Mass storage devices are the type of external device that is used for storing data. Mass storage devices can be in the form of floppy disks, flash memory sticks, CDs, DVDs, etc.
These different types of mass storage devices are able to store an enormous amount of information which is why they are commonly used with external hard drives. There are diferent primary types- floppy disks, flash memory sticks, hard drives CDs, and DVDs.
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What Are the Different Types of Mass Storage Devices?
Floppy disks, flash memory sticks, CDs and DVDs are all different types of mass storage devices that can be used to store data. These devices are important for the transfer of information and are commonly used with external hard drives. There is a wide variety in how four primary types differ from one another- let’s explore them in more detail!
Floppy disks
Floppy disks have been around for nearly seventy years and are the oldest mass storage device in existence. Floppy disks themselves are made of a thin magnetic material encased in plastic.
Floppy disks were very popular from the 1970s up through to the 1990s but fell out of favor due to their low capacity and small size. Modern floppy disks only hold 1.44 MB- that’s less than an average word document! There is no real advantage to using a floppy disk over a flash memory stick or a CD/DVD these days since they all serve similar purposes.
Flash memory sticks
Flash memory sticks work by saving data onto a microchip with no moving parts. USB flash drives can be written to one million times before they start to lose data and can hold much more than the average floppy disk- several hundred gigabytes of data can be stored in one flash memory stick, which is enough for many full-length movies.
CDs and DVDs
CDs and DVDs are forms of optical storage that use a laser to read binary information off of a disc. CDs only have the capacity to store 650 MB while DVDs can store 4.7 GB- that’s about 60 times as much!
The discs themselves don’t actually move when writing or reading data as floppy disks do, but instead, rely on focused beams of light to complete these processes.
Hard Drives
A hard drive is another form of data storage device. As the name implies, it uses hard metal disks to store data like DVDs and CD-ROMs. However, with SSD (Solid State Drive), no moving parts are involved in getting information off of or into it. This makes them much more reliable than their HDD counterparts.
Solid State Drives
SSDs have two main parts which are a NAND flash memory chip and a controller chip. The NAND flash memory serves as the actual storage unit while the controller manages the reading/writing process of the drive so nothing can go wrong during this time period.
External hard drives
External hard drives function by taking advantage of traditional magnetic storage techniques. They plug into a computer through USB cables and provide huge of additional space for storing files.
External hard drives can range in size from 500 GB to several terabytes- the average person uses them to store music and/or movies.
After Thoughts
Floppy disks, flash memory sticks, CDs and DVDs are all examples of mass storage devices used for data transfer and storage. These devices have evolved over time with changes in technology, but continue to be important tools for transferring information between computers.
