Cloud Storage

In the recent past, cloud computing is becoming a very popular type of computer storage