StorageDevices
the computer hardware that records and/or retrieves items to and from storage
media.
Reading |
the process of transferring these items from a storage medium into memory. When storage devices write data on storage media, they are creating output. Similarly,
when storage devices read from storage media, they function as a source of input. Nevertheless, they are categorized as storage devices, not as input or output devices. |
Access TimeThe speed of storage devices is defined by access time. Access time measures the amount of time it takes a storage device to locate an item on a storage medium. The access time of storage devices is slow, compared with the access time of memory. Memory (chips) accesses items in billionths of a second (nanoseconds). Storage devices, by contrast, access items in thousandths of a second
(milliseconds) or millionths of a second (microseconds). |