Secondary storage
Non-volatile storage devices (hard drives, solid-state drives, USB drives) retaining data without power. Secondary storage provides persistent data storage complementing volatile main memory. Access speeds are much slower than main memory.
Real World
Samsung's 870 EVO SSD reads data at 560 MB/s with no moving parts, while a traditional Western Digital hard drive spins platters at 7200 RPM and reads at roughly 150 MB/s — illustrating the speed-reliability tradeoff in secondary storage.
Exam Focus
Compare magnetic, solid-state, and optical storage using speed, capacity, cost, durability, and portability — examiners expect all five criteria.
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